I’m a former kindergarten teacher and any public school teacher knows all-too well that we lag behind far too many countries in math and science. As scholar William Schmidt, who was the principal investigator of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), often says, American mathematics education is an inch deep and a mile wide. I know: Math is an acquired taste. Fair enough. (I can only think back to my hapless high school math experience. Ugh.) But one thing I wish I would have exposed my children to more and sooner is origami.
There are now whole library shelves full of books on the educational benefits of origami. It makes sense. When it comes right down to it, origami is just about all geometry. All triangles and squares and diagonals and rounded corners and size and dimensions. (Yes, you can make round shapes with origami.) Then there’s the spatial visualization elements of origami, and 3D perception and logical thinking. I won’t go on and on, but if you have young kids and, frankly, even older children, origami is a fun, focused craft that can really benefit your child on the academic side. And by the way, the craft can become habit-forming super fast.
I know it sounds hard and intricate. I was a little intimidated at first. Actually, there’s many simple origami projects that are perfect for kids as young as three. In the video above, we teach you how to make a simple, adorable origami puppy. In terms of supplies, all you need is a square piece of paper. Check it out and start have your kids fold paper. They’ll be learning a whole lot about math, and geometry in particular, and they won’t even know it. They’ll just be having fun!
