Paper Snowflakes Guide: Free Printable Craft Activity for Year 2

Paper Snowflakes Guide is a free printable craft activity for Year 2 (ages 6 to 7), in Key Stage 1. Fold and cut your own snowflake It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, a growing library of free printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795.

It is two A4 pages. Page 1 is the activity for children. Page 2 is for the grown-up: it has notes on how to use the sheet, help for children who find it hard, and a stretch idea. Print it at home or in the classroom. Black and white printing works well.

What is on the sheet

This craft activity includes numbered questions with space to answer.

A look at what children will meet:

• Take a square of white paper.
• Fold it in half to make a triangle.
• Fold the triangle in half again.
• Fold it once more into a thin cone.
• Cut small shapes along both sides.
• Cut off the top of the point.
• Unfold slowly and press flat.

Who this is for

Year 2 (ages 6 to 7) in Key Stage 1.

Key Stage 1 covers Years 1 and 2, ages 5 to 7. Children are building secure foundations in reading, writing and number, and short playful practice at home helps those foundations stick. Use it at home, in class, on a rainy afternoon or at a family gathering.

What children practise

• Folding
• Cutting
• Following steps

Following steps to fold and cut paper safely.

Learning focus and curriculum link

Subject: Art. Key stage: Key Stage 1. It supports the subject at this level through short, focused practice.

This sheet is a practice and play activity. It supports classroom learning and is not a replacement for it.

How to use it

1. Print both pages. Page 1 is for the child. Keep page 2 for the grown-up.
2. Ask a grown-up to help with the scissors. Use round-ended scissors for small hands.
3. Work through the activity together the first time. Talk about each choice.
4. Check against the notes on page 2.
5. Come back to it another day. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.

If it feels too hard

Fold ahead of time and just cut the shapes.

To stretch confident children

Make a bigger snowflake with a larger square.

Make it a game

Hang the snowflakes on a string for a snowy window.

Tips for parents and teachers

• Lay out everything you need before you begin.
• Let children make choices. It does not have to look like anyone else's.
• Talk about what they are making while they do it.

A screen-free art activity for Year 2

Children spend a lot of time on screens. This is a screen-free art activity that needs only paper and a pencil. It works as quiet time after school, a rainy day activity, a holiday boredom buster or a calm moment before bed. Screen-free learning gives eyes a rest and gets children talking, thinking and writing by hand.

Free art resources for teachers

Teachers can use this craft activity as a starter, a plenary, an early finisher task, a supply teacher resource, a homework task or a table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. The learning focus and skills are listed above so you can match it to your planning, and page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.

Art ideas for parents at home

You do not need to be a teacher to use this. Read the sheet through, sit with your child for the first go and let them lead. Short bursts of ten to fifteen minutes work better than long sessions. If you are looking for free art worksheets for Year 2, or simple home learning for the weekend or school holidays, this is a good place to start.

Home education and tutoring

Home educators and tutors can print this as part of a wider art plan. It pairs well with books, outdoor play and everyday talk. Because the sheet is free and printable, you can use it again for brothers and sisters or for revision a few weeks later.

Why it helps children learn

Hands-on, paper based activities slow learning down in a good way. Children read carefully, think before they answer and see their own progress on the page. Games and challenges add a reason to keep going. That mix of play and practice is why printable activities like this are popular with parents, teachers and home educators.

Curriculum links for teachers

This sheet supports the areas below. It is matched to the published England frameworks. Please check it against your own school plan.

What children will be able to do

• I can fold paper carefully.
• I can cut paper safely.
• I can follow steps in order.

Check it worked

Ask these when the sheet is finished. Listen for the reasoning, not just the answer.

1. Why do you fold the paper before cutting?
2. What happens if you cut a different shape?
3. How did you stay safe with the scissors?

More like this

• Salt Dough Decorations
• Wrapping Paper Design
• Art Gallery Walk Worksheet
• Drawing Prompt Cards

Same subject, one year up: Drawing Prompt Cards | Same subject, one year down: Squiggle Turn Into Picture

Why making a paper snowflake matters

A paper snowflake looks like a small craft job, but it asks a Year 2 child to do several things at once. They fold a square accurately. They follow steps in the right order. They cut shapes with care. Then they unfold the paper and see what a few simple cuts have made.

It is also a chance to talk about real snow. The Met Office says snow forms when tiny ice crystals in clouds stick together to become snowflakes. It also says it is a myth that the temperature needs to be below zero for snow to fall, and that precipitation falls as snow when the air temperature is below 2 °C. A paper snowflake gives you a reason to ask what real ones are like, and how they are different from the ones we cut.

What the research says children find hard

We did not find a study of children making paper snowflakes. So we have used the Ofsted research review for art and design, which covers making skills more widely. We have kept to what it says.

• Practical skills need practice. The review says pupils need opportunities to practise techniques in order to become proficient. It says teachers may choose activities that give pupils the chance to get used to a technique by automating the motor operations needed for it. Folding and cutting are techniques of exactly this kind.
• Fine motor control is a skill in its own right. The review lists fine motor control, with pencil grip as an example, among the parts of drawing. It does not name scissor use in the part we read, so we do not claim that it does. Scissor control is a similar kind of skill, and the same idea of practice applies.
• Knowing what materials can do. The review says practical knowledge lets pupils make choices based on what they know about the limits and possibilities of materials and media. For a snowflake, that means finding out how thin paper folds, how thick paper resists, and how close a cut can be to a fold before the paper falls apart.
• Regular, varied making. The review says it is important for children to engage with the arts regularly and to explore a range of materials and media.

None of this means a child who cuts a snowflake in half is doing it wrong. It is a lesson about where the folded edge is, and every maker learns it by doing.

What Year 2 children are expected to learn

The national curriculum for England, in its Key Stage 1 programme of study for art and design, says pupils should be taught:

• to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products
• to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination
• to develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space
• about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work

The purpose of study says that a high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. The snowflake sheet works on the first and third points: using paper as a material, and exploring pattern, line and shape. The curriculum is written for the whole of Key Stage 1, not just Year 2.

Why a making activity can help

Making a paper snowflake gives a child a short, finished piece of work that they can hold. The steps are clear. The result is visible. It also lets you ask questions that do not have one right answer, such as which cut made which hole.

It is fair to say what the evidence does and does not cover. The Ofsted review is a general review of art and design education. It says that regular making and practice of techniques matter. It does not tell us that paper snowflakes in particular lead to a measured gain, and we did not find a study that did. We see the sheet as a small, enjoyable way to practise folding, cutting and following steps, and as a way into a science conversation about real snow.

How to get the most out of Paper Snowflakes Guide

1. Get ready first. You need a square of thin white paper, a pencil and scissors. Our own advice: round-ended scissors suit small hands. The paper must be square, so fold a corner of an A4 sheet over to the opposite edge and cut off the strip that is left.
2. Read the steps together. The sheet says to fold the square in half, then in half again, form a thin cone, cut shapes along both sides, trim the point, then unfold and press flat.
3. Fold ahead if needed. The sheet suggests that an adult folds the paper in advance for children who find it hard. Let the child do the cutting.
4. Keep an adult nearby for the cutting. This is our practical advice, not an official rule. We follow the same habit that childcare guidance for kitchens sets out. Welsh Government guidance on food hygiene in childcare settings says that children are supervised by an adult during all cooking activities, particularly when using knives or sharp equipment. That is about the kitchen, but it is a sensible habit for scissors too.
5. Unfold slowly. Open the paper gently to avoid tearing thin bridges between cuts. Press it flat under a book.
6. Talk about it. Ask the three reasoning questions on page 2, such as why we fold the paper before we cut it.
7. Hang them up. The sheet suggests hanging the finished snowflakes on a string.

Common mistakes, and what to say

• Cutting all the way across a fold. This makes the snowflake fall into pieces. Say: "Leave a little paper at the folded edge, so the snowflake stays joined."
• Cutting too few shapes. A single small cut gives a plain snowflake. Say: "Try a different shape on each side."
• Paper that is too thick. Thick paper is hard to fold and hard to cut. Say: "Use thin paper, like printer paper."
• Thinking the paper snowflake is a copy of a real one. It is not. See questions 7 to 10.
• Getting frustrated by a rip. Say: "Every snowflake is allowed to be a bit different. Start another one."

Why teachers matter to us

We are a games company, and we have been making games for families since 1795. We do not believe a printable replaces a teacher. A teacher who knows how to show a fold, step in when a child is stuck, and praise the right thing can turn five minutes of paper into a real lesson. The evidence on this comes from other subjects, so we use it with care. A 2011 interim report for the Sutton Trust studied teacher effectiveness in the UK, and its examples were mostly about maths and reading, not art. It found that for poor pupils the difference between a good and a bad teacher is a whole year's learning.

The same report found that qualifications and experience explain less than 8% of teacher quality. It named gender, race, teaching experience, university attended, advanced degrees, certification and tenure. A University of Bristol working paper on English pupils also found considerable variability in teacher effectiveness. We do not claim these findings describe art lessons. We use them to say that good teaching is a craft that is worth thanking. These sheets are free for classroom use as a starter, a Friday afternoon activity or a cover lesson.

A caution on the Sutton Trust figures: the report draws on US studies as well as English ones. The figure that paper credentials explain less than 8% of teacher quality comes from US research. We use them as pointers, not as a promise about any one child.

Why education matters to us

A school is the place where a child first finds out what they enjoy and what they are good at. The national curriculum says that art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. We agree, and we think a child who has made something with their hands has already learned something worth knowing. Jaques of London has made games and toys for families since 1795, and the Mini Minds Hub carries on that tradition: free, screen-free, and made so that a parent at a kitchen table can help as well as a teacher in a classroom.

Paper Snowflakes Guide: 20 questions and answers

1. How does real snow form?

The Met Office says snow forms when tiny ice crystals in clouds stick together to become snowflakes. If enough crystals stick together, they are heavy enough to fall.

2. What does a snowflake begin with?

NOAA says a snowflake begins to form when an extremely cold water droplet freezes onto a pollen or dust particle in the sky. Water vapour then freezes onto that first crystal and builds its arms.

3. Does the air have to be below freezing for snow to fall?

No. The Met Office says it is a myth that it needs to be below zero to snow, and that precipitation falls as snow when the air temperature is below 2 °C.

4. Why are some snowflakes big and some small?

The Met Office says the size of a snowflake depends on how many ice crystals group together. Flakes that fall through dry, cool air are small and powdery. Near 0 °C they melt a little at the edges, stick together and form big flakes.

5. Why do real snowflakes have six sides?

NOAA says that water molecules arrange themselves in set positions as they crystallise, which produces a six-sided shape. The California Institute of Technology snow crystal pages say that the six-fold symmetry of a snow crystal ultimately derives from the hexagonal geometry of the ice crystal lattice.

6. How many arms does a real snow crystal have?

The Caltech pages say that arms sprout from the corners of a prism, and six corners means six arms. Some crystals look different, because the most common type is irregular.

7. Are real snowflakes all perfect and symmetrical?

No. The Caltech pages say that the vast majority of snow crystals are not very symmetrical. The perfect stars in pictures are the exception.

8. Is it true that no two snowflakes are the same?

The sources we read say that crystals follow slightly different paths through the clouds, so individual crystals all tend to look different.

9. What decides the shape of a snow crystal?

NOAA says the temperature at which a crystal forms mainly determines its basic shape, with humidity playing a smaller role. The detailed shape depends on the conditions the crystal meets as it falls.

10. Will my paper snowflake have six arms?

Probably not. Real crystals have six arms. The sheet folds a square in half and then in half again before forming a cone. Count the points on your finished snowflake and see. This is our own observation, not a research finding. If the count is not six, that is a good thing to talk about: your paper snowflake is a snowflake-style design, not a copy.

11. Why do we fold the paper before cutting?

Each cut goes through every layer, so one snip makes a hole in several places at once. The pattern repeats around the centre. Ask your child to predict how many holes one cut will make, then check by unfolding.

12. What does symmetry mean?

In this activity, it means the pattern looks the same when you turn the snowflake. The folded paper makes a repeating pattern. This is a plain-English definition for children, not a quotation.

13. What kind of paper is best?

Thin, white and square. Thick card is hard to fold into a cone and hard to cut. Printer paper works well.

14. How do I make a square from A4?

Fold one corner over so a short edge lies along a long edge to make a triangle. Cut off the strip that is left. Open the triangle to reveal a square.

15. What shapes should we cut?

Try triangles, half circles and thin strips. Cut shapes along both sides of the cone, as the sheet says, and leave some paper at each fold.

16. Why does my snowflake fall apart?

A cut has gone through every fold at one spot. Next time, stop before the cut reaches the fold. Ofsted's art review says pupils need to practise techniques to become proficient, so practise and have another go.

17. Is it safe for a Year 2 child to use scissors?

Our own advice: use round-ended scissors and keep an adult nearby. You know your child best, so judge whether they are ready. Welsh Government childcare guidance says that children should be supervised by an adult during cooking activities, particularly when using sharp equipment, and we follow the same habit for craft scissors.

18. What if my child finds folding hard?

Fold the paper ahead, as the sheet suggests. Let the child do the cutting and the unfolding. The sheet also says to try again another day.

19. How can I make it harder?

Use a larger square, as the sheet suggests, or ask your child to draw the cuts in pencil before they cut. They can predict what the unfolded pattern will look like.

20. Where can I find more Year 2 art sheets?

See the More like this section below, or browse all Year 2 printables in the Mini Minds Hub.

Sources

1. Met Office, Snow: metoffice.gov.uk.
2. NOAA, How do snowflakes form? Get the science behind snow: noaa.gov.
3. Libbrecht, California Institute of Technology, Frequently Asked Questions about Snow Crystals: caltech.edu.
4. Ofsted, Research review series: art and design (2023): gov.uk.
5. Department for Education, National curriculum in England: art and design programmes of study: gov.uk.
6. Welsh Government, Best practice guidance: food and nutrition for childcare settings, Section 6, Food hygiene and safety (2024): gov.wales. Written for childcare settings in Wales.
7. Sutton Trust, Improving the impact of teachers on pupil achievement in the UK, interim findings (2011): dera.ioe.ac.uk.
8. Slater, Davies and Burgess, University of Bristol CMPO Working Paper 09/212 (2009): bristol.ac.uk.

Frequently asked questions

What age is Paper Snowflakes Guide for?

It is written for Year 2 (ages 6 to 7), in Key Stage 1.

What will children practise?

Following steps to fold and cut paper safely.

How do I use it?

Ask a grown-up to help with the scissors. Use round-ended scissors for small hands.

What if it feels too hard?

Fold ahead of time and just cut the shapes.

Is it free?

Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use.

Is Paper Snowflakes Guide suitable for teachers to use in class?

Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing.

Is this a screen-free activity?

Yes. It is a screen-free printable that needs only paper and a pencil, so it works well for quiet time, rainy days and school holidays.

Can I use it for home education?

Yes. Home educators and tutors can use it on its own or as part of a wider plan. It is free to print again for brothers, sisters or revision.

How long does it take?

Most children finish page 1 in 10 to 20 minutes. The notes on page 2 suggest ways to make it shorter or longer.

Do I need to print in colour?

No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper.

More free printables

More Christmas printables | More for Key Stage 1 | More art printables | Free printable games | All Mini Minds Hub resources