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How to fold a Froebel star: easy steps for kids
Age: 9+ · Time: 45 min · For:
The Froebel star is a beautiful folded paper star with sixteen points, often hung on Christmas trees in Germany and across Northern Europe. It looks impossibly complicated, but it is made from just four strips of paper and a sequence of folds that you repeat.
It is a lovely challenge for patient children of 9 and up, and the first finished star always gets a proud place on the tree.
Tips
- Keep the weave tight. A loose middle makes a floppy star.
- Follow along together. Make your own star at the same time, one step ahead.
- Do not give up after the first try. Nearly everyone needs two or three attempts.
Decorating
Dip the finished star in melted candle wax (grown-ups only) for a stiff, shiny traditional finish, or brush it with diluted PVA glue and sprinkle it with glitter.
You need
- 4 strips of paper 1.5 cm wide and about 45 cm long (or 1 cm wide and 30 cm long, the long side of an A4 sheet)
- scissors
- a ruler and a pencil
- a thread or ribbon for hanging
- a paperclip to hold things in place while you work (optional)
Steps
- Fold each strip in half and cut the ends to a point so they slide through the gaps more easily.
- Hold two folded strips at right angles and slot them together, then add the other two so you get a woven square in the middle with two strip ends sticking out on each side. Pull them tight.
- Fold the top layer of each pair over the neighbouring strip, going around in a circle, and tuck the last one under the first. You now have a tight woven square on both sides.
- Flat points: take an upper strip, fold it back on itself, then fold it diagonally to make a triangle, fold the triangle in half and tuck the end into the square. Repeat for the other three upper strips, then turn the star over and do the same.
- 3D points (optional): take an upper strip, twist it into a loop away from you and push the end under the square and out the other side, so a cone-shaped point stands up. Repeat for the four upper strips on each side.
- Trim the loose ends neatly close to the star.
- Thread a needle with a ribbon or thread through one point to hang the star.
Questions
It is too hard. Is there an easier way to start?
Practise with wider and longer strips, and just make the flat star first. Once your hands know the moves, the 3D points become easier.
Which paper is best?
Thin, strong paper that folds crisply, such as printer paper or special paper strips from a craft shop. Thick card is too stiff.
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