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Easy Origami Shark Craft for Kids

Looking for an easy origami project to do as a family? Keep scrolling to learn how to make an origami shark for kids!
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The other day, my 4-year-old told me that his favorite animal is a shark. He had a whole story that basically implied they were just misunderstood creatures and not as scary as people think!

It was definitely entertaining to hear him talk about how he’d love to play with sharks on our next trip to Hawaii.

Of course, I gently reminded him that we always need to be careful when going into the ocean and probably shouldn’t engage with any sharks in the water.

But, I told him we could totally play with pretend sharks at home!

I figured we could work on a paper shark craft together so he could continue his imaginative play. So, we made an origami great white shark.

While these easy origami shark instructions are geared toward kids, younger kids will definitely need an adult to help. This will mitigate frustrations.

Keep scrolling to learn how to make an origami shark!

Love ocean animals? Get my DIY whale craft tutorial!

Origami Shark Instructions

Here is everything you need to know on how to make a paper shark step by step.

List of Supplies:

Image of materials to make an origami shark, including scissors, a glue stick, and paper.
  1. Colored craft paper or origami paper
  2. Craft glue
  3. Googly eyes
  4. Sharpie
  5. Scissors

Origami Shark Step by Step Directions

Step 1:

Learn how to make an origami shark craft. Image of a grey square paper folded twice.

Take a square paper sheet. Fold the paper in half diagonally on both sides to create creases. 

Step 2:

Find out how to make an origami shark for kids. Image of a grey piece of paper folded.

Hold any corner of the square paper and draw it inside, aligning that outer side of the paper with the diagonal crease inside.

Step 3:

Get my origami shark tutorial. Image of a grey piece of paper folded.

Do the same with the opposite corner. More precisely, align the top and left (or right, either one side) sides of the paper with the diagonal creases inside.  

Step 4:

Learn how to make a origami shark out of paper. Image of a grey piece of origami paper that has been folded.

Hold the narrow corner of the current pattern and bring it all the way to the opposite corner, and fold the paper neatly. Unfold the last fold.

Step 5: 

Learn how to make a origami shark. Image of a piece of grey paper folded.

Take the narrow corner again and bring it all the way to the point where the 2 sides of the paper join. Unfold the last fold again. 

Step 6:

Get my easy origami shark tutorial. Image of a grey paper folded a bunch of times.

Now fold the narrow corner to the point of the last crease (from the previous fold). 

Step 7:

Get my origami shark instructions. Image of a piece of grey paper folded and unfolded

Unfold the last fold, and you’ll see 3 parallel creases. 

Step 8:

See how to make a paper shark craft. Image of a grey paper folded and unfolded a bunch of times.

Use scissors to cut a line from the corner of either flap to the outer point of the bottom crease. 

Step 9:

Learn how to make an origami shark out of paper. Image of a piece of grey paper that is folded to look like a shark.

Fold the cut-out pattern outwards. This will be the fin of the origami shark. Now cut a line between the 2 flaps, from the narrow corner to the point of the 2nd crease from that end. 

Step 10:

Get this step by step tutorial on how to make an origami shark. Image of a grey paper folded to look like a shark.

Fold out the 2 sides of the slit diagonally in opposite directions. These are the tail of the shark origami. 

Step 11:

Get this easy shark craft tutorial. Image of a grey paper folded to look like a shark.

Fold the current pattern in half symmetrically. 

Step 12:

Make your own origami shark with this easy shark origami tutorial. Image of a paper shark with a googly eye and Sharpie smile.

Attach a googly eye and use a Sharpie to draw the mouth of the paper shark.

Get my easy origami shark instructions. Image of blue and grey origami sharks with googly eyes.

And that’s it! I told you this was an easy origami shark craft!

Shark Origami FAQs

What is the easiest origami animal ever?

There are quite a few easy origami animals to make. Dogs, cats, or even these sharks are all easy and perfect to make with kids.

What is the most famous origami shape?

The most famous origami shape is the crane which is called the Orizuru in Japan.

Is shark origami easy to make?

It is fairly easy to make an origami shark, especially with the pattern used up above. If you have young children, they might need help a few times, but overall, it is pretty simple to make!

Origami Shark Wrap-Up

This origami shark is easy and so much fun to do with your kids. It is a great way to teach them all about sharks and have some fun in the process.

Try this shark craft next time you want to do something fun with your little ones!

Looking for more paper crafts? Learn how to make an origami poinsettia, paper lei, or palm tree centerpiece!