How to Make a 3-D Origami Paper Heart for Kids

Origami originated in China about 105 A.D..

Making a three-dimensional (3-D) origami heart for kids is a creative way to express your love for them. In fact, a 3-D heart is an ideal craft project to accomplish together with children. Origami is the art of folding plain sheets of paper into life-like objects. Mastered by Buddhist monks in 6th Century Japan, origami eventually transformed into an informal art. Use different colored paper to make a series of hearts for display on a bedside table or a family mantle piece.

Things You'll Need

• 8-inch by 8-inch sheet of red paper

Instructions

1. Place the paper onto a flat surface so one of the corners is facing you. Bend the bottom half of the paper over the top half. Precrease and unfold the bend.

2. Bend the left half of the paper over the right half. Precrease and unfold the bend.

3. Fold the top corner down toward center. Crease the fold. Always crease the fold. The top edge is now flat.

4. Fold the bottom corner upward to the top flat edge. Fold the bottom right and left corners 80 degrees upward. Fold each of the corners upward another 10 degrees -- a total of 90 degrees. The bottom edges of the paper are now flush on the vertical center line. Push both edges of the top right and left flaps backward so the far left and right sides have two perpendicular sides -- so each left and right side create a U shape. The paper now has two top triangular points.

5. Flip the paper over. Fold the top half of the two top triangular points downward. The two tops are now flat. Fold the remaining half 90 degrees downward. Tuck the flat tops under the corresponding top flaps. All 3-D edges of your heart are now creased. Your 3-D heart is now complete.

References

• Origami Resource Center: History of Origami
• Origami Instructions: Easy Origami Heart