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How to Make Paper Snowflakes

Photo Credit
Pixabay

Step-by-Step Paper Snowflakes for Holiday Decorating

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Turn your home into a winter wonderland with paper snowflakes! On a cold day, this is a fun activity to do inside. And when there are few flowers to brighten winter months, why not decorate with whimsical snowflakes? No two are alike!

No matter what the weather looks like outside, it can be winter where you are. Use these easy paper snowflakes to decorate your home. 

How to Make Paper Snowflakes

What You’ll Need:

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  • White paper
  • Scissors
  • Tape
  • String

First, you’ll need to cut your paper into a square: Take one corner of the paper and fold it diagonally so that it touches the opposite edge of the paper. Cut off the unfolded part of the paper so that you have just the folded square remaining. If you are cutting standard 8 1/2 x 11-inch paper to make it square, save the ends; you can make baby snowflakes with them or use the paper for notes. 

Now that you have a perfect square, follow the instructions below to make a snowflake—and remember: no two snowflakes are exactly alike, so get creative!

Making the Snowflakes:

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how-to-make-snowflake-out-of-paperhow-to-cut-a-snowflake

how-to-make-a-snowflake

paper-snowflake-patternsa paper snowflake

While you’re making your snowflakes, learn more about the history of photographing snowflakes! And while you’re in a holiday crafting mood, find out how to make a cranberry wreath or a nut wreath.

Also, try to make all your snowflakes as realistic as possible—make sure they’re perfectly unique! Find out why no two snowflakes are the same.

Seasonal Crafts
About The Author
Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the website companion of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She covers gardening, plants, pest control, soil composition, seasonal and moon c...
Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Olivia</span> Wed, 12/22/2021 - 17:20
Hi! I loved this project and i tried to cut it exactly like you did and it looked nothing like what was shown. i really like how mine turned out, but it just doesnt look like yours at all. why is that? BYE
<span>Edc</span> Tue, 11/26/2019 - 13:01
I'm always glad to see proper hexagonal paper snowflakes. Ice is a hexagonal mineral (or trigonal, depending on whom you ask), so crystals need to have six points (sometimes 3 or 12 or 18), but not four! Insisting on this detail can make cutting paper snowflakes a learning experience. (There is also a cubic version of ice that forms at extremely low temperatures that don't often occur on the Earth's surface, and eight more versions with different symmetries that form under laboratory conditions, but we won't go there.) Also: Try to avoid the temptation to snip off the sharp point of the folded paper--that leaves a hole in the center of the crystal. Snow crystals begin as ice forms on a tiny particle (dust, smoke, etc.) at the center and grow outward from there; they couldn't form at all without a center to start from. Definitely check out Wilson Bentley's pioneering work on photographing snow crystals in the link above, along with more modern work by Kenneth Libbrecht at Cal Tech and others--search online for "snow crystal photography" since direct links aren't allowed here.
<span>Joseph Eddy</span> Tue, 10/14/2014 - 14:44
so free-ken cool and i love this i'm a teacher it rely helps i'm decorating my halls now 8th grade
<span>Charles Mosteller</span> Sun, 10/05/2014 - 04:14
I came across this, recently, which may be useful for making paper snowflakes. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/toyrocketstudios/sno-designer-paper-snowflakes
<span>Smile</span> Fri, 12/27/2013 - 12:48
do you guys make videos for this like for beginners?
<span>Aaliyah</span> Tue, 12/24/2013 - 14:58
I LOVE MAKING SNOWFLAKES
<span>Barbara Hardwicke</span> Mon, 12/10/2018 - 11:44
The actual snowflake design that is depicted in the illustration turns out nothing like that which is supposed to be the finished article on the demonstration so why bother.
<span>Amanda</span> Fri, 12/15/2017 - 08:29
Me too!! I just made a bunch with my little girls. I'll have to try this way of folding the paper though; I don't think what I was doing is as good.
<span>Year Four</span> Wed, 12/18/2013 - 05:18
Really easy to understand, clear, simple,instructional text makes great snowflakes. Good labelled images match text
<span>Julianne</span> Wed, 11/20/2013 - 10:23
I love this page I am going to use it more often!!!!!!!!!!