If you’re looking for a fairly easy origami project, the balloon is a fun one. While you’re folding the paper, you might wonder how it will end up like a balloon. Just make sure you blow into the small opening at the bottom and it will open up, surprising you with your great creation.
Step 1:
Using a square piece of paper, make two mountain folds as shown. Unfold the paper back into its original square when you’re done. A mountain fold is simple a fold that goes down (instead of up, like a valley fold) and makes a sort of mountain shape.
Step 2:
Now you’re going to do two valley folds (folds that go up). Then unfold the paper into its original square, as shown below.
Step 3:
Next, you’re going to pull the folded edges in, to start collapsing the paper, as you can see below:
Continue to collapse it, until it ends up in a shape that looks like this:
Step 4:
The next step includes 2 of the same folds on each side of the paper. On the front side, fold the corners up as shown:
It should look something like this:
Then, flip it over and do the same on the other side.
Step 5:
The next step is to fold the corners into the middle. You’ll be doing this on both sides as well. Let’s start with one side:
Then flip the paper over and do the same on the other side.
Step 6:
Now, here’s the first tricky part. You’re going to take the bottom flap and tuck it into the pocket made by the flap above it…on both sides of your paper shape. To accomplish this, first fold each of the bottom flaps up. In the picture below, you can see the right side has been folded up.
Then we repeat the process on the left
Now we’re ready to tuck those flaps into the flap above it. First on the right side.
And then on the left. Once you’re done, it should look something like this:
Flip it over and repeat the process on the other side. Once you’ve done both sides, the folding is done. Continue to the next step to find out how thing becomes a balloon.
Step 7:
When you look at the bottom of your shape, you’ll see a small hole where the folded paper comes together. Blow in it gently until it looks like a box or balloon shape.
Your finished product will look something like this:
