Origami guide
How to fold a jumping frog
The classic frog that really jumps. It folds from half a square or an index card, and a zigzag fold underneath is the spring.
- Growing folder
- About 10 minutes
- 8 steps
You will need
A rectangle twice as tall as it is wide: half a 15 cm (6 in) square of origami paper, or an index card. Stiffer paper jumps further.
This is the traditional jumping frog, folded by children all over the world. Instead of a square it starts from a rectangle twice as tall as it is wide, so cut a square of origami paper in half, or use an index card. The zigzag at the back is a spring: press it and let go, and the frog leaps.
Step by step
How to read the diagrams
- Valley fold: fold towards you
- Mountain fold: fold away from you
- Crease you made earlier
- Fold, then unfold
- Pull out or open
- Turn the paper over
- Push in here
New to folding? Start with how to start origami, which shows each fold.
Step 1
Crease an X at the top
Start with the rectangle upright, white side up. Fold the top left corner down to the right edge and unfold, then fold the top right corner down to the left edge and unfold. The creases make an X in the top square. Turn over.
Step 2
Crease across and down the middle
Fold the top edge down to the bottom of the X and unfold: the crease runs through the middle of the X. Then fold the paper in half the long way and unfold. Turn over.
Step 3
Collapse the top into a triangle
Push the two ends of the crease across the X in towards the middle, and let the top edge fold down to the bottom of the X. Flatten it into a triangle on top of the rest of the paper.
Step 4
Fold the front legs
Fold each bottom corner of the triangle's top layer up to its top point. These are the front legs.
Step 5
Fold the sides in
Fold the left and right sides in to meet the centre line, from just under the legs down to the bottom.
Step 6
Fold the bottom up
Fold the bottom edge up to the frog's top point.
Step 7
Fold it back down for the spring
Fold the same layer back down in half, so its edge meets the fold you just made. This zigzag is the spring. Crease it, but do not press it completely flat.
Step 8
Turn over and make it jump
Turn the frog over. Press down on its back end with one finger and slide your finger off: the frog jumps. Draw eyes on it if you like.
Make it jump further
- Use stiffer paper. An index card or thick origami paper springs best; thin paper flops.
- Do not flatten the spring. The zigzag needs a little air in it to push.
- Press and slide. Press the very back of the frog down, then slide your finger off backwards.
- Have a race. Fold a frog each and see whose jumps furthest on a smooth table.
Fold another
For something quicker, try the paper boat or the fox face. If the push-and-collapse in step 3 was new, how to start origami explains the basic folds.