Craft an intricate design with your favourite patterned papers in your stash with our selection of easy origami for beginners, which include birthday party boats, heart bookmarks, mini succulents, card toppers, and a divine floral wreath.
All the projects featured are designed to be easy to follow and make, so give them a try today!
If you like this article about origami for beginners, why not check out some of our paper crafts – like these cute quilled flowers, or this beautiful paper flower bouquet. Or how about getting your glue gun and making this realistic paper rose? You could also top up your stash and browse the best origami paper.
Jump to our pick of inspiring origami papers:
Main image: Radiant Home Studio
Origami for beginners - 27 exciting projects to try
1. How to make an origami swan
This traditional Japanese origami swan is easy to make and looks great with double-sided paper. This simple swan uses one piece of 15 x 15cm paper and shows a peek of the reverse with detail for the wing. It’s a stable model, so will stand up on its own without support.
This origami swan is an ideal first origami project, as it only takes a few minutes to make and uses simple folds – learn how to make an origami swan, right here on Gathered!
2. Origami crane tutorial
If you could have one wish, what would it be? There is an ancient Japanese legend that says whosoever folds 1,000 paper cranes will be rewarded with a wish from the gods.
Learn how to make an origami crane with our easy to follow step-by-step tutorial – so grab a piece of 15 x 15cm paper, and let us show you how.
3. Easy origami owl
Make this easy origami owl following our step-by-step tutorial! Grab a piece of your favourite 15 x 15cm paper, and learn how to make an origami owl right here on Gathered.
Why not add some charms or buttons as the eyes and colour the beak, as we have done?
4. How to make lucky Stars
Learn how to make an origami lucky star. These cute little origami stars are made with strips of paper and are very easy to make! Get the tutorial over at Paper Kawaii.
5. Easy origami hearts tutorial
These origami hearts from Radiant Home Studio are a lovely origami for beginners project – and make great gifts, too! Use on cards as toppers or add to gift-wrapped presents for that extra special touch.
6. Origami necklace
Make your own origami necklace with origami expert Esther Thorpe's free tutorial right here on Gathered. Esther shows you how to make an origami necklace in this really simple tutorial.
7. Origami paper lampshade
Make an origami paper lampshade with Zoe Patching's origami lampshade instructions – you can resize the origami lampshade template for lamps big and small, and it makes a real statement piece in any room.
8. Origami flower wreath
Create a beautiful door decoration for your home with our origami paper wreath, perfect for adding some summer brightness to your living space all year round.
9. Origami vase
This beautiful origami vase is made from folded paper and hides the real vase beneath the paper! Find the full tutorial over at Love Decorations.
10. Origami pen pot
Okay – so this isn't technically origami, but it's such a lovely project we just had to show it off.
Freshen up your workspace with Suzie Attaway’s paper folding project. She'll be showing you how to make these playful polyhedron pots which are great desktop tidies! There's a free template, too.
11. Origami plant tutorial
Give your craft room a little green-fingered update with these adorable mini origami succulents, crafted by Paper Kawaii.
Visit their website to find all the instructions and materials needed to make your own mini origami succulents.
12. How to make an origami cat
Craft an adorable cat companion for your craft desk with these easy origami cats – they only take a couple of minutes to make!
Embellish the cat with sequins, a little bow, and gems for a sparkling finish. This is the perfect origami for beginners project.
13. Origami rabbit tutorial
Learn how to make this easy origami rabbit following the instructions over at Origami Tutorial. It uses one sheet of origami paper and we love it.
14. Origami fairy lights
Transform a string of plain white fairy lights with these beautiful origami fairy lights. Dress them up in pretty pastel flowers to make these lights summer-ready – they’re perfect for hosting a garden party or just adding some colour to a room.
Just be sure to use paper-safe fairy lights when you make this project!
15. How to make a ninja star
Who made these as a child? They were great for throwing across the classroom when the teacher's back was turned (of course, we never did that…) and they teach kids about maths. Win-win!
Find the tutorial over at What Do We Do All Day.
16. Easy origami butterfly
These beautiful origami butterflies are made out of washi paper, giving their wings a beautiful translucent effect. Find the full tutorial over at Goorigami.
17. Make an origami jumping frog
Make this traditional jumping frog from one sheet of green origami paper. There is a brilliant, and very clear tutorial over at Origami.me – how far can you make yours jump?
18. Origami dinosaur
Learn how to make this roarsome origami dinosaur with this brilliant video tutorial from PPO crafts on YouTube.
19. Origami birthday party boats
Whether you want to create an extra-special birthday card for a little boy or girl, celebrate a newborn baby, or make colourful table decorations for upcoming parties, these little origami party boats are just the thing!
20. Origami heart bookmark
Bookmark those must-try craft projects with this fancy origami heart bookmark. We reckon your bookworm bestie will love ’em, too.
Crafted with pretty patterned paper, find out how to make this heart bookmark by visiting The Idea Room.
21. Origami kite, dog and heart card toppers
Send smiles through the post with these adorable origami card toppers. They only take a few minutes to make but will add so much fun to your papercraft projects.
Fold the kite, heart and dog toppers with spare papers from your stash, then ink the edges for a colourful twist.
22. Origami cubes
Learn how to make these simple origami cubes – they're made from six pieces of origami paper and hold together without the need for tape or glue!
23. How to make an origami star
Here’s a simple origami star tutorial for the whole family that you can whip up using paper scraps or sparkling gift wrap.
Easy to make and beautifully festive, why not make and fold a whole bunch of origami stars to decorate your home with?
24. Origami boat mobile
Create a shipshape origami boat mobile by folding darling paper ships and clouds to adorn your living space. Or, you can easily scale the instructions up to create a larger origami boat if you wish.
25. Kirigami Christmas star mobile
Create a minimal masterpiece with Sarah Louise Matthews's kirigami star mobile! Kirigami is similar to origami, but if you cut the paper that's what makes it kirigami. ("Kiru" means "to cut".)
26. Origami Christmas tree
Now it's time for some festive origami for beginners! Use Mollie Makes' tutorial to make this adorable little origami Christmas tree.
27. Origami Christmas decorations
Want more origami? Take a look at our round-up of all the best origami Christmas decorations, including these brilliant origami crackers!
Origami for beginners: supplies
You don't need much to learn how to do origami. Choose some thin paper and something to make the creases sharp. A bone folder is ideal, but you can also use a ruler! If you think this is a craft you will enjoy then check out our must-have origami supplies.
1. Origami paper
- Buy now: Amazon (£6.39) and Amazon.com
This pack of origami paper comes in traditional designs with a great price point. There are 24 different designs and 100 sheets. They’re double-sided, too so if you’re looking to get into the hobby without splashing too much cash this is a great option.
2. Botanical origami paper
- Buy now: Amazon (£6.11) and Amazon.com
This collection of botanical-inspired origami paper features beautiful designs of leaves and feathers in a palette of greens and blues. We love the peacock feathers!
If you want more peacock inspired prints, why not download our free peacock pintables?
3. Plain origami paper
- Buy now: Amazon (£7.99) and Amazon.com
Coloured on one side and white on the other, having a stash of plain origami paper is great for practising models. There are 50 different colours in the pack and each sheet is 20 x 20cm, just a little larger than the traditional 15 x 15cm square sheets.
4. Origami lucky stars paper
- Buy now: Amazon (£13.26) and Amazon.com
Origami stars are made easy with this collection of pre-cut origami star paper! There are over a thousand strips – if you buy this, we challenge you to use them all!
5. Bone folder
- Buy now: Amazon (£6.95) and Amazon.com
Get nice, crisp creases in your origami projects by using a bone folder. You can use a ruler, or anything with a straight edge, but as you progress in your origami it's nice to have the right tools.
6. Amazing Origami kit
- Buy now: Amazon (£13.40) and Amazon ($15.06)
This is just a lovely origami book that we like! It has 144 sheets of traditional origami paper, plus instructions for 17 models, so you can get folding straight away.
7. Amazing Origami
This origami kit comes with 28 pre-printed designs, and four sheets of stickers. Animals include owls, birds and fish – and instructions, so you can see your animals come to life before your eyes!
Master your favourite easy origami project
Once you've made one of these origami projects, remember that practice makes perfect, so try seeing if you can make it again from memory.
Normally repeating the process a few times is all it takes for your brain to remember the folding sequence, then you can be one of those amazing people who just 'knows' how to make an origami swan.
Go further with paper folding
Gathered is here to help you become a paper-folding master, so after finishing your origami makes try taking your folding skills to the next level with these free book folding patterns.
