by Marilla Mulwane

Created on: December 17, 2011   Last Updated: December 21, 2011

Paper ninja stars are a great way to get kids involved in making holiday decorations. It is beginner origami with few folds. Make them small and toss several around the room. Make them larger, attach string to the tips and hang them from trees or walls. All you need to make ninja stars is two pieces of square paper. Choose two different colors, but make sure the squares are the same size. A good size for beginners to origami is 5-inches, but once you get the hang of the folds, you can make them smaller.

First paper:

1) Turn the paper so it is color side down. Fold it in vertically and then unfold. Fold the right edge so it meets the center crease. Fold the left edge so it meets the center crease. Fold the paper in half again from right to left and along the center crease. The result is a long rectangle standing vertically.

2) Fold the top right corner of rectangle to the left edge. Fold the bottom left corner to the right edge. This makes small triangle shapes.

3) Fold the top triangle down so that the bottom edge is next to the right edge of the rectangle. This makes a larger triangle. Fold the bottom small triangle so that the top edge is next to the right left edge of the rectangle. This creates two triangles that are off-center.

Second paper:

1) Repeat Step 1 of the first paper so you have a long rectangle standing vertically.

2) Fold the top left corner so it meets the right edge. Fold the bottom right corner so it meets the left edge. This is the opposite of the Step 2 for the first paper, but still makes small triangles.

3) Repeat Step 3 of the first paper, but fold the triangles in the opposite directions. This makes two larger triangles, just like the first paper, except positioned opposite.

Putting them together:

1) Turn the first paper over and turn it so it looks like a Z.

2) Place the second paper on top of the first so it rests in the middle. The right tip of one triangle points up and the left tip of the second triangle points down.

3) Fold the top small triangle of the first paper down and slip the tip into the right pocket of the second paper. Fold the bottom small triangle up and slip the tip into the left pocket of the second paper.

4) Flip the papers over and repeat with the two remaining small triangles.

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