Origami was integrated into a Montessori classroom to provide holistic benefits to students. Origami lessons were connected to various areas of the curriculum including reading, writing, math, geometry, science, and cultural studies. Students demonstrated improved skills like concentration, collaboration, and confidence through origami activities. The teacher observed many educational, social, and therapeutic benefits of origami practice in her classroom.

1. BENEFITS OF ORIGAMI
PRACTICE IN THE
MONTESSORI CLASSROOM
By Jean Loftin
2015 - 2016 School Year

2. o I observed the benefits origami can provide to individual students and classroom communities, while
working as an art teacher.
o The experience led me to investigate studies that have been conducted on the benefits of origami
practice. I was not surprised to find numerous research pointing to a wide range of holistic benefits.
o I felt origami would fit seamlessly into a Montessori setting, because of the holistic nature of both.
o I wanted to see the full range of benefits in action, and to document how the students responded to
origami lessons, individually and as a class community.
o I integrated origami lessons into various areas of the Montessori curriculum and created follow up
work.
o I wanted to use the project as a way to build community in my classroom, and to bond with my students
as a new teacher.
Project Goal

3. Educational, Social and Therapeutic
Benefits of Origami:
* Reading Skills * Writing Skills * Processing Skills
* Visual Motor * Spatial-Temporal Reasoning * Logical Reasoning
* Attention Skills * Concentration * Sequencing
* Math Concepts * Measurement * Geometry
* Proportion * Fractions * Symmetry
* Problem Solving * Science Principles * Ecology
* Creativity * Multicultural Awareness * Independent Study
* Social Skills * Self Confidence * Library Skills
* Manual Dexterity * Speech Language Development

4. o Whole group lesson
o General overview that included history, materials used, symbols, and learning benefits
o Integrated with reading, writing, math, geometry, cultural studies and peace education
o Students contributed their background knowledge and prior origami experiences
o Set expectations about when origami work would be done, lessons, follow up work, and working
with partners
Introductory Origami Lesson

5. o First assignment was to choose and fold an origami
animal, and then use the animal as the subject of a
creative writing piece.
o Used a variety of diagrams and books with various
levels of difficulty
o Worked with a partner in a different grade level
o Set the foundation for the cooperative learning that
would take place throughout the yearCreative Writing

6. Animal Classification
o After lessons on animal classification, and after students did the
regular assigned follow up work for each animal, they could
select an animal and create a chart using the origami piece.
o Identified the parts of the animal, and where to align it on their
origami animal; used ruler to create chart
o Middle school students interned in our class on Friday mornings
and helped students with many of the origami activities.

7. Zoology Follow Up Work

8. Fundamental Needs of People
o Students chose from a variety of origami diagrams that fit
various needs of people.
o Once chosen, they created their origami design, decided
what need it satisfied, and then wrote about it.

9. o Some students extended the follow up on their own by further researching their topic and
wrote more than the required sentences
o Encouraged first graders to write more than usual
o Older students helped younger ones with reading and spelling
o Very collaborative activity

10. Needs of People Extension

11. Creative writing: I Am Poems
o The children loved making origami animals and they wrote I Am
poems about their chosen animal.
o Poems were used in their spring portfolios.
o They became more independent in creating the origami designs with
this activity, and needed less teacher guidance.
o By February they had acquired some basic origami skills, and began
to make designs on their own, or paired with other students to get
help.

12. Even
Geometry skills were used in all origami activities.
This activity was a geometry review and required
students to identify figures, specific triangles and
angles in an origami design of their choice. They
drew shapes in their pictures, and listed the
identified figures in alphabetical order.
Geometry

14. Botany: Parts of a Seed
One of the follow-up activities to the
Parts of a Seed lesson, was to make an
origami planter box to plant sunflower
seeds. Students took their seedlings home
on Earth Day. Most children worked in
pairs or small groups to complete their
planter boxes.

15. Guest Speaker: Origami Presentation

16. Writing Practice: Thank You Letters

17. Seasonal Origami Activities:
Winter Decorations and Mother’s Day Gifts

18. Peace Education: The Significance of the Paper Crane

19. Final Project: Collaborative Art

20. Origami Challenge: Create Your Own Design and Diagram

21. Final Observations
o Our class explored twelve
different origami activities and
the response was positive
o Covered writing, reading, math,
geometry, cultural, and peace
education
o Research supporting the
educational, social and
therapeutic benefits were
evident in my classroom
o Students collaborated, read to
each other, taught others
o Helped to build positive
relationships, bond with
students
o Motivator to complete work
o Increased focus for students
who struggle with focus
o Increased student confidence
o Students recognized the virtues
of patience and practice
o Origami practice extended at
home
o Positive parent feedback

22. Origami Resources