How to Make Paper Snowflakes with Kids

Making paper snowflakes has become a winter craft and a Christmas craft tradition in our house. It has become one of our very favourite winter crafts to make. In fact, my girls asked just the other day, "When are we going to make snowflakes?" Making paper snowflakes is strangely addictive - I guarantee once you learn how to make paper snowflakes, your house will look like a snowstorm hit.

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Whether it snows where you live or not, you can experience a winter snowstorm at your house. We like to make our snowflakes from a couple of different types of paper. We used the pages of old magazines and another favourite is using colourful origami paper. I find it amazing how the magazine pages are completely transformed into beautiful snowy flakes.

The origami paper is a lovely choice because it has colour on both sides of the paper and it is already square and is easily foldable...making paper snowflakes is origami after all. Let your kids pick out the style of origami paper you use. Will it have patterns or be a solid colour? Honestly, using origami paper is a little easier - because it eliminates the need to create a square of paper and it is so easy to fold. But, if you don't have any on hand then magazine pages totally work.

How to Make Paper Snowflakes Step-by-Step

pages from old magazines
origami paper
cereal box
ruler
pencil
kid scissors

What kind of paper can be used to make paper snowflakes?

If you don't happen to have any origami paper on hand, then working with old magazines is perfect. You can also use regular printer paper, again you would need to cut it down to the right size using the following steps. Really, any thin paper would work. It's best to work with thin paper because it will be easy to fold and cut. You just have to modify the pages. The first step is to draw an 8″ square on a cereal box. Cut out the square…this will be the template for the magazine paper snowflakes.

square cut from cereal box to use as template for snowflake squares

Next, tear brightly colourful pages from old magazines. Let the kids rip out whichever pages they like. The thinner the pages the easier they will be to fold. Have the kids trace the 8" square on the paper and cut out the square from a magazine page.

brightly colored pages from magazines in a pile on a table

How to fold a paper snowflake

pile of purpe and yellow origami paper for folded paper snowflakes

Step 1:

Okay, you now have either an 8" square magazine page or a square of origami paper. It's time to make the snowflake. Start by folding the square in half, corner to corner, creating a large triangle.

origami paper folded in half for paper snowflake, with woman's hand

Step 2:

Now, fold the paper in half again, corner to corner, thus creating a smaller triangle.

origami paper folded in half again for paper snowflake, being pressed by woman's fingers

origami paper snowflake folded in thirds with fingers pressing on the fold

Step 3:

Now, fold the triangle into a third. Bring the sides of the triangle into the middle...one side at a time. The sides will fold over each other.

how to fold a paper snowflake paper in thirds with fingers pressing the folds

Step 4:

This may take a couple of tries…the folded sides need to all meet and create a tightly folded, long and narrow triangle.

folded paper snowflake with trimmed off tails of paper and a pair of scissors and hand holding the folded paper

Step 5:

Once you have the sides folded in, you can trim the excess ends from the top…the “tail” pieces.

You now have the base for making any kind of snowflake you like. The creating begins…cut pieces away from the triangle, however you like…it’s time to experiment.

paper snowflakes cut out design with scissors

When all the cutting is done, open the folds and look at the beautiful, a one of a kind snowflake you have made.

Here is my young daughter cutting and opening her own paper snowflake. She made her paper snowflakes from magazine pages.

kid cutting out paper snowflake sitting at table

You could not beat the excited expression on her face when she opened up the folded paper and discovered the beautiful snowflake she had created.

kid opening paper snowflake with an excited face

There's her first of many, many snowflakes. We made a flurry of snowflakes on that day and it started a lifelong love of cutting snowflakes from paper.

child's paper snowflake displayed on table

It truly is incredible to see what a little folding and cutting can create. As my daughters have gotten older and more experienced, they have created some beautiful flakes. Admittedly, sometimes the flakes fall apart...if they are cut too much...but this is all part of trial and error and learning.

Now, what to do with all those paper snowflakes? Hang them from the ceiling, use them as decoration on Christmas gifts or hang them on the walls with removable painter's tape. We will be filling our front window with snowflakes, so our neighbours can enjoy our flurry of flakes. It is easy to vary the size of the initial square and make big and small flakes too.

Have you ever made paper snowflakes?

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