Summer Learning Fun: How Making Origami Boats Creates Smart Kids [Origami Boat Video Tutorial]

As a kindergartener in the Philippines, I remember making paper boats during the summer rainy season.  I still have vivid memories of me and my brothers sailing our little origami boats in the flood waters.  Most likely, as we folded paper to make boats and other origami projects, we were also developing our brains.

Origami is the art of creating recognizable objects by means of folding a sheet of paper.  In Asian cultures, these were inexpensive toys children create themselves.  Recently, I learned that origami has numerous benefits in learning development.  An excellent article that details the benefits of origami is Origami in Education & Therapy.  Written by Hagit Shalev, who teaches origami at the Museum of Natural History in New York City, the article shares 3 predominant academic benefits of origami: 1) sequencing 2) mathematics/spatial relationship 3) reading.  Here is a summary of exactly how origami can help children (and adults).

10 BENEFITS OF ORIGAMI IN CHILDREN

1. Improves visual sequence memory.  They learn that certain things need to be done in a certain order.
2. Teaches the ability to follow direction.
3. Develops hand-eye coordination.
4. Spatial perception.  They see and understand how math concepts like shapes, proportions, angles, and fractions work.
5. Improves fine motor skills.
6. Helps with associative thinking skills.
7. Improves, patience, concentration, and attention to details.
8. Develops essential reading skills since reading is composed of recognizing symbols.
9. Serves as a teaching tool for the learning disabled.
10. Functions as a stress reducer

A main benefit of origami is in the area of mathematics.  Essentially children are “playing with math.”  Later, when they have to think in the abstract, they will associate it with the time making origami.

I can personally remember how subjects like algebra seemed easy to understand.  Even in college, subjects like organic chemistry where I had to visualize the structure of a chemical compound seemed second nature.  This was the case for my two brothers, as well.  Now, I can’t say that this is all attributed to folding paper.  But, I’m confident that making origami as a child did some good.  Good enough to enjoy it with my own daughter.

Here is a  YouTube video tutorial on how to make an origami boat.

ORIGAMI BOAT TUTORIAL

And, here is our origami boat that we made out of vellum paper.  Certain types of papers can withstand being in water longer.  So, you’ll have much more time to enjoy your handmade , brain-building creation.