It’s boating season! So let’s make some boats. It’s not only super fun and simple but also a proven activity for boosting your cognitive and motoric skills. Set sail!

Article Contents

1. The symbolism of the boat
2. Materials needed
3. How to make a sailboat
4. How to make a modern boat
5. What will you develop and learn?

After Origami fortune-teller and Origami pig, today, in the spirit of summer, we will be learning how to make an Origami boat. Actually, we will show you how to make two types of boats:

• Sailboat, which looks awesome, but is not very stable (quick to turn over and sink)
• The modern boat which is stable enough to go on long voyages

But first…

The symbolism of the boat

The boat, as an object of discovery and travel, really has deep roots in the symbolism of all cultures. It is mentioned throughout the many famous myths and even played a lead role in some of them (Noah’s Arc, The Odyssey, etc.). It’s mentioned in many contexts, from more obvious like traversing restless seas (life) to less known journeys to the afterlife.

In ancient Egypt, the boat symbolized the transportation vessel for the Sun, so it can journey across the sky. It also helps the souls of the recently passed to journey to the afterlife. Just like in Egypt, in ancient Greece, the ferry (a type of a boat) was used to cross a river of Styx, the biggest river of the Underworld. That’s why Greeks left 2 coins on the dead, so they can pay the ferryman Charon to take them across the river of Styx.

In Christianity, we know the story of Noah’s Ark where Noah built a large ark (boat), gathered all types of animals, one male, and one female to save them from the great flood. The God engulfed all world in the flood to wash all sins and only Noah, his family and animals he collected survived. In Islam, there is a similar story “Safina Nūḥ” (Noah’s Boat) and also contains a great flood.

Paper Boats most often symbolize life. Like life, the paper boat won’t float forever and eventually, it will sink because everything has an end. And like life, the paper boat is fragile and can be easily destroyed. But it also symbolizes hope and innocence because the paper boat is going against the odds and can hold against flickering water to reach its destination.

Now that we went through the symbolism, let’s start with making our own origami paper boat.

Materials needed

• Plain A4 paper
• Your hands! 🙂
• Bonus: colored pencils for decoration

How to make a sailboat

How to make a modern boat

What will you develop and learn?

• Hand-eye coordination
• Attention and concentration
• Math concepts, geometry, proportions, and fractions
• Confidence and resistance to frustration
• Logical reasoning and problem solving
• Creativity
• Patience

Now that you know how to make Origami boat, it is time you learn how to make an origami house. Because every captain needs safe harbor and roof over his/her head while not exploring the seven seas.

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