Autumn walks with kids usually end with pockets full of acorns, so I thought it would be fun to fold some from paper too. This little origami acorn is one of the easiest seasonal models you can teach, and because it only needs a quarter sheet of paper, a single square makes four acorns—plenty for a whole family to join in. My own child treats every new fold as a production line, so be prepared: once they learn this one, your table may quickly fill with a tiny forest of nuts and leaves.

Here's a super-simple seasonal origami project that's perfect for autumn: a tiny acorn. If you teach this to kids, be warned—they'll probably want to make a whole pile of them! Every trip to the park seems to end with pockets full of real acorns, so it feels only right to fold a few paper ones too.

This model uses just a quarter sheet of origami paper and takes only a minute or two once the paper is cut. As usual, my drawing skills are limited, but I've added a few simple faces below to give you the idea.

How to Fold an Origami Acorn

Start by cutting a square of brown origami paper into four smaller squares. Each little square will make one acorn.

STEP 1. With the white side facing out, fold the small square in half diagonally both ways to make triangle creases.

STEP 2. Open it back up, then fold one edge in to the center crease.

STEP 3. Fold the next edge to the center line.

STEP 4. Fold the remaining edge to the center line as well.

STEP 5. Turn the piece over.

STEP 6. Fold one side in. You can decide how deep to fold it—deeper folds make rounder acorns, shallower folds make longer ones.

STEP 7. Fold the opposite side in to match the first fold.

STEP 8. Fold the pointed tip back down.

STEP 9. Turn the model over. It should already look like a little acorn with a cap.

STEP 10. Fold down the small corner of the cap to finish.

Make It Your Own

This is one of the easiest origami designs I know. By changing how far you fold the sides, you can make long, slim acorns or short, round ones. Drawing a tiny face on the nut adds even more character.

Add a few paper leaves and you have a perfect autumn scene. Brown leaves look like fallen foliage, while green ones feel like late summer. Once you know the basic fold, there's plenty of room to experiment—so grab some paper and see what kind of acorn forest you can create!