Our family loves folding origami and the easiest place to start is the origami boat.
Besides presenting this origami boat as a craft project, you have many opportunities to extend it to other areas of learning including memory, mathematics and reading.
Read on to find out how…
Instructions
You may use either a square or rectangular piece of paper.
Any paper will do — origami paper, recycled paper, old magazines, even newspapers!
Start with the coloured or nicer side on top because this will be the outside of the boat.
You may click on the image below and print it out:
The kids folded many origami boats over 2 days…
Learning Objectives
Besides presenting this origami boat as a craft project, you have many opportunities to extend it to other areas of learning.
School Readiness:
- Following oral instructions
- Following visual instructions
- Following written instructions
Memory:
- Memorising steps (visual and muscles)
Sensorial:
- Comparing size
- Arranging from shortest to longest or smallest to biggest (use different sizes of paper to fold the boats)
Language:
- Reading
- Pre-writing: fine motor skills from folding (the younger the child, the larger the paper should be)
- Writing: Copy the instructions (onto a piece of paper or notebook)
Mathematics:
Origami is a great tool for learning mathematics. Through this simple origami boat, you can present these concepts:
- Parallel lines
- Right angles
- Isosceles right-angled triangle
- Symmetry
- Obtuse angle
- Acute angle
Science:
My second child, Jae, experimented with placing various boat designs into a bucket of water.
- Buoyancy
- Waterproof and non-waterproof material
- Floating and sinking
See if you can find more concepts to explore with your child!
>>> Download the origami boat instructions HERE (PDF)
Have fun!
