Korean ddakji is a great activity to keep children entertained. Folding the tiles helps them learn basic origami techniques and work on fine motor skills. Playing with friends encourages them to work on social skills like sharing, taking turns, and graciously handling winning or losing the game. Now fold the top flap down, and underneath the right flap, then fold the bottom flap up, and underneath the left flap. To play Korean ddakji, choose a throwing player. Many people suggest a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to choose a throwing player, but this is up to you. The other player places his ddakji tile on the table. The throwing player tries to throw his tile so that it makes the other player’s tile flip over. If he is successful, he gets to keep the tile. Therefore, it would be a good idea to fold several tiles before you begin playing. Throwing ddakji looks simple, but getting the angle and force necessary to flip the other player’s tile takes practice. If you are playing the game with very young children, stress that it’s OK if they are unable to flip the tile immediately. You may want to make tiles using several different sizes of paper to see what is easiest for you to flip. It’s also helpful to try to aim for the fullest or puffiest part of the disk when you’re trying to flip it. A video demonstration of children playing the ddakji Korean game can be found on YouTube. If you are looking for more origami toys and games, try the loopy origami paper plane, the origami blow top toy instructions or the origami jumping frog tutorial.
