How to make a beautiful paper boat for children with your own hands

Just 20 years ago, every child perfectly knew many ways to fold a paper boat with their own hands, step by step. With the advent and development of television and the Internet, young people have new entertainment options. Organizing naval battles in puddles or launching a boat along the bed of a stormy stream no longer seems so exciting to many. Have you decided to show your children some early fun, but the skill of building pirate yachts and decks has long been lost? Or maybe the school was asked to take up trading? Do not despair. In this article we will analyze popular schemes, restore a lost shipbuilding skill, or teach you from scratch.

DIY boat made of paper and cardboard

There are many patterns for origami paper boats. But first of all, we decided to tell you about a cardboard craft, which is suitable not only for homework, but also as an excellent gift for dad or grandfather on February 23 and other holidays. This craft is durable. In addition, the rigid cardboard frame allows you to safely place such a craft on a shelf, and accumulated dust can be easily removed with a damp cloth without damaging the structure.

No matter what your goal is, the main thing is that your child wants to make this boat. Take some time to help your child with a craft.

The back, side, bottom and deck of the ship must be cut according to templates. Secure all elements with adhesive tape. We recommend masking tape as it will make painting or gluing decorative elements easier.

Next we need paper. Any type will do, be it corrugated paper for crafts or regular A4 paper for our boat. It must be cut or torn into small pieces.

Next, dilute the PVA glue with water in a ratio of 1: 1. Dip each sheet of paper into the existing solution and glue it to the surface of the cardboard structure. We need to cover the ship in 4-5 layers.

Wait until the product has stabilized and completely dried before proceeding with decoration.

There is complete freedom of imagination here. You can paint the deck in different colors, decorate it with stones and shells. Use a piece of fabric for sails, using cardboard toilet paper tubes or paper towels as a base.

Step-by-step instructions for making a boat

As we have already said, there are many schemes and techniques for assembling paper boats. But before you start, you should familiarize yourself with the classic version. In this section we will show you step by step how to make a boat out of paper, just like our ancestors.

Of course, if you just want to try it out, you can use regular paper, but ideally you will need special origami paper for best results.

We will use a ruler and pencil to create and iron the folds. So prepare them in advance.

Even the youngest talents can master this pattern, but we still encourage parents to help their children create this creation.

Like:

• We fold the bottom corner up, this is a guide. The other side, which is higher, should follow the dotted line. The fold should be flat on both sides. Now we figure out where the side will be and fold it along the line;
• The resulting triangle must be folded in half, this will help us get a guideline for further assembly, the point is in the center of the bottom of the triangle;
• A square sheet of paper must be folded in half;
• Flip sides both ways.

The ship is ready! All that remains is to color it with colored paints or felt-tip pens. It can be decorated with stickers. But be careful, various heavy elements such as pebbles and shells are not suitable for this design.

Origami boat

The origami technique is very useful for children, because paper boats are not just great fun. The technique is aimed at developing fine motor skills and also instills perseverance and calmness.

To make crafts using the origami technique, we will need a square sheet of paper with a side of 10-15 cm and scissors.

It will take literally 10 minutes to create a masterpiece, so don’t be lazy and keep your child company. Collaborative creativity brings people together.

Like:

• Fold the corner and unfold the side of the sheet. Fold the top left corner to the center line, repeat the same with the right. Fold the corners on the other side in the same way;
• U-turn, you need to fold our craft in half. When the sheet is opened, we get a boat, but it needs to be altered a little. We fold the head of the boat towards the center line, and also repeat from the stern. We get a hexagon. Fold opposite corners about half an inch. Let’s reveal. We fold the side part on one side towards the middle line, and do the same on the other side. This will give us a cleaner look on the bottom of our boat. We open our deal, draw and align if necessary.
• the first curves need to be created. To do this, you need to cut out an even square from paper. If the sheet is already in the correct shape, skip this step. Fold the square sheet in half and unfold. Fold the bottom of the sheet towards the center, then repeat this with the top. Next, fold the future craft in the other direction along the center line. You should end up with something like an accordion with 4 longitudinal lines;

Voila, we did it! As you can see, the origami boat diagram is quite simple to complete; you just need to get used to it a little. And, of course, if desired, our works can be decorated with various motifs and patterns.

There are many designs for making paper boats, but we recommend starting with the simplest ones and gradually increasing the level of complexity.

This is a great option for both entertaining children and calming the nerves of adults.

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