How to Make Paper Shuriken for Kids: Fun & Easy tutorials

Make origami shuriken, or paper throwing stars, are an exciting and creative activity that kids of all ages will enjoy. These fun and safe toys are perfect for imaginative play and can even help improve fine motor skills. Let's learn how to make paper shuriken step by step.

Before we start, gather your materials. You'll need square pieces of paper, the larger the paper, the bigger your shuriken will be. Construction paper, origami paper, or regular printer paper all work great. You may also want to have a pair of scissors on hand for easy cutting.

Creating the basic shuriken shape

The first step in making paper shuriken is to create the basic star shape. We'll use a simple modification of a traditional origami star fold.

Start with a square piece of paper. Lay it flat, colored side facing down. Fold the paper in half diagonally to form a triangle. Then, fold the triangle in half again, by bringing the two corners of the long edge together. You should now have a small, thin triangle. This is your starting point for the shuriken.

Folding the star points

Hold the small triangle with the wide base at the bottom. Take the two top corners and bring them towards each other, but not all the way. Leave a small portion of the base uncreased. This will be the point of your star. Repeat this process for both top corners.

Your paper should now look like an hourglass shape. Carefully unfold the two points you've just folded. You'll see that your paper now has a star shape. An important tip is to make sure your folds are clean and sharp. This will give your shuriken a nice symmetrical look.

Creating the final shuriken shape

Now, we need to open up your star and give it some depth. Hold your star flat with the base facing up. Gently pull apart the two layers of the star where the points meet. A 3D shuriken shape should start to form.

To really make your shuriken pop, you can fold the outer edges of each point towards the center. This creates a nice, defined edge for each of your star points. Be careful not to crease the base of your shuriken, as you'll need this flat to attach the final piece.

Adding the shuriken handle

Our shuriken is almost complete, but it needs a handle for throwing. We'll use another piece of paper for this.

Take a small rectangle of paper. It should be about half the width of your shuriken base, but the same length. Fold it in half lengthwise, then unfold it. This will create a crease down the center. Slip this rectangle, printed side facing out, between the two layers of your shuriken base. The crease should be at the very edge of the base.

Attaching the handle

To secure the handle in place, fold the two layers of the shuriken base together. The handle should be hidden inside, ready for use. You may want to reinforce this fold with a bit of glue if your shuriken is on the larger side.

Now, your shuriken is complete! Test it out by trying to throw it at a target. Remember, this is a toy and should only be used for safe, supervised play. You can experiment with different paper types and colors to make your shuriken unique.

Don't stop at just one shuriken! Make a whole collection with varying sizes and colors. You could even turn this into a party activity, with each guest making their own shuriken to take home. Happy crafting!