Q&A for How to Make an Origami Jumping Frog from an Index Card

Get a couple of simple books. They teach you the basic folds, valley folds, mountain folds, working on your hand coordination skills, and being precise. Take your time and try to be as accurate as possible with the instructions. It does require a certain precision, an artistic touch, and a lot of practice.

Have you ever folded a stiff piece of paper and then watched as it straightened itself out slowly? It's kind of like that, but the paper unfolds quickly enough that it propels the frog off the ground.

You might need to try using a stiffer index card. Something maybe a little thicker. It will jump better that way.

The index card may have had too many folds in it, causing it to not jump at all. Try it again, and be careful with your folds.

You can use any paper that's a square. So, you can not use the whole index-card-sized paper, but you could cut it into a square.

Fold the bottom of the card up a little bit past the top and then halfway back down again to meet the new fold at the bottom.

Provided it is working properly (because you've made it well), then it jumps about 3 centimeters.

As long as the paper is stiff enough to make it jump and is the size of the index card or a square.

You might have folded it wrong, or you may have used too thin of a piece of paper.

Before step 3, take your index card and make a fold horizontally. So there is a line cutting through the middle of your X. Then, if you try folding, it should work better and it doesn’t affect the rest of the frog.

No one knows who one person invented origami, but studies say that it was invented by the Japanese about a thousand years ago. But, its roots may also be in China. Either way, its a fun activity that will keep you occupied!