Monthly Themed Origami Bundle! Get Crafty & be encouraged w step-by-step slides

This series of resources is perfect to encourage students throughout the course of the year with monthly themed origami activities. Each month's resource includes 22 slides with step-by-step written instructions (along with modeled images and a time lapse video). Steps are broken up by fun trivia along the way as students learn about origami, about each month, and about the featured subject. Enjoy!

Encouragement for the month of August:

For many students, August can be a month of new beginnings. Schools often begin a new school year in August, which means new teachers, new friends, and new clothes. In addition to learning new things in school, August is also about making connections and building trust.

The origami activity for this month guides students in making an origami shirt so that each student can share a bit about themselves and also learn a bit about each of their classmates. This is a difficulty level 3/10, and students will have an opportunity to choose from a menu of options to decorate their shirt and make it meaningful.

Encouragement for the month of September:

The honeymoon is over. Teachers and students are back in the groove and are now faced with the realization that there are still more than 30 weeks left of school. But what if, instead of looking at the glass half empty, you looked at the glass half full? Instead, realize that we only have 30 or so weeks left of school and there is so much to do and so much to learn!

Just like a boat leaving the harbor on a long journey, so are we about to embark on a long journey together this school year. The origami activity for this month guides students in making an origami boat. This is a difficulty level 3/10, and students will have an opportunity to choose from a menu of options to make their boats meaningful.

Encouragement for the month of October:

In the Northern Hemisphere at least, October is a time when the weather really starts to change and cool down. It is also a full month of learning, sometimes interrupted by the craziness of dressing up and Halloween activities.

The origami activity for this month guides students in making an origami samurai hat. Not only do we tend to wear hats in colder weather, and not only do many dress up in costumes, but there is also a Japanese connection. Both samurai and origami come from Japan. This is a difficulty level 4/10, and students will have an opportunity to choose from a menu of options to decorate their hats to make it meaningful.

Encouragement for the month of November:

A few months into school and the holidays are upon us. November is a time for family, friends, reflection, and Thanksgiving. Remember that, even trials and struggles can make us stronger and there are sometimes reasons to be thankful for these challenges. What is something that you are thankful for? What struggle are you thankful for that you have overcome or will overcome?

The origami activity for this month guides students in making an origami turkey. Of course, the turkey is often the center of a Thanksgiving dinner. This is a challenging origami activity, so don’t be discouraged if your finished product looks more like a penguin, a duck, or even a lizard! This is a difficulty level 7/10, and students will have an opportunity to choose from a menu of options to decorate their turkeys to make it meaningful.

Encouragement for the month of December:

You’ve been working hard for several months now and a nice break is almost here. December is a great time to reflect on the first half of the school year. It’s also a month full of holidays. Decorating of trees are associated with Christmas, but trees such as pines or fir trees are also generally associated with winter since they are evergreen. They don’t lose their leaves like oak trees or other deciduous trees.

The origami activity for this month guides students in making a pine tree to celebrate both the close of a full calendar year and to celebrate a great first half of a school year. This is a difficulty level 5/10, and students will have an opportunity to choose from a menu of options to decorate their tree and make it meaningful.

Encouragement for the month of January:

Just like August is the start of a new school year, January can also be a month of new beginnings. Most students are rested, coming off of a winter break, and are celebrating a new calendar year. This is close to the halfway point of the school year and a great time to blast off and start strong once again.

The origami activity for this month guides students in making an origami paper airplane. This is a difficulty level 2/10, and students will have an opportunity to choose from a menu of options to decorate their planes in order to make it meaningful.

Encouragement for the month of February:

February has 28 days in regular years, and 29 days in leap years. February is always the shortest month, but that doesn’t mean it’s the least important. It is the close of winter (in the Northern Hemisphere anyway) and is also well-known for having holidays such as president birthdays and Valentine’s Day.

The origami activity for this month guides students in making an origami heart so that each student can pause and reflect on some of the positivity and love around them. This is a difficulty level 1/10, and students will have an opportunity to choose from a menu of options to decorate their heart, making it meaningful.

Encouragement for the month of March:

After a number of holidays and days off in January and February, this is often the longest stretch of 5-day weeks in the entire school year! In many cases, you have learned so much this year and now you are gearing up to show what you know; meaning final exams, state testing, or culminating projects. You need something to attack the upcoming tests and challenges, as well as the long weeks of school.

The origami activity for this month guides students in making a ninja star to attach assessments, challenges, and long stretches of school (not for throwing at peers). This is a difficulty level 6/10, and students will have an opportunity to choose from a menu of options to make their ninja stars meaningful.

Encouragement for the month of April:

In the Northern parts of the globe at least, April is a time when the weather starts to warm up and students start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. State testing is either coming up or wrapping up and much of the hard work is behind us. There are still several weeks to go, but with this month’s origami, you can all stay cool until the end!

The origami activity for this month guides students in making origami sunglasses to keep each student styling and staying cool while the weather warms up. This is a difficulty level 2/10, and students will have an opportunity to choose from a menu of options to decorate their glasses and make them meaningful.

Encouragement for the month of May:

You’ve almost made it! You are so close to finishing this grade and officially moving on to the next one. The month of May is a wonderful time to both reflect on a wonderful year AND to dream and plan a wonderful summer break. Today’s origami will allow you to do just that…

The origami activity for this month guides students in making an origami flip book. Now, true origami masters would not be so please that this design includes a tear or scissor cut, but they will just have to get over it. This is a difficulty level 2/10, and students will have an opportunity to choose from a menu of options to fill the pages of their books to make them meaningful.