Learn how to make your own coffee filter snowflakes in this step by step tutorial. Making your own snowflakes using coffee filters is a fun activity for adults and kids of all ages!
Ready to create your own winter wonderland? Making my own snowflakes brings me right back to my childhood.
Not only is this winter craft fun, but it is super easy. A fun way for little ones to practice folding, cutting, and lines of symmetry!
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Exploring winter? Make sure to check out this winter word search and these snowflake coloring pages!
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Age Range
- Preschool
- Kindergarten
- Elementary
- and Up!
These paper snowflakes made out of coffee filters are a great activity for young kids. They do require your child to use scissors, I love these blunt tip kid scissors, so keep that in mind. Of course, always supervise children when they are using scissors.
This activity is even fun for older kids and adults! Making your own snowflakes is a fun screen free activity to do as a family.
Skills to Practice
- Creativity
- Fractions
- Fine Motor Skills
- Folding
- Lines of Symmetry
- Geometric Shapes
- Scissor Skills
This hands-on activity is a great way for little ones to practice a wide range of skills. From flattening and folding to practicing cutting using scissors. Your child can practice a huge range of skills while having fun.
Why You will Love this DIY
Children can practice fine motor skills, math, and of course art. Each snowflake you create will be unique just like real snowflakes!
Skills including folding and cutting are a lot of work for young children. As an adult sometimes we forget how much skill is required to fold a paper a specific way and cut out a detailed design.
Make sure to offer help if they need it and take a break if your child is becoming frustrated.
Materials
- Circular White Coffee Filters
- Blunt Tip Kid Scissors- these are my favorite
- Clear Tape - to hang them up
- Optional: A tray, watercolor paint, and paint brush
I'm going to show you the basic way that I make snowflakes using coffee filters. Then how to make them colorful using watercolor paint. You only need a few more supplies if you decide to paint the snowflakes!
If you want to contain the mess, you can even have your child cut their snowflakes over a tray. I just have a vacuum or dust pan and broom on hand to pick up the mess once the activity is done.
Directions
Start by using your hands to flatten out one coffee filter. You want to smooth out all of the ruffles in the paper filter.
Then fold the filter in half and press down on the fold with your hands. Smooth out the filter after you fold it.
Next, fold the filter again. This will divided the coffee filter into fourths. Use your hands to press down the fold and smooth out the filter.
One last fold, using your hand fold the coffee filter one more time. This makes the filter easy for kids to cut without it being too thick. Note: You can fold it one more time after this BUT it will make it thick and harder to cut.
Now, using your scissors, cut designs into the sides and top of the folded coffee filter. You can cut out triangles, half circles, long rectangles, half hearts, etc.
If you cut off the pointed tip that is okay, you will just have a hole in the middle.
Keep cutting out different designs until you are happy with the number of cuts.
Once you are done cutting, slowly unfold the coffee filter. It is so much fun to see the different designs! Kids LOVE this part.
It is a great time to talk about symmetry and geometric shapes.
Use clear tape to hang up the snowflakes in a window. Sticking the snowflakes to the window is a great way for your child to practice using tape.
Make Mini Snowflakes
You can make mini snowflakes by cutting down the coffee filter once you fold it. Simply use your scissors to cut the arch off the top. Then use the same process above to cut designs into the paper.
Painting the Snowflakes
First, place your snowflakes on your tray. Then apply watercolor paint to the paper. It's fun to see how the colors mix and blend.
I used different shades of blue, but you can use any color! Once you are done painting, leave the snowflakes on the tray to dry. You can try to move them, BUT the paper might rip.
Once dry, remove the colorful snowflakes from the tray. You can hang them up in the window using tape for a colorful snowflake display!
Additional Activities
Check out these additional winter themed activities. Great for kids in preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school!
- Build a Snowman Craft with Free Template
- Snowflake Coloring Pages
- Snowflake Symmetry Worksheets
- Winter BINGO Game
Coffee Filter Snowflakes
Learn how to make your own snowflakes out of coffee filters in this step by step tutorial! An easy art activity to try this winter.
Materials
- White Coffee Filters
- Clear Tape
- Optional: Tray
- Optional: Watercolor Paint
Tools
- Scissors
- Optional: Paint Brush
Instructions
- Using your hands, sooth out a coffee filter to flatten the ruffles.
- Fold the filter in half to make a semi circle. Press the folded seam down while smoothing out the paper.
- Fold the coffee filter again by folding over one side of the semi circle onto the other side. Press on the paper to smooth it down. This divides the circle into fourths.
- Make another fold by folding one half over to the other half. This creates a thin triangle shape. Press and smooth out the coffee filter. Your circle is now folded into eighths.
- Using scissors, cut designs into the folded coffee filter. You can cut out triangles, half circles, half hearts, rectangles, etc.
- Slowly unfold the coffee filter until it is completely unfolded.
- Hand up the finished snowflake using tape or paint them using the next few steps.
- Place your filters on a tray.
- Using a paint brush, apply watercolor paint onto the coffee filter.
- Keep the snowflakes on the tray until dry.
- Once dry, hang up in a window using tape.
Notes
Adult supervision is required for ALL parts of this activity.
If doing this craft with young kids, I recommend using blunt tip kid scissors.
You can make mini snowflakes by cutting down the coffee filter once you fold it. Simply use your scissors to cut the arch off the top. Then use the same process above to cut designs into the paper.
If you decide to paint the snowflakes, wet coffee filters are hard to pick up and move off the tray. Plan ahead how many trays you will need before starting to paint.
Get creative a try cutting out a variety of shapes into the coffee filters. Kids love exploring geometric shapes and symmetry!
Laurie
These are so stunning and this craft is perfect for all of my children!! I can’t wait to have these in the windows and all around our home
Julie
Thank you Laurie! I hope you make them with your kids, they are super fun and look great in a window.