How To Make An Easy Origami Ball (Paper Balloon or Water Bomb) – Video Tutorial

I remember playing with this inflated origami ball and a pair of pencil boxes as racquets when I was a child. There was something magical about making your own ball, however flimsy. This inflatable model goes by many names, including a water bomb, which is how it could also be used. Whatever you want to call, here’s how it’s done.

Instructions

Step 1

Start with a square. Keep the colour side down and fold along a diagonal. Open it up and fold along the second diagonal.

Step 2

Open it up, lay the square flat, this time colour side up, and fold the square in half along the length or width.

Step 3

Open it up and all the creases you’ve just made lets the paper collapse into this double-triangle shape.

Step 4

Lay it flat with the point upwards and fold one of the bottom corner layers up to the top point, like this. Mirror this on the other half.

Step 5

Now flip it over and make the same folds again with the remaining bottom corners. Keep these as clean and precise as possible. And you get this.

Step 6

Next, you need to fold these corners on the the side towards the central line. Mirror the same on two sides of the line.

Step 7

You now have this free flap at the top. Fold that downwards and insert it into this small triangular pocket formed by the folded side corners.

Step 8

Mirror this fold and then flip the model over and repeat it on the other side.

Step 9

The folding is done. Open up the four lobes of the model and you’ll notice that the bottom end has a hole leading into the hollow inside.

Step 10

Hold on to the sides and blow into the hole to inflate it into a ball. Pull the sides and flaps to smoothen out any unevenness and your water bomb, paper balloon or origami is ready to play with.

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