Elementary Origami Animals for Kindergarten

Origami is a fantastic way to introduce young learners to fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and creativity—all while having fun! In this post, we’ll walk you through two simple origami activities designed specifically for kindergarteners. These beginner-friendly projects require just a piece of paper and a little imagination, making them perfect for classroom or at-home learning. Let’s get folding!

 

Age: 3+

Duration: 5 minutes

Learning Outcomes: Practice following directions as you fold these together as a class. Exercise fine motor skills to fold and crease neatly.

You’ll Need: 

 

Elephant Tutorial

Start by choosing a sheet of the double-sided origami paper. Here is the video tutorial for folding the elephant:

Once you have folded your elephant, use a glue stick to put google eyes on him! You can also use washable marker.

 

Once all the kids have their elephants, the question is, what book do you pair your elephant with? For very young readers, picture books read with reading buddies are a great option. Independent learners might also enjoy exploring the images in an elephant reference book on their own! Some of my favorite elephant books include:

 

Puppy Tutorial

If you want to fold the puppy instead, start with a sheet of origami paper. Here is the video tutorial for folding the puppy:

Once your puppy is folded, give him eyes and a nose!

 

There have been many, many picture books about dogs and puppies written, so feel free to choose your favorite! Here are some of my favorites:

 

Challenge students to practice letter recognition with their origami pals!