Here in Akron, we're in the middle of our first big snow. It can be easy, as a grown up, to sigh at the thought of shoveling or the sudden realization that you forgot to properly winterize your spigots... again. But this morning, my kids woke up and stood in awe at the window. My three year old began listing all the things she would do outside and my two year old starting talking about her new purple mittens. It took some convincing to get them to eat breakfast before bundling up.
But you can't play in the snow all day. As much as they insist (through chattering teeth) that they aren't cold, eventually, the chill chases us all back inside. When that happens, we like to keep the snow magic alive by cutting paper snowflakes. Alternatively, if you live in a place that doesn't have any snow or doesn't have much yet, paper snowflakes offer a nice, dry, room temperature alternative to the real stuff.
Paper snowflakes are also a great way to practice those fine motor skills preschoolers are working so hard on! Making precise folds and controlling a pair of scissors are very tricky skills. If your children don't have much practice with scissors or if they struggle to cut through the many layers of paper, I suggest using tissue paper or round coffee filters instead. As a bonus, these materials make beautiful translucent snowflakes that let a little light through when you tape them to your window.
If you've never made paper snowflakes, or haven't made them in a long time, the first thing you need to remember is that snowflakes have six-fold symmetry. If you want to make an accurate snowflake, the first thing to do is fold your paper so it has the same lines of symmetry as a snowflake. Follow the diagrams below to get an idea of how this is done. You can start with any shape of paper: square, circle, rectangle. Just make sure you keep track of where the center is and keep that as the point of your final triangle.
Once you have your paper folded, it's just a matter of cutting out whatever shapes you think will look nice. Notches along the side can look like a pine tree and I think we all remember how to cut a half heart along a fold. If you are looking for something a little more intricate, though, I've included some templates below for Roc and Flint themed snowflakes.
A couple of them can be very fiddly, so you may want to try a few freehand ones first. Once you feel confident, though, print out the page below. The images can be scaled up or down as you please because no matter what size your snowflake is, the angle of your final triangle will always be the same (geometry is amazing, right!?).
Anyway, cut out the templates, making sure to remember their orientation. Then, trace onto your folded triangle, carefully cut, unfold, and voila! I hope you have as much fun making these as I did. As always, I'd love to see your work, so feel free to email me photos at beth@rocandflint.com or upload to social media with the hashtag #rocandflint
#freeprintables #preschoolactivities #paperfolding #papersnowflakes #foldandcuttemplates #activitiesforchildren #winteractivities #childrensbooks
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