Easy Printable Paper Snowflake Template (Free Patterns!)
These cute free printable paper snowflake templates are perfect for helping kids (and adults, too!) create beautiful paper snowflakes. If you’ve ever tried to make paper snowflakes on your own and failed, these easy paper snowflake pattern templates will help you succeed every time!
Aren’t snowflakes beautiful?
Maybe it’s because I grew up in the South and never saw much snow as a kid. But now, even though I live in Colorado now, I’m still in awe of the snow.
If you love snow too, check out our Sparkling Snowflake DIY Soap and Snowflake Apple Cinnamon Dough Ornaments. They both make great home decor or DIY gift ideas!
Now, let’s add some paper snowflakes as a new snowflake craft! Just as each perfect snowflake is unique and beautiful, my own designs each create a finished snowflake you’ll be thrilled to display!
Paper snowflakes are a fun way for little kids to work on fine motor skills as they cut out the intricate designs, but they aren’t as easy to create from scratch as some people would have you believe.
I used to have a friend who could make the most intricate and beautiful snowflakes on the fly. Time after time, I would watch her in fascination and try to imitate what she did.
I would fold the paper, make the cuts, and imagine the amazing designs that I was about to unfold.
And I failed every time!
The concept isn’t hard, but it took me a very long time to learn how to fold the paper correctly and cut in the right area so that I didn’t end up with 3 or 4 parts of a snowflake rather than the entire thing.
I finally figured it out and love making paper snowflakes for the winter!
Here are the different snowflake shapes you’ll be able to create with these free snowflake templates! 👇👇 (Please note these free printables are for non-commercial use only. Please enjoy them but don’t distribute or sell them).
Free Printable Snowflake Templates Make Paper Snowflakes Easy
Once my kids began cutting, I tried to teach them too, but they had the same problem I did.
So, I had this idea to create an easy paper snowflake pattern template – and it worked!
Now, I’m sharing them with you as free printable templates so that you can quickly and easily create beautiful snowflakes with just a simple piece of white paper and a pair of scissors!
Making paper snowflakes is the perfect winter activity, and you can display each awesome snowflake in your classroom or your home. They’re an affordable and easy way to add some fun winter cheer to any space!
I don’t know about you, but I never get tired of looking at them!
How To Make Paper Snowflakes
I have 14 FREE easy printable snowflake templates to share with you so you can make your own snowflakes. They’re simple to use so you can make a bunch of different snowflake designs, from a simple snowflake to more intricate snowflakes.
Then hang them in your windows, on the fridge, from the ceiling – anywhere for a beautiful winter wonderland of your own creation!
NOTE: Younger kids may need a little help from you, but older kids should be able to do this activity independently!
Supplies Needed
Here’s all you’ll need to create your own unique paper snowflakes:
- 14 free paper snowflake templates (download in PDF format and print them out)
- White printer paper
- Sharp scissors
Paper Snowflake Template Instructions
This is a very easy craft once you get the hang of it because the printable patterns take the guesswork out of the process. However, if you find yourself getting confused by the process as I did, just follow these step-by-step instructions for beautiful paper snowflakes.
Step 1
Grab your blank snowflake template (with the shape of the snowflake you want to make)
Fold a square piece of paper in half diagonally to make a large triangle.
Tip: If you need help turning a simple sheet of paper (letter size paper) into a square, check out this tutorial from WikiHow!
Step 2
Following the instructions on your paper snowflake template, fold the triangle in half again to make a smaller triangle.
Step 3
Fold this smaller triangle into thirds. Start by bringing the right point towards the left by one-third.
Step 4
Then bring the left point towards the right by one-third. Using the templates below makes it easy.
But if you’re doing it freehand, you might have to adjust the folds to make sure the edges line up evenly.
Step 5
Cut off the pointed ends so you’re left with a small triangle.
Step 6
Cut on the dotted lines of the template to create your snowflake pattern.
Step 7
Unfold your snowflake carefully and use your fingers to flatten it out. If you want the snowflake to be really flat, you can use an iron on very low heat and iron it flat.
Tips for using your paper snowflake patterns successfully
- Just make sure that the printed lines stay on the outside as you fold your paper snowflake template. Don’t fold towards the lines, otherwise you won’t be able to see them when it comes time to cut out the pattern.
- Make your paper square. If you’re using a standard piece of letter-sized printer paper, take the top right corner of the paper and bring it down and over to the left edge. Cut the rectangular strip off right at the edge of the paper that was folded over. You’ll be left with a triangle that unfolds into a perfect square!
- If you cut off the pointy tip, you’ll have a snowflake with a hole in the middle.
- You can make your own snowflake design(s) by folding your small triangle and cutting out angles, triangles, curves, diamonds, and even half hearts.
I hope these free printable paper snowflake templates add some fun and creativity to a cold day!
Extend This Paper Snowflake Template Activity
Whenever possible, I like to add reading to an activity – or at least read about a related topic later to tie things together, help kids learn more, and encourage a love of reading!
Do you want to pair this fun activity with a book or two? Here are a few great books about snowflakes that you can read with your kiddos!
- Curious About Snow by Gina Shaw
- Snow by Uri Shulevitz
- The Magic of Friendship Snow by Andi Cann
- How to Catch a Snowman by Adam Wallace
- There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow! by Lucille Colandro
- Snow by Cynthia Rylant
- The Snowflake by Benji Davies
More Winter Activities For Kids
If you love these paper snowflake pattern pages and want even more printable activities to help your kiddos beat winter boredom, check out our Cure Cabin Fever Activity Pack!
In this large pack, you’ll find:
- Games & Puzzles
- Creative Writing Prompts
- Math Word Problems
- Journaling Prompts
- Logic Problems
- Color By Numbers
Paper Snowflake Template FAQs
You can use printer paper, newsprint, or construction paper to make paper snowflakes. Don’t use thick cardstock paper because it will be hard to fold and nearly impossible to cut out.
I prefer using plain old letter (8.5″ x 11″) printer paper (you can get it in different colors if you want variety)!
If you find it tough to cut through printer paper, try using parchment paper or tissue paper, which are much thinner than regular paper, making cutting it easier.
You can use any scissors you like as long as they’re solid and pretty sharp. You need sharp scissors so that they cut the patterns cleanly.
Children’s scissors won’t be strong enough to cut through all the layers of paper, so you will likely need to help young children with the cutting part – then let them unwrap the surprise snowflake!
More winter fun
In addition to these easy paper snowflake template printables, try these other great indoor activities to cure winter boredom:
- Rainbow Water Walking Experiment
- Homemade Non-Toxic Playdough
- DIY Slime
- Easy Calming Sea Life Sensory Bottles DIY For Kids
- Nutella Edible Playdough
- DIY Rainbow Spaghetti For Sensory Fun
- Simple Under The Sea Ocean Sensory Bin For Kids
- Easy Cloud Dough Recipe: Fluffy Fun for Sensory Seekers
Pin For Later!
Making Paper Snowflake Patterns Using Templates
If you’ve ever tried to make paper snowflakes on your own and failed, these easy paper snowflake pattern templates will help you succeed every time!
Ingredients
- Printer paper
- Free Paper Snowflake Templates
- Scissors
Instructions
- Fold a square piece of paper in half diagonally to make a triangle.
- Fold the triangle in half again to make a smaller triangle.
- Fold this smaller triangle into thirds. Start by bringing the right point towards the left by one-third.
- Then bring the left point towards the right by one-third. Using the templates below makes it easy. But if you’re doing it freehand, you might have to adjust the folds to make sure the edges line up evenly.
- Cut off the pointed ends so you’re left with a small triangle.
- Cut on the dotted lines of the template to create your snowflake pattern.
- Unfold your snowflake carefully and use your fingers to flatten it out. If you want the snowflake to be really flat, you can use an iron on very low heat and iron it flat.
