Making paper snowflakes is much easier for young kids when you use snowflake cutting templates or patterns. Your kids will have a blast …plus it's a perfect way to work on scissor skills.

DIY Paper Snowflakes for Young Kids

I love making paper snowflakes with kids during the winter.

When young kids try to cut snowflakes, however, they often struggle to cut them correctly. There is a solution that helps kids in preschool and kindergarten learn to cut out snowflakes.

Cutting paper snowflakes can be a great way to help children practice cutting with scissors.  Many young children, however, become frustrated when they try to make their first snowflakes.  They are so excited to open them up, only to see them fall apart in their hand because they cut in the wrong places.

When you use snowflake cutting templates or snowflake patterns, you can help ensure that young kids experience success with their snowflake creations. The templates also provide a great way to motivate kids to practice scissor skills.

making paper snowflakes with easy patterns for kids

Why Kids Have a Hard Time Cutting Snowflakes From Paper

Do you remember making snowflakes when you were a kid?  I loved making them…and I made LOTS of them!

It took me a while to master the art of snowflake cutting when. In fact, most kids struggle at first. Folding the paper properly can cause some confusion. Kids also often fail to understand how to cut on and around the folded paper.

Complex patterns and thick folds are also difficult for kids who need more practice with cutting with scissors.

The easy way to make paper snowflakes with cutting patterns

Help Kids Learn How to Cut Snowflakes

I have two tips to help kids learn to cut out paper snowflakes.

  1. Simple is Better: Fold the paper in a simple way. Young kids can make beautiful snowflakes with a piece of paper folded into fourths.
  2. Use a Template or Pattern: Show kids where to cut the paper by using a simple snowflake cutting template. You can print them or create your own.

How to Use a Snowflake Cutting Template

You can help kids experience success while creating snowflakes by providing them with a snowflake cutting template or pattern.

simple patterns to teach kids how to make paper snowflakes

This method of cutting simple snowflakes is also a great way to motivate kids to practice their scissor skills.  The picture above shows a printable template, but you can make your own too.

To create a snowflake pattern,  fold a sheet of paper into fourths and draw a simple snowflake design on one of the sections. Simple is the keyword here.

Unfold your design and photocopy it, you can make a whole bundle of templates.  Use color or patterned paper to create more interest.

practice scissors skills by making paper snowflakes

Create a Snowflake Cutting Center

You can create a snowflake cutting center by placing a bunch of templates in a caddy along with some scissors. TADA…. you suddenly have an extremely motivating winter fine motor activity.

You can also ask kids to help you fold the paper in fourths….this is a great fine motor activity too.

Once they understand how to make a paper snowflake with a cutting template, they might be able to soon make their own design.

Teachers tell me over and over again that their kids LOVE using snowflake templates. They find that it's a very motivating arts and crafts project and kids often use the templates to FILL their classrooms with snowflakes.

"I usually just use a blank sheet of paper or a coffee filter to make snowflakes in class. Yet, this resource was PERFECT and so much easier for my students. They were so excited with the end results!"

Check out this paper snowflake tutorial. The video will show you how to use the snowflake patterns.

Get Creative with Paper Snowflakes

Your fine motor activity can become an open-ended creative project.  Some of you might argue that using templates will not provide an opportunity for creative expression.  No problem!  Add some pencils and hole punches to the center so that children can customize their templates.

You can add crayons, stickers, crayons, background paper, and glitter too.  Check out this article about making snowflakes and taking them to the next level (making them all fancy).  This is also a perfect snow day project for kiddos at home.  Parents have told me over and over again that kids LOVE making beautiful snowflakes with templates.

Purchase the Snowflake Cutting Templates

To get my printable snowflake templates, visit my store.

snowflake cutting patterns