2D diagram

How to make a jumping frog with paper folding

Jumping Frog Paper Folding: try all 16 steps in the 3D player. Turn and replay every move. Print the complete diagram sheet or save it as PDF.

IntermediateAn Origami Tutor design16 steps3 × 5 in · One rectangle

An Origami Tutor version of the folk jumping frog: one index card, two front legs, two back feet and a free-end Z pleat that lifts its back into a crouch. No glue or scissors.

You need: One 3 × 5 in index card and a pen for the eyes. No glue or scissors.
Start: Stand an index card upright, colored side up. The lower square of the card becomes the frog; the strip above it becomes the spring.
Tips: Sharp creases make a stronger spring, and a stiff card hops farther.
Press the back down gently and slide your finger off to the side.

Symbols, bases & terms ↗

Finish

Your model is ready

Draw two eyes near the front of the blunt head. Your frog is ready. Set it on a table with the spring under its back end, press down on the back with a fingertip, then slide your finger off so the spring snaps and the frog hops.

3D paper

Whole sequence Finish

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16 steps · press any step to watch it in 3D

Step-by-step diagrams

Valley fold Mountain fold Color side White side

Steps 1–6

1
Crease the first diagonal
Fold the bottom edge up to the left edge, so the fold runs from the bottom left corner to the right edge. Press and open.
2
Crease the other diagonal
Fold the bottom edge up to the right edge the same way. The two creases make an X in the lower square. Press and open.
3
Crease across the middle
Fold the bottom edge up behind the card, level with the top of the lower square where the diagonals meet the side edges. Press and open.
4
Collapse the square into a triangle
Push the middles of the two side edges of the lower square inward. The square folds along the three creases into a triangle with its point at the top. The strip above the square swings down behind it.
5
Lift the left front corner
Fold the lower left corner of the triangle up to its top point. Take only the front paper with it.
6
Lift the right front corner
Fold the lower right corner up to the top point as well, making a kite.

Steps 7–12

7
Narrow the left side of the body
Fold the long side edge in to the middle, keeping the two raised front flaps still.
8
Narrow the right side of the body
Fold the long side edge in to the middle, keeping the two raised front flaps still.
9
Spread the left front leg
Fold the pointed tip of the left flap out to the left and down. This is the left front leg.
10
Spread the right front leg
Fold the tip of the right flap out to the right and down to match.
11
Spread the left back foot
Fold this loose corner at the bottom of the narrowed strip outward. Keep the paper beneath it still.
12
Spread the right back foot
Fold this loose corner at the bottom of the narrowed strip outward. Keep the paper beneath it still.

Steps 13–16

13
Fold the strip up
Fold the hanging strip up in half, so its bottom edge meets the base of the triangle.
14
Pleat the spring
Fold only the free end of the strip back down toward you. Leave the layer underneath still. The two folds make a Z-shaped spring.
15
Blunt the snout
Fold the very top point behind to give the frog a short, broad snout.
16
Turn the frog over
Turn the frog over so its smooth back faces up and its legs lie underneath.
✓
Finish
Draw two eyes near the front of the blunt head. Your frog is ready. Set it on a table with the spring under its back end, press down on the back with a fingertip, then slide your finger off so the spring snaps and the frog hops.