Make a Paper Car

A fun project to enjoy with your children is to make paper cars together. Best of all, your child will have a paper car to play with afterwards. You can start out with a simple, origami car. If you have more time on your hands, you can make a paper car that moves instead!

Steps

Making a Flat Origami Car

  1. Place your origami paper down. If you want your car to be colored, place the paper colored-side-down. If you want your car to be white, place the paper white-side-down.
  2. Make a crease in the middle of the paper. Fold the paper in half, widthwise. Run your fingernail along the fold to make a crease, then unfold the paper. Make sure that the white side is still showing.[1]
    • If you are making a white car, then the colored part should be showing.
  3. Fold the top and bottom edges of the paper by one-third. Fold the top edge of the paper down by one-third. Next, fold the bottom edge of the paper up by one-third. This will be known as your top and bottom flaps. You should now have three, equal-sized sections on your paper.[1]
  4. Fold the corner of the top flap up until it goes past the folded edge. Go back to your top flap. Fold the right corner upwards until it goes past the top, folded edge. The left point of the corner should be about one-third of the way across the flap.[1]
  5. Fold the other corners in a similar way. Fold the left corner on the top flap upwards. Next, fold the two corners of the bottom flap down. Each folded corner should be one-third the length of your flaps.
  6. Fold the tips of the corners to flatten them. These corners will eventually become wheels. You can make them look more wheel-like by flattening the points. Fold the upper tips down and the lower tips up.[1]
  7. Fold the whole paper in half along the first crease. You now have the body of the car.[1]
  8. Fold the top right corner inward to form the trunk. This is known as a pocket fold.[1] To do this, hold the car gently in your left hand. Press down on the right side of the crease until it goes into the car. Flatten the car, and run your fingernail along the edge to make a crease.
    • Make the pocket fold at a deep angle, so that it matches up with the back wheel.
  9. Fold the top left corner inward to make the windshield. Use the same technique as you did to make the windshield. This time, make the pocket fold at a slight angle so that it extends past the front wheel.[1]
  10. Set the car down on top of its wheels. Thanks to the pocket folds, the car won't lay completely flat. You should be able to stand it up on all four wheels.
    • Take your car to the next level by drawing some windows, doors, handles, and other details.

Making a Moving Car

  1. Create your template using a pencil and a ruler. You will be drawing something that looks like an upside-down T. Start with a 1-inch (2.54-centimeter) tall, 8-inch (20.32 centimeter) wide rectangle at the bottom of your page. Find the center, then draw a 4-inch (10.16-centimeter) tall, 1-inch (2.54 centimeters) wide rectangle right above it.[2] Make sure that the two are touching, just like an upside-down T.
    • You can make your car out of printer paper or construction paper, but cardstock will be much better.
    • The bottom rectangle will make the sides of the car. The top rectangle will make a curved roof, like in a buggy.
  2. Cut out your template. Cut out both rectangles as one piece. Snip the left and right corners of your bottom rectangle off. You want them angling towards the top, vertical rectangle. These will make the windshield.[2]
  3. Fold the bottom rectangle to make the sides of the car. Start by drawing a 1-inch (2.54-centimeter) square in the middle of your bottom rectangle. Use the sides of the square as your folding guideline. Keep the side flaps bent so that they are 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) apart. You should have something that looks like a box.[2]
  4. Tape the top rectangle between the two side flaps. Hold the two side flaps 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) apart. Bring the tip of the top rectangle towards the side flaps. Nestle it right between them, so that the bottom corners touch.[2] Secure everything together with a strip of tape.
    • For a neater finish, put the tape inside the car instead.
    • You want the side edges of the top flap to be aligned with the slanted edges of the side flaps.
    • The top rectangle will create an arch, like in a buggy. For a standard car, pinch it just above the side flaps.
  5. Cut four 1-inch (2.54-centimeter) circles out of cardstock. You can trace these circles using a compass or bottle caps. These will be your wheels. To make them even sturdier, you could use thin cardboard instead.[2]
  6. Paint and decorate your car, including the wheels. Start by coloring your wheels black, then adding grey or silver hubcaps. Paint your car, if you wish, then draw some doors and handles on the sides. Finish off by adding on a front and back windshield.
    • Add some more details, such as decals, headlights, or even a driver!
    • You can paint or draw the details on. If you use paint, let the car dry before moving on.
  7. Punch some holes for the wheels. Use a hole puncher on the car and a needle on the wheels. The holes on the car should be about ¼-inch (0.64-centimeter) from the bottom edge, and 2 inches (5.08 centimeters) apart. The holes on the wheels need to be smack in the center.[3]
    • Don't use a hole puncher on the wheels. The holes will be too big.
    • If you don't have a needle, you can use a toothpick or an awl. Be careful, however!
  8. Poke a toothpick through the holes on the car. You will need two toothpicks: one for the front set of holes, and one for the back.[3] Trim down the toothpicks until they are ¼ to ½-inch (0.64 to 1.27-centimeter) long on each side of the car.
    • Paint the toothpicks black first for a more realistic effect.
    • If you don't have any toothpicks, you can cut down some skewers or use lollipop sticks instead. You may have to make the holes on the wheels bigger, however.
  9. Attach the wheels. Slide the wheels onto the toothpicks—make sure that the hubcaps are facing out. Don't worry if the wheels don't rotate on the toothpick. The toothpick will rotate in the holes on the car instead.[3]
  10. Secure the wheels with beads, if needed. The wheels should fit snugly onto the toothpicks. If they are loose or falling off, slide a small bead over each end of the toothpick. Secure the bead with a drop of glue, if needed.[3]
    • If the bead is a different color from the hubcap, you can paint it grey or silver to match.
    • If you can't find any small beads, try a bit of hot glue instead.

Tips

  • Make several different cars and "race" them with your friends.
  • Design the cars after real cars, such as police cars or race cars.
  • Add some stickers to create decals.
  • Glue on sequins, beads, or round rhinestones to make lights (including police car sirens).
  • You can draw on your car with markers or crayons, or you can paint the designs on instead.
  • Paint on the largest shapes first. Let them dry, then paint or draw on the details.
  • The measurements on the moving car don't have to be exact. Once you know how to make it, you can use the proportions to make smaller/bigger cars.

Things You'll Need

Making a Flat Origami Car

  • Origami paper

Making a Moving Car

  • Paper, preferably cardstock
  • Pen or pencil
  • Ruler
  • Scissors
  • Tape
  • 2 toothpicks
  • 4 small beads (optional)
  • Glue (optional)

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-car.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 http://krokotak.com/2016/08/glue-lee-printable-cars/
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 http://krokotak.com/2016/06/moving-paper-cars/
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