Benefits of Origami as an Educational Tool

Using origami as an educational tool is not new. The German pedagogue and the founder of kindergartent, Friedrich Froebel (1782 – 1852) , was the first to introduce Origami into formal education.. Froebel recognized the value of children learning through play and exploration. He considered the manipulation of the paper as a mean for children to discover for themselves the principles of math and geometry. Piaget, the renowned child development psychologist held that “motor activity int the form of skilled movement is vital to the development of intuitive thoughts and the mental representation of the brain”.

“When the paper folds the mind unfolds”

Origami is an activity that requires both hands and activates the whole brain. According to a research done on the brain by Dr. Katerin Shumakov and Yuri Shumakov, when both hands are engaged, impellent motor impulses activate the language portion of the brain.

Of the many academic benefits Origami has to offer, three are predominant:. Sequencing, mathematics/spatial relationship and reading. Origami lends itself to the development of sequential memory. In order to produce the desired model, the folder has to follow certain steps in order. The repeated manipulation of paper in certain order helps the child grasp the importance of sequence.

Origami reinforces mathematical concepts. In the process of transforming a flat piece of paper into a three-dimensional model, a child learns to distinguish different geometric shapes. Complex shapes and forms of the real world becomes a part of the children mental image of the environment in which they live. Symmetry, fractions, proportion, angles and a host of other math concepts can be shown within an activity which the children consider as an enjoyable game.


The inherent motivation of paper folding makes it simple to show the children the advantage of reading and interpreting instruction accurately. In their willingness to succeed the children need to decode new words and understand new vocabulary. In their desire to complete an Origami model, they must master the skill of reading.

Below is a list of partial academic and cognitive skills involving Origami.

Listening Skills	Social Studies	Visual Memory
Reading Skills	Sequential Memory	Visual-Spatial Motor Skills
Writing Skills	Concentration	Verbal and Visual Memory
Mathematics	Eye-Hand Coordination	Logical Reasoning
Spatial Relationship	Fine Motor Skills	Problem Solving