- Age:6+
- Time:15 min
- Difficulty:Easy
- Mess level:None
- Supervision:No
The symbolism and meaning of house
The house, or more specific, home, has a deep meaning for humans from the start of our existence. Actually, even animals have their lairs, build nests, burrow holes and mark their territory. In other words, create their homes.
For humans, the house is a lot more than a roof over our head and place to stay dry. It has a deeper meaning that creates a place of belonging and memories. That is why we refer to our house as our home.
A house is more than a roof over our heads: it is a place of belonging and memories.
In the Judeo-Christian religion, people were expelled from the Paradise - perfect home created for us. And if we live a good and faithful life, we will return to that perfect home in Heaven.
In a famous Greek epic Odyssey, written by Homer, the whole story is centered around hero Odysseus journeying back home and enduring in that mission despite many obstacles. In short, the house, or home has a strong meaning of identity, security, privacy, belonging and control for all human beings. It presents the center of our lives - the place we leave each morning and the place we go back to every evening.
Materials we use to build Houses
Generally speaking, we can split building materials into natural and synthetic. Some examples of natural materials are wood and stone. Synthetic materials are processed by industry and are not available in nature. Some examples are plastic and steel.
Building materials can be natural, like wood and stone, or synthetic, like plastic.
Now we will mention some of the most common materials in use for building houses and structures:
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Rock - One of the most durable and widely used building materials. We don’t say “rock solid” for nothing. Some of the most amazing structures were built out of stone, like the Pyramids in Egypt, Aztec pyramids and what remains of the Inca civilization at Machu Picchu.
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Wood - Most generic and common building blocks for houses. Trees are renewable and versatile material so it’s no wonder it is part of almost any house or building.
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Brick and Block - One of the oldest building materials there is: people were building with brick in ancient Mesopotamia, and the Romans used it everywhere. Brick boomed again in the 18th and 19th centuries, when crowded cities were appearing and its great resistance to fire really mattered. It was also relatively cheap to produce, so it’s no wonder it was such a popular material.
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Mud and clay - Mud and clay houses were built for centuries in western and northern Europe for their amazing temperature regulation properties. They are still built today but to a lower extent. Some of the houses are still habitable, even after a couple of hundreds of years.
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Thatch - Excellent insulator and easy to harvest. Many African tribes use it as the main building method and it was used in Europe for building the roofs.
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Fabric - used by nomadic societies for centuries, the fabric is the most common material in building a tent.
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Ice - Popular Igloos, houses from ice were built by the native Inuit in the north.
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Concrete - In this modern age, concrete is the dominant material for building houses due to its longevity, formability, and ease of transport. By itself, concrete has a low tensile strength so we use steel rods to reinforce it.
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Metal - Mostly used for the construction of large buildings like skyscrapers that we find today in large cities. Metal is strong, flexible, and refined easily. The main enemy of metal constructions is corrosion if not treated regularly.
Concrete is strong when squeezed but weak when stretched. What do builders add to fix that?
Make your prediction, then tap an answer to check!
And now to our origami house. It won’t last forever (probably no longer than a few days), but you will surely get some value from building this small, paper home.
Materials needed for the Paper Origami House
All you need for the origami house: paper, and colors for decorating.
All we need is some paper, colored pencils and hands to make a great Origami House.
Make a square from A4
Origami needs a square, but most paper at home is rectangular A4. To make a square fast: fold one short edge across to line up with a long edge, forming a triangle, then cut or tear off the leftover strip below it. Unfold, and you have a perfect square - no ruler needed.
- Paper: Plain square paper. 200mmX200mm dimension or larger is recommended if this is your first time making origami. A plain sheet of A4 paper is also good since we can easily make the square paper from it. Colored paper is even better to give our origami house a more colorful look.
- Colored pencils or markers for decoration
- Your two hands and 10 dexterous fingers 😉
Instructions to make Origami House
Watch the video at the beginning of an article in which we guide you step by step in making the origami house. Or you can check the diagram below if you are an experienced origami maker.
Folding diagram for the origami house, step by step.
- Fold in half to make a crease
- Fold to meet the center line along the crease
- Fold in the dotted line
- Fold back
- Open
- Flatten
- Fold in the dotted line
- Draw a door, windows and the house is done!
What will you develop and learn by making the Origami House?
- Concentration, attention, and patience
- Hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills
- Math concepts, geometry, proportions, and fractions
- Confidence and resistance to frustration
- Creativity
Key takeaways
- An origami house is a quick model folded from a single square of paper - decorate it with a door and windows to make it your own.
- Real houses are built from natural materials (wood, stone, clay, thatch) and synthetic ones (concrete, steel, plastic), each with different strengths.
- Concrete resists squeezing but cracks when stretched, so it's reinforced with steel - a great real-world engineering idea to talk about.
- Folding builds geometry, symmetry, proportions, and fractions, plus fine motor skills, patience, and spatial reasoning.
- You only need paper - make a square from A4 by folding and trimming, then fold a whole street of houses.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make an origami house?
Start with a square sheet. Fold it in half to crease it, fold the edges in to the centre line, then fold down a flap to shape the roof, open and flatten the roof corners, and finally draw on a door and windows. Follow the diagram or video above step by step.
What materials are used to build houses?
Houses use natural materials like wood, stone, brick, clay, and thatch, and synthetic ones like concrete, steel, and plastic. Different climates and eras favour different materials - igloos from ice, tents from fabric, skyscrapers from steel and reinforced concrete.
Why is concrete reinforced with steel?
Concrete is strong under compression (squeezing) but weak under tension (stretching), so it cracks when bent. Steel is strong in tension, so steel rods embedded in concrete handle the pulling forces. Together, as reinforced concrete, they make a material strong in both directions.
What paper do you need for an origami house?
A square sheet, ideally around 20 by 20 cm or larger for a first attempt. Coloured paper looks great, but you can also make a square from plain A4 by folding one edge across and trimming the extra strip. Add coloured pencils to decorate.
Why is origami good for learning math?
Every fold is geometry in action: halving the paper shows fractions, corner-to-corner folds show symmetry, and turning a flat square into a 3D shape builds spatial reasoning. Children practise these ideas with their hands long before meeting them on paper.
What does 'home' symbolize?
Across cultures, home stands for belonging, security, privacy, and identity - far more than just a roof and shelter. From the Odyssey's long journey home to the idea of a perfect home in paradise, it represents the centre of our lives.
Don’t forget to check our other origami activities such as How to make Origami Boat, How to make Origami Pig and How to make Origami Fortune Teller and How to make a Paper Windmill. They would look great next to your house. Also, check other categories for more fun activities from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Happy folding!
