How to make an origami flapping bird
A cousin of the famous paper crane, this bird has a trick: hold its neck, pull its tail and the wings flap. It uses the bird base, the most famous base in origami, so it is a great next step for confident folders.
- Tricky
- Age 8+
- About 20 minutes
- 11 steps
- No scissors
- Moves: Watch it flap
Lesson at a glance
- You need
- A square of paper (15 cm or 6 inches is ideal). No scissors or glue.
- Time
- About 20 minutes (allow longer the first time)
- Level
- Tricky · age 8+
- How to teach it
- Show the 3D folder on the board and pause after each step, or print the step sheet for each table. Both show the same folds.
Finished!
Step 1 of 11Start with the square colored side up. Fold it in half from corner to corner, open it, then fold and open the other diagonal.
Keys: left and right arrows go back and forward, Space plays or pauses, R plays the step again, B shows the back. On the 3D picture, the arrow keys turn it and + and − zoom.
How to fold a flapping bird: step by step
You need: one square of thin paper, 15 cm (6 inches) or bigger. Origami paper is best. To make a square from A4 or US Letter paper, fold one corner down to the opposite edge, crease the strip that is left over firmly both ways and tear it off carefully.
Start with the square colored side up. Fold it in half from corner to corner, open it, then fold and open the other diagonal.
Turn the paper over. Fold it in half from edge to edge, open it, then fold and open it the other way.
Push two opposite corners in towards the middle. The paper folds itself into a small square with the open corners at the bottom. Flatten it. This is a square base.
Fold the lower edges of the top layer in to the center line, and fold the top triangle down over them. Crease firmly, then open all three folds again.
Lift the bottom corner of the top layer up along the crease you just made. Its sides fold in along the other creases. Flatten it into a long diamond.
Turn it over. Fold the lower edges in to the center line and the top triangle down, then open them again, just like before.
Lift the bottom corner up and flatten it into a long diamond, just like before. This shape is called a bird base.
Fold the right-hand lower point up and out between the layers, so it points up at the side. This is called an inside reverse fold. It makes the neck.
Do the same with the left-hand point to make the tail.
Reverse fold the tip of the neck down in the same way to make a head.
Fold the wings down, one on each side, so they stick out. Hold the bottom of the neck and gently pull the tail – the wings flap!
Finished!
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What kids learn
- Bases: many origami models grow from the same few bases. This one uses the square base and the bird base – students can spot them again in other models.
- Angles: the kite folds split a 45° angle into two 22.5° angles. Unfold a finished bird and measure them.
- Symmetry: the crease pattern is symmetrical, and so is the bird.
- Mechanisms: pulling the tail moves the wings – a simple linkage, like the levers in a pop-up book.
Classroom tips for teachers
- Build up to it: fold a cootie catcher or a cup first. Then teach the square base as its own mini lesson before the full bird.
- Use bigger paper: 20 cm squares make the petal folds much easier for small hands.
- Pause on the board: the petal fold is the tricky moment. Play that step slowly with the 3D app, and spin the model to see it from the side.
- Math: open a finished bird and look at the crease pattern. Count the triangles, find the lines of symmetry and measure the angles.
- SEND tips: give pre-creased squares (do steps 1–4 in advance), and let students who finish quickly help a partner by talking them through the steps.
Standards links
- Math (4.MD.C.5–6, 4.G.A.3): recognize and measure angles; find lines of symmetry.
- Math (2.G.A.3): partition a square into halves and fourths as you fold.
- Engineering (NGSS 3-5-ETS1-1): describe a simple design problem – what makes the wings move?
- ELA (SL.4.1): explain each step to a partner using precise words.
Links to the Common Core State Standards, NGSS and the National Core Arts Standards. Check against your own state’s standards.
Safety
No scissors or glue are needed. If you tear paper to make a square, crease the line hard first and tear slowly. Pull the tail gently – the bird flaps best with small, quick pulls.
More origami to try
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Frequently asked questions
Why won’t my bird flap?
Hold the bottom of the neck (not the body) and pull the tail gently and quickly. Curving the wings slightly, so they are not flat, also helps them move.
Is this the same as a paper crane?
They share the same bird base. The crane has thinner neck and tail folds and its wings stay still; this bird keeps a wider body so the wings can flap.
What size paper should I use?
A 15 cm (6 inch) square of thin origami paper is ideal. Beginners find a 20 cm square easier.