How to Make an Origami Paper Crown for Beginners

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Step-by-step directions for a wearable crown and a 1-sheet mini crown

Co-authored by Coco Sato and Dan Hickey

Last Updated: August 10, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Wearable Crown
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• Mini Crown (1 Sheet)
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• More Crown Crafts
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• Video

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Heavy is the head that wears the crown…unless it’s made of paper, of course! Making an origami crown is a fun and easy activity for kids of all ages, and all it takes is a few sheets of paper (and some royal imagination). Keep scrolling for simple, step-by-step instructions for how to make a wearable crown out of multiple sheets of paper, plus a mini crown from just 1 sheet of paper (perfect for dolls, action figures, and other toys in your royal court).

Origami Crown Instructions: Visual Guide

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To make an origami crown, start with 6 pieces of small origami paper (3x3 in or 7.5x7.5 cm). Use your finger, thumb nail, or a bone folder to make crisp creases and give your crown structure. Tuck the crown pieces together or use glue for a stronger hold.

• Difficulty: Easy/beginner
• Time: About 10 minutes
• Supplies needed: 6 sheets of small origami paper, bone folder (optional), liquid glue (optional)

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Making a Wearable Origami Crown

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1. 
   1
   Gather 6 pieces of small origami paper. For most kids’ heads, 6 sheets of small (3x3 in/7.5x7.5 cm) origami paper is enough to make a crown that’s not too loose around the head. Choose a yellow or golden color for a classic crown look, or choose whatever colors you like (you can use up to 6 colors for a super colorful crown!).

   • Using actual origami paper will help you make sharper, more precise creases since “it has a thinner consistency” than printer paper, explains origami expert Robert Homayoon.
   • Out of origami paper? Homayoon says that “you can always use printer paper. You just need a pair of scissors to trim the edge off and make the paper square.”
   • Origamist and contemporary artist Coco Sato recommends using a stiffer paper, like cardboard, so it stays in shape.
   • Feel free to use more or less sheets of paper to make the crown looser or tighter around the head. Or, use standard-sized origami paper for a bigger, more robust-looking crown.

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Robert Homayoon is an origami expert known for his engaging YouTube videos and accessible instructions. He has been teaching origami on YouTube since 2009 and has over 676,000 subscribers.

   Coco Sato is an origamist and contemporary artist specializing in origami and geometric sculptures. With a practice encompassing sculpture, performance, psychology, and geometry, she explores shifting perspectives through origami.

   Katharina Tarta is a paper crafting expert who shares popular paper craft tutorials and crafting recommendations for her 500K+ followers online.
2. 
   2
   Lay the paper color-side down and fold it in half horizontally. Place your paper on a flat surface with the back (white) side facing up. Fold the bottom edge up to the top edge and press the crease with your finger or thumb nail to make it sharp and crisp.

   • Sato says, “Sometimes it helps to have tools to make the edges very crisp. A folding bone or any non-sharp edge tool can be useful.”
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3. 
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   Unfold the paper and fold it in half again vertically, then unfold. Undo your first fold, then fold the sheet in half again left-to-right. Unfold the paper. You should now have 2 central creases that intersect in a “+” shape at the center of the paper.
4. 
   4
   Fold the top-left and top-right corners into the center. Fold the top corners down so that both points meet exactly where your central creases intersect at the center of the paper. Press your creases to help these flaps stay down.

   • The bottom half of your paper should be a white rectangle, and the top half should now look like a colored triangle.
5. 
   5
   Fold the bottom edge upward so that it’s almost lined up with the center crease. Now, grab the bottom edge of the paper and line it up so that it sits just underneath the center crease in the paper and not directly on it (a thin white band just a few millimeters thick should be visible running through the center of the paper).

   • After this fold, you’ve successfully finished one piece of your crown! Each piece will form a “spike” or point of your crown.
6. 
   6
   Fold 5 more sheets of paper the exact same way. Repeat the folds described above 5 more times for a total of 6 pieces of crown.
7. 
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   Unfold the bottom half of each sheet and set all the papers in an overlapping line. Undo your final fold on each piece of paper so that the bottom half of the paper looks like a white rectangle again. Then, arrange your sheets in an overlapping line so that each piece covers half of the piece underneath and to the left of it:

   • Lay one piece down, then set your second piece on top of it so the left edge lines up exactly with the center of the first piece.
   • Keep the horizontal creases running through the white bottom half of each sheet lined up, like you’re forming one giant crease that spans all 6 sheets of paper.
8. 
   8
   Re-fold the bottom edges of all 6 sheets of paper together. Following the existing crease lines, re-fold the bottom edges of all the sheets of paper. Re-press the creases to loosely keep the pieces together.
9. 
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   Fold the new bottom edge of each sheet up to the center crease line. Now, fold the bottom of each piece to the center again to hold the crown pieces together more tightly. Press the new crease firmly.

   • Now you have a “chain” of crown pieces that looks like 6 triangular points on top of a thick paper band.
10. 
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    Tuck or glue the ends of the chain together to finish the crown. For a traditional origami finish, tuck the ends of the crown chain together with no glue. Carefully bring the ends together to form a circle shape, then slide the “tabs” (the folded corners poking out at each end of the chain) together so the folded layers are interlocking. Be aware that the crown might come apart if you move it or shake it too hard!

    • Or, use glue to secure the crown more permanently. With the crown chain laying flat, add a dab of glue to the inside of the left end “tab”, then tuck it inside the right end tab and press the sheets together to bond them.
    • “I always recommend liquid glue because it's stronger than a glue stick,” explains paper crafting expert Katharina Tarta. “It's also easier to work with than double-sided tape because once you put double-sided tape together, you can't move it. If you use liquid glue, then you have a little bit of a wiggle room.”
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Section 2 of 3:

Making a Mini Origami Crown

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1. 
   1
   Choose 1 piece of double-sided origami paper. When you make a mini crown with 1 sheet of paper, both sides will be visible when you’re done. The front (colored) side will form the outside of your crown, and the back (white or second color) will show on the top, inside the “spikes” of your crown.

   • Choose a double-sided paper if you want a complementary color or design to appear on top of your head.
   • If you don’t mind the white side showing, a regular piece of origami paper will work as well.
2. 
   2
   Fold the paper in half diagonally, then unfold. Lay the paper on a flat surface with the back (white or second color) side facing up, then rotate the paper so it looks like a diamond. Fold the right corner over to the left corner, pressing the fold to form a clean crease. Unfold the paper.
3. 
   3
   Fold the paper in half again the opposite way, then unfold. Now, fold the bottom corner of the paper up to the top corner and press the crease. Unfold the paper. You should now have 2 perpendicular folds that run to all the corners and intersect in the middle of the paper.
4. 
   4
   Fold all 4 points into the middle to form a square, then flip the paper over. One at a time, grab each corner of the diamond and fold it inward to the center (where your previous 2 folds intersect). Press the creases each time. You now have a square with 4 triangular flaps.

   • After all the corners are folded in, flip the paper over so the flaps are facing downward.
5. 
   5
   Fold the bottom edge up to the center of the square. Grab the bottom edge of the square and fold it so it lines up with the crease crossing the center of the square. As you fold, let the triangular flap underneath flop out to the top.
6. 
   6
   Fold the top edge down to the bottom of the square. Repeat the same fold on the top edge of the square, letting the triangular flap underneath pop out. When you’re done, you should have what looks like a folded rectangle on the bottom and 2 triangular flaps forming a diamond shape on top.
7. 
   7
   Unfold the bottom triangular flap up to the top. The bottom flap will now overlap the top triangular flap.
8. 
   8
   Fold both of the bottom corners inward at a diagonal. With the bottom flap still unfolded, fold the bottom-left and bottom-right corners of the square inward at a diagonal (the edges should line up with the crease at the bottom of the triangular flap).
9. 
   9
   Fold both triangular flaps downward, then fold the upper corners at a diagonal. Now, you’ll repeat the same corner folds on the top edge of the square. First, fold both triangular flaps downward (over the bottom corners you just folded). Then, fold the upper-left and upper-right corners inward at a diagonal.
10. 
    10
    Unfold the top triangular flap back upward. You should now have a diamond shape made of 2 triangular flaps (top layer) on top of a rectangle with the corners folded inward so they’re flush with the diamond (bottom layer).
11. 
    11
    Pull the top and bottom sections of the crown open. Grab the creases at the bottoms of both triangular flaps and gently pull them open to start forming a 3D crown shape (think of it almost like a mouth opening). You may need to support the diagonal corners you folded earlier with a spare finger to keep from pulling all of your folds apart.
12. 
    12
    Crease the corners of the crown to give it a sturdier shape. After pulling the flaps open, you’ll have a basic crown shape that’s kind of like a rounded square with 4 triangular points sticking up. If you like, you can press the corners of the square to make the creases sharper (this gives you a sturdier, boxier-looking crown).

    • Or, you can leave the crown rounded—it’s up to your preference!
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Section 3 of 3:

More Crown Crafts

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1. Check out these fun craft tutorials for more royal DIY headgear. The only thing more fun than wearing a crown is making it! Check out these crafting articles to learn how to make flower crowns, princess crows, ancient Egyptian crowns, and more:

   • How to Make a King’s Crown
   • How to Make a Princess Crown
   • How to Make a Queen Nefertiti Crown
   • Make 3 Types of Flower Crowns for All Occasions

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