How-to recipes
How to cut paper snowflakes
A paper snowflake is a six-sided cut from a folded wedge of paper. Real folding, not a printed outline. Hang them on the window. Photograph the glass. About thirty minutes on a snow day that showed up on a Tuesday. Child scissors for older kids; the adult cuts for small ones.
What you need
Printer paper is enough. Coffee filters are the other usual — already round, a little softer on the glass.
- Printer paper, or coffee filters. Thin paper cuts. Card stock fights child scissors.
- Child scissors with rounded tips for kids who can stop at a line. Adult scissors for the rest.
- Tape, or twine and a hole punch (adult) if you hang them off the glass.
The steps
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01
Start with a square
Fold one corner of a letter-size sheet to the opposite edge so the short side meets the long side. Trim the leftover rectangle. You have a square. Save the strip for paper chains if you want a second make. Coffee filters: skip this step; they are already round.
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02
Fold in half, then in half again
Fold the square in half diagonally into a triangle. Fold that triangle in half again, point to point. You now have a smaller triangle with four layers. Crease firmly. Soft folds wander when you cut.
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03
Fold into thirds
This is the six-sided part. Fold the triangle into three equal wedges, as if you were dividing a pie into sixths, so you end up with six layers of paper. The two folded edges should line up as well as they can. Trim the top (the open arc) so every layer shares one curve. This fold is fiddly. The adult should do it for preschoolers. If the thirds are uneven, the snowflake will still be a snowflake — just a lopsided one.
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04
Cut, but not through the spine
The long folded edge is the spine. If you cut through it, the snowflake falls into pieces. Cut notches, triangles, and half-moons from the two open edges only. Simple cuts read better than lace. One or two shapes per edge is enough.
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05
Unfold slowly
Open one fold at a time. If a layer tears, you still have most of a flake. Press the opened snowflake under a book for a minute if it cups. Tape a tiny tear on the back if you must; it will not show on the window.
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06
Hang the window
Tape snowflakes to the glass, spaced so they do not crowd. Or the adult punches a small hole and you thread twine. Photograph the window while the light is still in it. Finish photos stay on the household studio shelf unless you share a card.
Variations
- Coffee filter snowflakes. Fold in half, then into thirds. Same spine rule. They look softer than copy paper.
- December. White on a dark window, or kraft paper for a quieter flake. Pair with a paper star garland if you still have thirty minutes.
- Fewer folds for the youngest. A four-fold (square, two diagonal halves) makes a four-point flake. Less authentic, easier scissors. You can say so at the table.
How Crafty helps
The flakes are the afternoon. Crafty — iOS; Crafty Kids in the App Store — is the next snow-day make, the list if you need more paper, and the photograph so the window is not the only record. One free project is typical in a week; free projects stay open.
More at the table
Questions
How do you fold a six-sided paper snowflake?
Square, fold in half diagonally, fold in half again, then fold into thirds so you have six layers. Trim the top to an arc. That third-fold is the one adults usually do for small kids.
Can preschoolers cut paper snowflakes?
They can choose cuts and unfold. The adult folds into six and handles scissors until the child can stop before cutting the spine. Child scissors, not kitchen shears.
Do coffee filter snowflakes work the same way?
Yes. Fold the round filter in half, then into thirds, to get six layers. They hang with a softer look than copy paper. Same rule: do not cut through the folded spine.