A quick and easy way to get a harmless weapon for kids’ games is to make a paper sword. Anyone can easily craft one at home, and it is almost impossible to cause an injury during a mock battle. Replicas of Eastern warriors’ weapons—katanas and ninjatos—are incredibly popular, as they are the easiest to make.
We have selected a variety of video tutorials that will help you make different types of paper swords, ranging from a simple children’s toy to a complex woven magic sword.
Samurai Sword with a Scabbard
In this lesson, the author of the “Origami and DIY Crafts” channel shows how to create a shortened sword and a matching scabbard in just 20 minutes. Armed with only 5 sheets of A4 paper, glue, a pencil, scissors, and nimble fingers, he crafts a realistic-looking ninjato. The entire process is visually demonstrated, making it very easy to replicate. Two sheets will be needed for a straight blade with a slanted sharp tip, and another one to create a rectangular tsuba (hand guard). The final touch is the scabbard, into which the blade fits snugly against the handle.
DIY Paper Ninjato
This is a simple step-by-step tutorial from the channel TheCrazyTutorials, thanks to which you can quickly make a straight-bladed toy weapon—a ninjato. The structure is similar to a katana. You will need: five sheets for the frame, one for the handle, and half a red sheet for the tsuba. Additionally, you will need 2 red paper strips, tape, scissors, a ruler, and a pencil or pen to mark the cut lines.
Compact Double Sword
https://youtube.com/watch?v=tvUuRLCr3wk
The main feature of this sword is that it is compact and easy to make. Each of the blades has a loop at the end of the handle. You will need to make two short blades and craft the frame by rolling a sheet of paper into a tube. Then, make a loop at the end of the tube and wrap the top half with colored paper to form a handle. A small pocket is left for the second weapon—the handle also acts as a scabbard, making the item perfectly compact. The entire manufacturing process is shown in the video by Lifehack Today.
Paper Katana with a Curved Blade
This model is as close as possible to a real katana in appearance—it has a curved shape while maintaining the proportions of a narrow sword. The slanted point is not cut off but folded inwards, making the tip much stronger. The sheets for the frame are first taped together and then rolled into a tube, which makes the base uniform and sturdy. In the handle area, several rolled-up sheets are added and then wrapped to give the structure stability and reliability. The tsuba is voluminous and fixed with glue.
Origami Sai
Strictly speaking, a sai is a piercing bladed weapon, something between a small dagger and a stiletto, featuring two short side prongs that replace the crossguard. However, its configuration resembles a sword, and in this origami version, the similarity is even greater. The host of the “Origami Streets” channel presents a step-by-step guide to creating a miniature sai. For this project, you will only need a 21×21 cm square of paper and about 20 minutes. The result is a mini-dagger the length of a hand. Every action is demonstrated at a slow pace, and the result of each step is clearly shown.
Cardboard Diamond Sword
The host of the program “MaTiTa – Mad Inventor” shares his skills in creating a short diamond sword out of cardboard and paper. For this craft, you will need a piece of single-layer corrugated cardboard, two sheets of different colors (the author uses orange and light green), scissors, a utility knife for cutting the outline, markers, standard glue, and a glue gun. It is easy to make, and the step-by-step demonstration simplifies the task immensely. The result is a cool, 3D short pixel dagger. This variant has a strong structure, as it consists of two cardboard parts glued together.
DIY Lightsaber for Kids
A real glowing Jedi lightsaber can be made together with your kids in just 5 minutes using a regular flashlight and some paper. In this video, you will see a clever trick to give it the desired color, learn how to handle the new toy, and see how good it looks in action.
Woven Magic Sword
This is a detailed master class for those willing to spend some time and effort to achieve a great result. The instructor carefully shows and explains every nuance of weaving a 3D sword from paper strips. For this project, you will need double-sided kraft paper in several colors (density of 80 g/m²) and glue. You can use regular white and colored paper, but its main drawback is low wear resistance and the need to constantly glue strips together for weaving. Everything is cut into strips 40 mm wide and about a meter long. The weaving technique is not difficult, but the process itself takes time. The final product is a 3D toy with a 1 cm thickness. To make the item more durable, it is recommended to coat the surface with PVA glue and let it dry.
Katana Style Sword
This is the simplest version of a ninjato from the creative children’s channel “I Want to Create”. The whole process will take about 8 minutes. You need two white sheets (for the blade and internal reinforcement) and one colored sheet for the tsuba and handle. The instructor made them black, but you can choose any other color. Each manufacturing stage is demonstrated and commented on, making it incredibly easy to understand—even a child can repeat the process. Additional tools required are scissors, tape, and a pen. The tip is cut into a semicircle, which gives the item maximum realism. The result is a short, sturdy paper sword perfectly sized for a younger child.
Double Paper Sword in a Scabbard
An origami virtuoso and host of “Origami and DIY Crafts” demonstrates a 30-minute step-by-step creation of a double samurai sword in a scabbard. He divides 3 sheets of A4 paper into the main fragments. He crafts two blades with slanted edges and two rectangular tsubas, cutting holes in them and fitting them onto the blades from both sides. To make the item as close to the original as possible, decorative inserts are added to the handle beneath the braiding. A scabbard is prepared for each blade. The tutorial stands out for its interesting sound effects and the complete absence of any verbal commentary.
