How to Make an Origami Jumping Frog

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: November 22, 2022 Tested

You can make a cute, springy frog using nothing more than a piece of paper and some folding skills. When you press down on the frog's back, it really jumps! To make an origami jumping frog, start with a square of paper, then make a few simple folds.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Getting Your Paper Ready

1
Choose a piece of paper. You can use ordinary computer paper, colored paper, or origami paper. Traditionally, origami paper is square. However, you can start the frog with a piece of rectangular paper. Lay your piece of paper flat on a table in front of you.
- Origami paper can be found in craft, art, and stationery stores.
2
Fold the top corners over the center of the paper. Fold the top right corner over diagonally, so that the tip of the corner touches with the opposite side of the paper. The top side of the paper should line up with the left side, forming a triangle shape. Press the fold with your finger to create a crease, then unfold it. Now do the same with the top left corner. Unfold the paper. You've now created a creased "X."

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3
Trim the excess paper if you started with a rectangular piece. Fold the bottom edge of the paper up to make a crease that goes horizontally from one bottom end of the “X” crease to the other. Trim the excess below this crease with scissors or by carefully tearing it off. You’ll now have a square sheet of paper with the “X” crease in the middle.
- Remember to skip this step if you started with a square piece of paper.
- If you need help figuring out where to make the horizontal crease, go ahead and fold either the top left or the top right corner of your paper as you did in the previous step, to make a triangular shape. Trim the excess below the bottom edge of the triangular fold.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Folding the Frog’s Front Legs

1
Fold the paper in half. Hold the paper on the table in front of you so that the bottom edge is facing you. Fold the top half of the paper horizontally, so that the two top corners meet the two bottom corners. Seal the fold with your finger, then unfold it. The new crease you've made should cross over the X, creating a pattern that looks like an asterisk or star.
2
Pinch in the sides to form a triangle. Center the paper on the table so that the bottom edge is facing you. Push the folds of the horizontal crease at the top of the paper toward the center. By pushing these folds inside the paper, the square will collapse into a triangle shape with two sides.
- To make the two sides fold inwards on themselves more easily, re-fold the horizontal crease you made in the previous step, but in the opposite direction.
3
Fold one triangle corner upward. Place the triangle on the table so that the long edge is facing you. The long edge of the triangle divides into four points, two on each side. Take the top layer’s corner on the right side and fold it up. The tip of the corner should touch the tip of the triangle. Crease the fold with your finger.
4
Move the opposite triangle corner upward. Take the top layer corner on the left side of the triangle. Fold it up so that the tip of the corner touches the tip of the triangle. Crease the fold with your finger. The paper should now look like a triangle with a diamond in the middle.
5
Fold the right corner of the diamond inward. With the base of the triangle facing you, grab the right corner of the diamond. Fold it so the right edge of the diamond lines up with the center line. Crease the fold with your finger.
6
Move the left corner of the diamond inward. With the base of the triangle facing you, grab the left corner of the diamond, and fold it inward so that the left edge lines up with the center line. Crease the fold with your finger.
7
Create the frog's front legs. The point of the triangle, under the diamond layer, is divided into two sides. Fold the right one out, toward the right side of the triangle, so that its edge lines up with the right edge of the diamond. Crease it. Fold the left one out, toward the left side of the triangle, so that its edge lines up with the left edge of the diamond. Crease it.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Folding the Frog’s Back Legs

1
Flip the paper over. Rest it on the table so that the bottom of the triangle is facing you. The frog is starting to take shape! The front legs should now poke out from underneath at the tip of the triangle.
2
Fold in the bottom corners. Take the right bottom corner and fold it from the tip of the triangle toward the center, making a vertical line at the center. Crease it. Now fold in the left bottom corner in the same way, so that its edge meets the edge of the other side at the center. You've now created an oblong diamond shape.
3
Move the inner edges outwards. Fold the right half of the diamond outward, so that its inner edge lines up with its outer edge. Crease the fold. Fold the left half of the diamond outward in the same way, so that the inner edge lines up with the outer edge, and crease it. These newly folded triangles will become the frog’s back legs.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Finalizing the Frog

1
Fold the frog in half. Position the frog so that the long back legs are facing you, and fold it in half, near where the body is narrowest. Make sure to fold the legs underneath the “body” of the frog. Crease the fold.
2
Make a crease for the frog's back legs. Keep the frog folded in half, with the back legs facing you, and turn it over. Fold the legs upward, so that the horizontal piece of paper that stretches between the legs lines up with the frog's bottom (the fold you made in the previous step). Crease the fold.
3
Make your frog jump. Set the frog down on its back legs. Press and release the center folds to make it jump. Have fun! These frogs should jump and flip quite well.
- If your frog isn’t jumping properly, double-check your folds to make sure everything is in the right place. You can also try thicker paper, which usually has more “spring.”

Community Q&A

Question

How can I make it even better?

Community Answer

You could make the frog better by decorating it with paint or stickers. Add googly eyes or a tongue. As far as the origami part, there's no way to enhance the frogs ability to jump or move.
Question

Why won't my frog jump after I made it?

Community Answer

Your fold might be too small; make the fold a tad bit long, this will cause more vibration when you release your finger and cause it to jump higher.
Question

If the frog is small, does it hop higher or further?

Community Answer

Neither. The bigger it is the heavier it is, and the heavier it is, the lower it can jump. If you make it smaller though, it jumps a lot less.