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Origami Fish for Kids

This origami fish craft is the perfect folded paper craft for kids this Summer! Make as many as you wish and put them in your own paper goldfish bowl.

how to origami fish

Fish Origami Easy

Fish crafts are fun at anytime of the year. Previously my children and I have made a quilled fish from paper as well as a paper plate fish craft with moving waves

I also plan on adding more goldfish and general fish crafts with paper here on Easy Crafts for Kids. The good thing about craft fish is that they do not take much looking after! 

I seen some folded paper fish and I decided to make my own and provide instructions. My step by step origami craft tutorial will allow you to do this also.

How to Make Origami Fish Step by Step

how to origami fish

Origami Fish for Kids

Yield: 1

This origami fish craft is the perfect folded paper craft for kids this Summer!

Materials

  • • Colored origami paper or light craft paper
  • • Sharpie
  • • Craft glue

Instructions

Step 1:

Take a piece of square paper.

Step 2:

Without folding the entire paper in half, mark the paper with creases on 2 open sides (horizontal fold as below)

how to make an origami fish

Step 3:

Now, make the half fold crease points vertically to make it look like 4 squares.

Step 4:

Take any one side and fold it along the half crease (use the half-crease side points as guide) of the square paper, as in the origami picture below.

fish origami tutorial

Step 5:

Fold the other side along the half crease or simply align its edge with the folded part’s edge.

Step 6:

Unfold the last 2 folds and your piece of paper should be evenly divided into 4 horizontal lines.

Step 7:

Similarly, fold and unfold the 2 sides of the intact sides. These creases will leave 12 even square grids around the border of the square sheet as shown.

fish origami step by step

Step 8:

Join any 2 diagonally opposite corners of the square sheet, without making a fine folding line. Create creases inside the corner grids only.

how to make a paper fish

Step 9:

Unfold the paper.

Step 10:

Similarly, create creases along the 2 other corner grids.

Step 11:

Fold any 2 sides of the paper and align them along the half crease of the square sheet like in the picture below.

easy fish origami instructions

Step 12:

Keeping ¾ of the folded paper flattened; open any one side (only the outer grid parts).

Step 13:

Fold along the diagonal creases of the corner grids.

how do you fold a goldfish

Step 14:

Flatten the corner grids with the rest of the pattern by folding them along the diagonal creases.

Step 15:

Similarly, fold the other side of the pattern. The pattern now has 4 flaps. Consider the flaps that are separated along the middle as group.

Step 16:

Fold out any 2 flaps outside.

Step 17:

Now, align the right side of the remaining right flap along the inner edge of the right top flap (the previously folded out flap).

fish origami instructions printable

Step 18:

Now, fold the right flap in half and fold it outside. This is half of the tail fin.

origami fish tail

Step 19:

Similarly, fold the left flap and your fish origami should look as below.

origami fish craft process

Step 20:

Fold the top-right side to 45 degree and align it along the middle of the pattern. This does sound complicated but look at the image below to make sure you have completed this correctly.

Step 21:

Similarly, fold and align the left side.

Step 22:

Turn the pattern to the other side. Draw and cut out an eye from a white paper.

Attach the eye on the square part of the origami fish pattern to complete the craft.

origami fish for kids



Please let me know how long it took you to complete this folded paper origami. 

How about drawing some white stripes on your orange fish and calling him Nemo!! Remember Nemo is a clownfish. Can you think of other types of fish you could origami? How about a trout or even a shark!

If you love folding paper and want to try and make some other great things then I have a few suggestions.

How about my tulip origami craft? These are a perfect idea for a Spring origami activity. 

If the cold days leading up to Christmas make you want to stay indoors and do crafts with your children I would definitely recommend my Santa origami.

Will you try this Origami Fish Craft?

Origami Fish for Kids

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