Origami Cranes

On August 6, 1945, two-year old Sadako Sasaki was at home in Hiroshima, Japan when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on her city. Soon after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Imperial Japan surrendered and World War II came to an end, but the impacts of the bomb were just beginning to reveal themselves. Sadako sustained no obvious injuries in the bombing. Ten years later, she began having medical complications. After a diagnosis of leukemia, called atomic bomb disease by some in Hiroshima, Sadako was hospitalized. A Japanese legend says that folding 1,000 origami cranes grants the folder a wish, and Sadako set to work creating her cranes. From her hospital bed Sadako folded 1,300 cranes before her death just months later. Read more about Sadako Sasaki or watch a video about her and then create your own crane

The origami crane has become a symbol of resilience, strength, and peace. Below are directions on how to make a traditional folded origami crane. Below there also a template of an origami crane drawing that you can printout and color. As you make the crane, reflect on what peace means to you. You can even write a message of peace on your cranes and hang them up.

Fold an Origami Crane

Folding an origami crane can be a fun challenge especially if this is your first time making one. The directions below may help you fold your crane. There are also numerous resources on the internet and helpful videos on YouTube. The standard origami paper size is 6x6 inch (150 x150 mm) squares. You may write a message of peace on the origami paper before you fold your crane or write your message on its wings after you have created your crane.

Color an Origami Crane Drawing

Download and print the flat crane template below. To download the template, right click on the image and select “save image as” to save the template to your computer. Once downloaded and saved, the template can be printed from your computer. Color in the crane, cut out the circle, and punch a hole into it so you can hang it up with some string.