Find an acorn on a path in autumn and you will almost certainly pocket it, which is how acorns end up rattling around in washing machines all over the world. This little paper version captures that same charm in eight folds, and once you have it in your fingers you can produce one a minute — so expect to end up with rather a lot of them. Keep a stack of brown and green paper handy in October, let children add faces with a marker, and scatter the results along a mantelpiece or around a bowl of potpourri.

Children love acorns. Find one lying in the woods or on a path in autumn and you will almost certainly pick it up — and then find it again in the washing machine, because nobody remembers to empty their pockets.

So this time we are folding those much-loved acorns from paper.

This version is simple enough for kindergarten children to fold, and paper acorns make lovely autumn decorations, so do give it a try.

Plenty of flat, one-piece acorn folds exist, but a rounded acorn that actually stands up is harder to come by. If you remember this one, though, you can fold an acorn in about a minute — so watch out, or every sheet of paper in the house will turn into one.

How to Fold an Easy Origami Acorn

STEP 1. Fold the sheet in half diagonally with the coloured side inwards, then unfold.

STEP 2. Turn the paper 90 degrees and repeat, folding it into a triangle and unfolding it again.

STEP 3. Fold just one corner towards the center.

STEP 4. Fold along the center line, then fold along the center line once more.

STEP 5. Turn it over and fold both corners in as shown.

STEP 6. Fold the part that sticks out.

STEP 7. Fold the tip so it tapers to a point.

STEP 8. Fold the corner in, turn it over, and the acorn is finished.

Easy enough that even a small child will be folding them in no time. Draw little faces on them and each acorn takes on a character of its own — they are irresistible.

The size and shape change with how far you fold the tip back in steps 5 to 7, so try making slim acorns and round ones and everything in between.

There is also a far more demanding version, with the cap and the nut folded as separate pieces. It is a real challenge — but if you manage to fold it, do let us know.