Fun
How to fold an origami jumping frog
Fold the traditional jumping frog from an index card or a stiff rectangle — press its back, slide your finger off and it hops.
Jumping frog
Intermediateabout 6 minutes9 stepsPaper: A 3 × 5 in index card or a 7.5 × 12.5 cm rectangle of stiff paper
Use a 3 × 5 inch index card or a 7.5 × 12.5 cm piece of stiff paper, white side up. Fold the top right corner down to the left edge and unfold, then the top left corner to the right edge and unfold.
Swipe the diagram or use the ← → keys. Space plays and pauses.
Paper colour
Print all steps
2 pages, six steps to a page, in the paper colour you picked.
Reading the diagrams
- - - valley fold (towards you) · -·-· mountain fold (away) · thin grey lines are creases already made. Arrows show where the paper goes; a hollow arrow means push in.
All steps
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Frequently asked questions
Why use an index card?
The frog jumps because the zig-zag at the back acts as a spring, and stiff paper makes a stronger spring. Index cards, business cards and thin card jump well; thin origami paper folds a frog that hops only a little.
How do I make the frog jump?
Place the frog on a flat table, press down on the back edge with a fingertip so the spring bends, and slide your finger off backwards. The spring snaps open and the frog leaps forwards.
How can I make it jump farther?
Use stiffer paper, crease the spring folds very sharply and press the back down firmly before releasing. A slightly larger card gives a longer spring. Try frog races on a smooth table.
Can I use a square of paper?
This version needs a rectangle about 3 by 5 in proportion, because the bottom part forms the spring. A square leaves too little paper for the legs and spring. Cut a square sheet down to that proportion first.
Is the jumping frog a traditional model?
Yes. The jumping frog is a traditional model folded around the world, especially popular in schools. The diagrams and instructions here were drawn and written for this site.
About this tool
The jumping frog is one of the most fun origami models to fold, because it actually does something: press its back and it springs across the table. It is folded from an index card or a stiff rectangle, with a collapse that makes the front legs and a zig-zag pleat at the back that works as the spring.
Every step is animated in standard origami notation. The collapse of the top square into a triangle is built from the model's real crease pattern, so you can see how the sides fold in, and each later fold — the legs, the narrowing sides and the spring — is shown as the paper would really move.
Fold a few frogs and hold a jumping contest, or decorate them with eyes and spots. Choose a paper colour to match your card, and download the steps as a PDF on US Letter or A4 for a classroom activity.