How to Make a Paper Origami Balloon

With a square piece of paper and some patience, you can fold a 3-dimensional balloon or cube that you can actually blow up like a little balloon. In fact, you can even fill it with water and make your very own water bomb! We’re here to show you exactly how to make your own origami balloon step by step with pro tips from origami expert Robert Homayoon!

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Creating the Flaps for an Origami Balloon

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1
Fold a square piece of paper diagonally in both directions. The creases should make an "X" in the paper.^{[1]
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- Homayoon adds, “Make the folds in a way that they’re both valley folds” (a “down” fold where the edges of the paper come up to meet you).
- You can find a range of origami paper on Amazon.
- Feel free to add a design to the paper so it appears once it is folded.
Fold the paper in half horizontally. Bring the bottom edge of the paper to meet the top portion of the paper.^{[2]
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Bring the upper right corner in as shown. Then, repeat this on the other side. Press down firmly on the folds.^{[3]
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- If making one squash fold is too difficult, Homayoon offers this alternative: “what I do is I take the top edge, I fold it down to the bottom edge, then I tuck the corners in. And what that does is it creates two flaps on the front and two flaps on the back.”
Then, flip the whole thing over and repeat the same steps on the other side to make a diamond shape.

EXPERT TIP

Robert Homayoon
Origami Expert
Robert Homayoon is an Origami Expert known for his engaging YouTube videos and accessible instructions. He has been teaching origami on YouTube since 2009. His channel has a following of over 676,000 subscribers, and his videos have garnered over 211 million views. Robert uses his channel to highlight his passion for teaching people origami, crafts, and how to solve puzzles. He graduated from SUNY Albany in 2007 and earned his D.M.D degree from Temple University Dental School in 2013.

Robert Homayoon
Origami Expert

Create a diamond shape with 4 tips at the top. At this point, you have 4 little triangular flaps. Take the tips of the flaps on one side and fold them up to the top point of the triangle. Then, flip the model over and fold the other 2 tips up to the top. You'll have a small diamond with 4 little tips at the top.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Tucking the Flaps to Form the Origami Balloon

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1
Fold the right and left corners into the center of the diamond. Then, repeat this on the other side.^{[4]
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- As Homayoon puts it, “So at this point, you would take the diamond corners, which are on the left and right (there will be 4 of them) and fold them directly into the center. Flip the model over and do the same on the other side where you're folding the outside left and right diamond edges into the center.”
2
Tuck the loose flaps into the folds you just made. Do this by folding a small triangle on each of the flaps and then tucking them into the folds. Repeat this for all four flaps.^{[5]
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- If you have a hard time tucking the flaps into the folds, use tape to secure them to the folds.
- You can also use a pencil to open the folds easily and avoid damaging the flaps.
EXPERT TIP

Robert Homayoon
Origami Expert
Robert Homayoon is an Origami Expert known for his engaging YouTube videos and accessible instructions. He has been teaching origami on YouTube since 2009. His channel has a following of over 676,000 subscribers, and his videos have garnered over 211 million views. Robert uses his channel to highlight his passion for teaching people origami, crafts, and how to solve puzzles. He graduated from SUNY Albany in 2007 and earned his D.M.D degree from Temple University Dental School in 2013.

Robert Homayoon
Origami Expert

Pick up the model and look for the pockets to tuck the flaps into. Look at the little diamond corner you just folded into the center. You'll see a little pocket where you can tuck a flap in. Fold the tip into a small triangle, then tuck the very corner of the triangle into the pocket. Do that with all 4 flaps.
3
Turn the folded paper to the end that does not have any flaps. Locate the hole in the center of this side.^{[6]
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- According to Homayoon, “At the point on the base of the triangle where we previously had the longest edge, there will be an opening.”
4
Blow into the hole. The balloon should inflate—just remember to keep those flaps tucked in!^{[7]
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- You might also need to loosen up the other folds a little bit for the balloon to become round.
- To help get the hole to open wider, Homayoon says “take 2 of [the edges] and hold them opposing each other. If you're having a little bit of difficulty you can pull on the edges a little bit.”
- Alternatively, turn your balloon into a watery weapon. Homayoon says “It’s called a water bomb. You can fill it up with water and make it like a little paper water bomb balloon.”

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Why can't I use a rectangle?

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Because it will not fold correctly and turn out wrong.

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How big of a piece of paper do I need if I want to make the balloons 10 inches in size and will tissue paper work?

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Using an 8.5x8.5" piece of paper you will get a balloon about 2.5" in diameter. So paper that is about 34x34 should do the trick. I would advise against using tissue paper, it will probably be too thin for this project.

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How do I make an origami balloon with thin paper?

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The same way. If you can't get it to work, then you may need to try thicker paper.

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The flaps at the end don't have to go completely into the edges of the paper. It will work fine if they just go halfway.

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Homayoon says you can teach yourself origami with printer paper. “I find that most people have that handy, whereas you have to go to a shop for origami paper…Use a pair of scissors to trim the edge off and make the paper square.”

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Homayoon suggests making gentle initial folds “so you can realign it afterwards” if needed. You can “make a more sharp fold once you know that the edges are aligned.”

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If you want to make a paper water balloon, first cover the paper in baby oil, then fold it, and fill it with water.
Make DIY lanterns by using thinner paper for the balloons and putting them over string lights.
If the balloon doesn’t inflate, gently pull on the sides while blowing into the hole.

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