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Origami Box Using Kids Art

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By Noreen Doll.

Here’s a great way to make an origami box using kids art.

You know that if you have kids, you have lots of art works they’ve created. You don’t want to throw it away but you don’t know how to use it all either.

Now you can create an origami box using kids art just for wrapping small gifts. What grandparent or aunt wouldn’t love having a gift box made by their favorite little one?

Here are some drawings you can’t throw away – and that make wonderful gift boxes.

Even if you don’t have any art work, you can have a child create some specifically for a box.

What You Need

A Piece of Art Work on a Sheet of Paper

Scissors

Ruler

What You Do

The paper square you use needs to be 3 times the size of the box you want. If you want a 3 inch square box, then you need a 9 inch square of paper. This origami box used a piece of computer paper and was 8 1/2 inches square.

1. Make the paper into a square.

Make sure that the part of the art work you want to show is in the exact center of a square.

If the art is being created just for this box, you can cut the paper square before the child colors it. Explain that the majority of color needs to be in the middle.

If a child is making the origami box using kids art, show him/her how to make a square by folding the paper like this – folding the bottom edge to exactly meet one side edge.

Cut off the excess

and open the triangle. The result will be a square.

2. Use a straight edge on the back side of the paper from corner to corner diagonally to mark the center.

Use the straight edge between the 2 opposite diagonal corners and mark the center again – so that you have an X in the center of the square.

3. Turn the paper so one corner is pointing at you. Fold this point up to the center of the paper so it exactly touches the center of the X. Crease the fold.

3. Turn the paper, putting the point of each corner at the center of the X and crease each fold, so the paper looks like this.

4. Now turn the paper so one edge is toward you. Fold this edge up until the top of it meets the center of the square. Crease the fold.

Rotate the square and fold each edge up to the middle and crease each fold. The paper should look like this.

5. Make cuts in the folds on one side. Then make cuts in the two folds on the opposite side as shown below in red.

Cut only to the first fold line – do not cut the middle.

After you’ve made your cuts, the paper should look like this.

6. Grab the point between the two cut folds and pull it out until it is unfolded.

Then fold the two side squares in until their edges meet.

Fold the point part over the two squares and into the box. Tuck the crease into the edge fold and the point will be in the center.

Repeat on the other side of the box.

7. If needed, use a bit of a glue stick to help hold these two points in place.

8. Repeat the same steps with a second square of paper the same size to make a lid.

You don’t need to cut the lid smaller as you can kind of squeeze up the bottom to fit into the top. And having the top and bottom the same size makes them fit snuggly together.

This a great project for kids to learn how to make. The folds are easy because they all fold up to the center of the box.

If your kids are like mine, they won’t be able to stop making these origami boxes using kids art. And the fun thing is that they can make them in all sizes just by varying the size of the square of paper.

We liked making teeny boxes! The square size we used for this one was 4 inches.

Tips

For a larger square sheet, use the white side of designer paper, which is 12 inches square, and fold the colored side to the inside and your child’s drawing on the outside.

You can also find the center of a square by folding the square diagonally having opposite corners exactly match. Crease in the center.

Fold the square the other way so the opposite two corners exactly match, and crease in the center.

The two creases should make an X in the middle. I don’t do this if I don’t want creases in the center of the top, because they will show.

Sometimes it doesn’t matter if the creases show, so you can just do the folds instead of marking it on the back side.

Noreen Doll

Crafty Journal

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Comments

  1. This is SOOO CUTE! I love the sweet pictures done by your kids! Such a fun and unique gift! And it would be so special to a mom! thanks for linking up!

  3. CUTE CUTE CUTE!!!!!!! I can just imagine how thrilled my girls would be if I made boxes out of their art! I’d be th best mom in the world!! 🙂

    Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer… From Dream To Reality!

  4. How adorable! Using the kid’s artwork for those boxes is a fantastic idea! Then the kids can have treasure boxes for their ‘stuff’! LOVE this idea!
    Blessings, Doni

  9. I’m going around visiting everyone on today’s PINK SATURDAY list…..with my hot cup of coffee, of course! Just wanted to let you know that I was here! Have yourself a great weekend, and stop by my place if you’ve the time!

    ciao bella
    Creative Carmelina
    xo

  10. HPS!

    Love these boxes…and wouldn’t some canvas with this drawings look amazing on walls?
    My favorites are: the flower and the “creature”. Is it a dog?

    Gabriela

    Gabriela

  11. Thanks for all your nice comments. It’s hard to part with your kid’s artwork, and I like the wall art idea from Gabriela. The creature is a horse.

  14. This is the kind of gift where the wrapping might be more special than what is inside. I can see where grandparents would especially love this. Thanks for sharing your clever idea on this week’s Motivated Monday at BeColorful
    pam

  16. How fun!! I used one of my daughter’s as wrapping paper recently. Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!! I hope you are having an amazing week!!

  17. That is so cute. I make those boxes using scrapbook paper, but I love the idea of using kids artwork. I’d love for you to link up to my party that opens at 8pm EST tonight. Hope to see you there.

  19. What a cute idea! We are so glad that you linked up to our “Strut Your Stuff Saturday.” We hope you’ll be back soon! -The Sisters

  21. Great idea! Thanks for the tutorial. Thanks for sharing at Terrific Tuesday.
    Rachel
    adventuresofadiymom.blogspot.com

  22. Thanks so much for linking this great tutorial up to my weekly Say G’Day Saturday Party. The artwork on your origami box was gorgeous!

    I hope you will be able to join in and link up another fabulous post this weekend!

    Best wishes,
    Natasha in Oz

  27. How wonderful–not only are you keeping their art work, but it become something cool!
    Thanks for bringing this to the oldie’s party!

  30. These would be great to make for grandmas for Mother’s Day! I’m glad I found your post through Twirl & Take a Bow party!

  31. Paper anything gets me excited, but this idea combines so much goodness – recycling and kids adorable drawings that I am getting a wee bit giddy! Visiting you via “WakeUpWednesdays” linkup

  33. love love this idea! For birthday parties I have my kids draw on white paper and then that becomes the wrapping paper!
    Cathy

  39. Wow Noreen these boxes are totally awesome 🙂 And will be featured at the next Snickerdoodle Sunday!! Congrats and thanks for sharing with us!!

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