Are you ready to make some kite paper stars?

Here’s the tutorial you need – a simple, step-by-step breakdown of this classic craft, so you can follow along with no confusion. At the end of this project, you’ll have a beautiful paper star you can hang in your window as a sun catcher. Try making a solid colored star, or a star with 2 different alternating colors, or even a rainbow star with each point folded from a different color! The possibilities are endless, and your imagination can run free when it comes to folding kite paper stars.

Step by step Waldorf window stars tutorial

First, you’ll need eight pieces of square (or 1:1 ratio) folding paper. You’ll either want to use translucent origami paper or kite paper. Start with one piece.

Fold your square kite paper in half from corner to corner, so that it forms a triangle. Crease the folded edge well.

Now, unfold it again. Smooth out the crease with your fingertip so that it lies flat again. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s the start of your kite paper star!

orange kite paper square with diagonal crease

Then, fold your square in half again, from corner to corner, this time the opposite way. Look! It’s a triangle again.

orange origami paper square folded in half diagonally

Open your paper so that it’s a square again, and smooth out the last crease with your fingertip. See how your center point is very clearly marked now? That’s important! Believe it or not, you’re halfway toward making your kite paper stars’ first point!

orange translucent paper square with two diagonal creases

Because now you need to fold all four corners of the square into the center point, like this. Basically, you’re turning your original square into a cuter smaller square that’s a little thicker.

orange square of kite paper with corners folded in to the center

Now turn your new, cuter, smaller square 45 degrees, so that one of the corners is pointing up. Then, fold the two top edges down so that they’re matched up with the center line. Crease these folds well.

one waldorf kite paper star point, completed

Unfold your last folds, and smooth them out. We’re just going to do a quick special fold that will make the light and dark sections of each point a little more interesting.

Take the inner points of the top two sections, and fold them upward to meet the last crease you made.

Then, fold the top two outer edges back to the center line. Crease well, and one point of your 8-pointed kite paper star is finished!

Repeat the same steps with 7 more squares, and glue them together to make your kite paper star. Be sure to watch the tutorial video for the gluing technique so you get it just right!

orange folded kite paper window star with 8 points

If this looks like too many steps for your young child to follow along with, try the easiest Waldorf star pattern instead. Or if you want more ideas for different designs, check out my library of paper window stars tutorials.