How to make an origami pinwheel

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This is the traditional Japanese paper windmill. Four sails chase each other round a square middle – and with a pin and a pencil it really spins. It uses the windmill base, a clever collapse where hidden corners pop out as points.

Tricky
Age 8+
About 20 minutes
6 steps
No scissors
Moves: Watch it spin

Lesson at a glance

You need: A square of paper (15 cm or 6 inches; 20 cm is easier). 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.

Step 1 of 6

Step 1 of 6Start with the square white side up. Fold the left and right edges in to meet at the middle, crease them firmly, then open them again.

Speed Paper Less movement

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 pinwheel: step by step

You need: one square of paper, 15 cm (6 inches) or bigger – 20 cm squares are easier for first-timers. Paper that is colored on one side looks 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 white side up. Fold the left and right edges in to meet at the middle, crease them firmly, then open them again.
Now fold the top and bottom edges in to meet at the middle, crease firmly and open them again. You have a grid of 16 small squares.
Fold the left and right edges in to the middle again, and this time leave them folded, like two cupboard doors.
Fold the top edge down to the middle. As you do, pull the hidden top corners of the doors out to the sides and flatten them into two triangles that point up.
Do the same at the bottom: fold the bottom edge up to the middle and flatten the two corners into triangles that point down. This is a windmill base.
Fold the top right point over to the right, and the bottom left point over to the left. The four points now chase each other round: your pinwheel is finished!

Finished!

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How to make it move

Spin it on a pencil (adult job): an adult pushes a thumbtack or map pin through the very center of the pinwheel and into the eraser on the end of a pencil. Leave a little gap so the paper can turn freely.
Make it turn: blow gently on the sails from the front, hold it up in a breeze, or walk along holding it in front of you.
No pin? Lay the finished pinwheel flat on the table and blow down on it from above, or rest its center on the point of a pencil held upright – it will turn round slowly.
Which way? The sails all point the same way round, so it always spins in the same direction. Fold a second one the mirror way and compare.

If it goes wrong

The corners will not pop out (step 4): open the paper and check the grid of 16 squares – every crease must be sharp. Fold the doors in, then hold the top edge down at the middle with one finger while you pull each hidden corner out sideways with the other hand.
The points look different sizes: the doors did not meet exactly at the middle. Unfold and refold steps 1 to 3 carefully, edge to crease.
It looks like a square with two points up and two down: that is the windmill base – you are nearly there. Now swing just two opposite points (top right and bottom left) over.
It will not spin: the pin is too tight. Wiggle it so the paper turns freely, and make sure the sails are not flattened completely – give each one a gentle curve.

What kids learn

Rotational symmetry: turn the pinwheel a quarter turn and it looks exactly the same. It has rotational symmetry of order 4 but no lines of symmetry – a great example to compare with shapes that do have them.
Forces and wind: moving air pushes on the angled sails and makes them turn, just like a real windmill or wind turbine.
Shapes and fractions: the grid of 16 squares shows halves, quarters and sixteenths; the sails are right-angled triangles.
Following precise instructions: the collapse only works if every crease is accurate, so it builds patience and care.

Classroom tips for teachers

Teach the base on its own: the windmill base (steps 1 to 5) is the tricky part. Fold it together as a class, step by step, with the 3D app paused on the board after each step.
Pre-crease for younger students: give out squares already creased into a 4 by 4 grid, so they can start at step 3.
Science link: test pinwheels in front of a desk fan at different distances, or compare big and small pinwheels. Which spins faster? How can you make it fair?
Math link: unfold a finished pinwheel and color the crease pattern. Find the square in the middle and the triangles round it.
SEND tips: use a bigger, thicker square (20 cm) and let students work in pairs – one holds the doors in place while the other pulls the corners out.

Standards links

Science (NGSS 3-PS2-1): plan and carry out an investigation into how pushes from moving air make the pinwheel turn.
Science (NGSS 4-PS3-4): use the idea that moving air carries energy that can be changed into motion.
Math (4.G.A.3, 4.G.A.2): identify lines of symmetry and classify shapes by their angles; notice turning symmetry.
Engineering (NGSS 3-5-ETS1-3): run fair tests to compare pinwheels of different sizes or papers.

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 to fold it. To make it spin on a pencil, an adult should push the pin in, and students should not walk or run with pins or pencils pointing at anyone. Pins and pencils stay at the table unless an adult is helping. A drinking straw and a paper fastener (split pin) is a safer alternative for young children, fitted by an adult.

More origami to try

Cootie catcher Medium · age 6+ · moves Paper boat Medium · age 6+ · moves Flapping bird Tricky · age 8+ · moves Cat face Easy · age 4+

All origami models · Home

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need scissors to make an origami pinwheel?

No. This is the folded windmill, made from one square without any cutting. The pinwheels made by cutting a square from the corners towards the center are a different design.

Why is it called a windmill base?

The shape you make at step 5, with two points up and two down, is called the windmill base. Many other traditional models start from it, and swinging two points round turns it into the windmill.

How do I make my pinwheel spin?

An adult pushes a pin through the center into the eraser on a pencil, leaving it a little loose. Then blow on it or hold it in a breeze. Without a pin, rest the center on a pencil point and blow gently.

What age is this pinwheel suitable for?

Most children can fold it from about age 8 with help on step 4. Younger children can do it with pre-creased paper and an adult helping with the collapse.