With a square piece of paper, and some patience, you can fold a three-dimensional ball/balloon or cube that you can actually blow up like a little balloon. In fact, you can even fill it with water and make your very own water bomb!

Part 1
Part 1 of 2:

Creating the Flaps

  1. 1
    Fold a square piece of paper diagonally, in both directions. The creases should make an "X" in the paper.
    • You can find a range of origami paper on Amazon.
    • Feel free to add a design to the paper so it appears once it is folded.
  2. 2
    Fold the paper in half. Do this by bringing the bottom portion of the paper to meet the top portion of the paper.
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  3. 3
    Bring the upper right corner in as shown. Then, repeat this on the other side. Press down firmly on the folds.[1]
  4. 4
    Fold the flaps to the top. Then, flip the whole thing over and repeat the same steps on the other side to make a diamond shape.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 2:

Tucking the Flaps into the Folds

  1. 1
    Fold the right and left corners into the center of the diamond. Repeat this on the other side.
  2. 2
    Tuck the loose flaps into the folds you just made. Do this by folding a small triangle on each of the flaps and then tucking them into the folds. Repeat this for all four flaps.
    • If you have a hard time tucking the flaps into the folds, use tape to secure them to the folds.
    • You can also use a pencil to open the folds easily and to avoid damaging the flaps.
  3. 3
    Turn the folded paper to the end that does not have any flaps. Locate the hole in the center of this side.
  4. 4
    Blow into the hole. The ball should inflate - just remember to keep those flaps tucked in.
    • You might also need to loosen up the other folds a little bit for the ball to become round.
    • To make a water balloon, slowly fill the balloon with water via the small hole.[2]
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    Why can't I use a rectangle?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Because it will not fold correctly and turn out wrong.
  • Question
    How big of a piece of paper do I need if I want to make the balloons 10 inches in size and will tissue paper work?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Using an 8.5x8.5" piece of paper you will get a balloon about 2.5" in diameter. So paper that is about 34x34 should do the trick. I would advise against using tissue paper, it will probably be too thin for this project.
  • Question
    How do I make an origami balloon with thin paper?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    The same way. If you can't get it to work, then you may need to try thicker paper.
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Warnings

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Things You'll Need

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 110 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 1,488,629 times.
367 votes - 74%
Co-authors: 110
Updated: March 31, 2023
Views: 1,488,629
Article SummaryX

If you want to make an origami balloon, fold a square piece of paper diagonally in both directions. The crease should make an X in the paper. Fold the paper in half from top to bottom, then tuck the paper in along the diagonal creases so the paper makes a triangle. Next, fold the flaps up to the top on both sides so you have a diamond shape. Fold the left and right corners into the center of the diamond, then tuck the loose flaps on the top and bottom into the folds you just made. Blow air into the small hole in the end of the paper without flaps to blow up your balloon. If you want to learn how to make your origami balloon into a water balloon, keep reading the article!

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