Simple Origami Dog Face for Kids

Square paper — origami paper works great, or fold and trim copy paper into a square

Markers or crayons for drawing facial features

Start with a square piece of paper. If you only have rectangular paper, fold one corner to the opposite edge and trim the excess to make a square.

Fold the square in half diagonally — corner to corner — to create a triangle. Press the fold flat with your finger.

Hold the triangle so the long straight edge is at the top and the point faces down.

Fold the two top corners down and slightly outward to create floppy ears. Adjust the angle to make the ears big or small.

Fold the bottom point up slightly to create a flat chin. How much you fold changes the face shape.

Flip the paper over to the smooth side. Draw two eyes, a round nose, a tongue, and any other features your child imagines.

Make a whole pack of dogs with different faces — happy, surprised, sleepy, silly. Each fold can produce a slightly different character.

This is one of the simplest origami designs and a perfect introduction to paper folding. Only four folds to a finished product.

Model each fold step by step. Fold your paper, wait for your child to fold theirs, then move to the next step together.

Press each fold firmly with a fingernail or the back of a spoon. Crisp folds make better origami.

Tape the finished dog faces to popsicle sticks for instant puppets.

Once your child masters the dog face, try the same basic folds with different ear angles and face drawings to make cats, bears, and foxes.