Easy Valentine’s Origami Gnome for Kids

Yessss! It is officially the season of LOVE! We adore Valentine’s Day and all the love bombing that comes with it! We also love switching up our crafts from the Christmas season .. so if you loved our Christmas Origami Gnomes, check out how cute they are as Valentine’s Origami Gnomes! I love that you can add some little messages to the back and gift them as little Gnome Valentines Day Cards!

Origami is for everyone. Even preschoolers can manage. In fact this little origami project is a great Origami Project for preschoolers and beginners, as the steps are relatively basic and easy to remember.

I love that with origami you don’t need a printable template to have fun! Any paper will do!

Looking for more Valentine’s Gnome Crafts – check out:

Make some Valentines Gnome Craft boxes. So cute and easy!

Valentine’s Origami Gnome Ideas

These little paper gnomes are so so easy and quick to make, that you can make lots of them.. you can

• add them as gift tags to gifts
• add them to the front of a Valentines greeting card
• stick two back to back and make a little origami ornament for a Valentine’s tree, or glue 3 paper gnomes together to make a 3d Gnome Ornament (see image below)
• make a whole set, tape them to some ribbon or baker’s twine and make a Valentine’s garland
• use them as fun little Valentine’s notes to leave around the house or in a lunchbox (write on the back of the gnome or encourage the recipient to unfold the gnome for a secret message)

One little paper gnome craft.. so many uses!! Woohoo.

Best Valentines Day Gnome Puns

Gnomes make a lovely Valentine’s Day Theme for kids of all ages. Here are some cute Gnome Puns to use with your Valentines Gnome Craft:

• Gnome-body loves you as much as I do!
• I love you Gnome matter what!
• You Gnome me so well.
• Will you be my Gnomie
• Be my gnomie
• You are my favourite gnomie
• I am your Gnome #1 Fan
• I gnome you
• Gnomies forever

If you fancy MORE, general Gnome Puns, there is a great list for you to check out here.

Make an origami gnome – supplies:

The craft supplies needed are simple – we love basic paper crafts!

• a square piece of paper* (any size will do, in fact, I used scrap paper cut offs, but 15 cm x 15 cm is a nice size to start with)
• colouring pencils, markers or pens or even paints! In Valentine’s Day colours
• optional – a little tape or glue stick to secure the back, but not necessary!

* we used printer paper – no special craft paper or origami paper needed for this origami project! However if you have pretty Valentine’s Paper, you can use that too!

We have a super handy one page worksheet that you can download from the Teacher’s Pay Teacher’s store. The cost of this worksheet download makes a small contribution that helps with the upkeep of this blog AND gives you a handy one pager to work with at home or in the classroom (also added bonus, that the worksheet is ad free!).

How to make an Origami Gnome for Valentine’s Day

This is a super simple origami project that focusses on the triangle shape. Making a great little craft for reinforcing symmetry and shapes in the classroom.

You can follow the video tutorial on auto play (showing our Christmas Orgami Gnome designs), or the simple step by step photo instructions below!

Begin by making some guide folds

I AM using red and white origami paper for the step photos – only so you can easily see when and how to flip the paper… BUT, you do need to make these with normal white paper, as you will want to decorate them for Valentine’s!

As mentioned – a handy one page (Christmas themed) printable is available here (ad free too!)

You need to start off by making one guide fold. Rotate the square piece of paper by 90 degrees, so that you have a diamond in front of you.

Fold the bottom point up, to meet the top point. And make a neat crease. You should have a triangle in front of you.

Unfold again.

Now you are back to the square, with a diagonal line.

Shaping the gnome’s hat

Rotate the square pieces of paper, so you have the fold running down in front of you.

Take the left corner and fold inwards, aligning the edges with the central line.

Repeat with the right corner.

You should have a kite shape in front of you.

Take the longer point of the kite and fold it to meet the opposite end. Make a neat crease.

Shaping the gnome’s beard

Flip your origami project over and rotate – so the flat edge is along the bottom.

Take the top corner and fold down, not quite to the bottom edge.

Make a neat crease. This will be basis of the gnome’s beard.

Make another small fold – a few mm wide – this will form the brim of santa’s or the gnome’s hat.

Finishing the origami gnome shape/ triangle

Flip your origami project over again.

Now take the right side and fold over and make a neat edge.

Repeat with the left side.

Flip back. And you have a basic origami gnome! When using white paper, you will have a white shape of course!

Time to decorate your gnome for Valentine’s Day!

Now it is time to customise your little paper gnome. As mentioned you can turn him into any kind of gnome dress up that you wish simply by using different colour pens to decorate with.. but he can also easily be turned into an Origami Valentine’s Gnome.

For the Diy Valentine Gnomes:

CHOOSE VALENTINE’S DAY COLOURS (see below). We loved using lilacs, light blues, pinks and reds. Have fun exploring decorations. You can make stripey hats. Dotty hats. Block colour hats. Hats with a large heart or lots of little hearts etc. You can use stickers or different pens etc. The embellishments are part of the fun of this “doodle craft”.

For ease, I unfold each section – as I add the gnome’s nose, add a little colour to the gnome’s beard etc. But strictly speaking you do not need to unfold it.

Optional: accessories your Valentine’s gnomes

Now add some little cut out hearts to the gnome’s hats or “heart” and you are done.

Using Valentine’s Origami Paper works really nicely as well!

As mentioned you can use this basic Valentines Origami Gnome in lots of different ways!

Adding fun Valentines Gnome puns and other embellishments and accessories to your Valetines Cards if you wish!

If you are feeling the love right now and want to explore some more wonderful Valentine’s Day Card Making ideas, try these:

More Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids here: