I used to love cutting out paper snowflakes as a kid and I hope that (someday) my kids will too! It's such a classic winter craft and activity. But sometimes paper snowflakes are a bit...well, boring and plain looking.
Well, that's not the case with these rainbow snowflake suncatchers. They're bright and colorful, adding a welcome blast of color to the months of snow we enjoy here in the Canadian prairies.
Please note that these snowflake suncatchers are best suited to older children. The material used requires quite a bit of hand strength to cut through.
However, younger kids will certainly love helping you design and cut out some colorful snowflakes to hang in the window I'm sure. Or you can always try one of the alternative suggestions and materials below.
A version of this post originally appeared on the CBC Parents website.
Rainbow Snowflake Suncatchers: What You'll Need
While these suncatchers are a twist on the classic paper snowflake, no paper is used. Instead, you'll need the following to make your own pretty rainbow snowflake suncatchers:
- Colored transparencies - We used colored index dividers from Dollarama. You can swap these for tissue paper or kite paper instead to adapt it for younger kids, but obviously, they'll rip pretty easy.
- Scissors - For cutting, obviously.
- Paper trimmer - To make the transparencies square.
Decorate Your Windows with these Rainbow Snowflake Suncatchers
These beautiful and colorful snowflake suncatchers are the perfect way to add a punch of color during the dreary white months of winter. They're a nice variation on paper snowflakes and are great for working on fine motor skills.
Plus, they look so beautiful displayed on windows. You could also try stringing a bunch of these snowflakes together to create a mobile or winter garland/bunting. That would look lovely as well.
Heads up, the material we used (colored transparencies) for these snowflake suncatchers is thick so it can be tough to cut through. You also can't fold it more than a couple of times. However, it's also incredibly durable. They won't rip easy like paper would so these suncatchers will last for years!
Adapting the Rainbow Snowflake Craft for Younger Kids
Now, if you have a younger child who you'd like to try this craft with, I suggest swapping the colored transparencies for something thinner. Something like tissue paper or kite paper would be a perfect alternative. These materials would still let some light through and give you the same desired effect we're looking for in a suncatcher craft. But they'd be easier for a younger child to cut through.
But, having said that, these types of material would be more prone to ripping or tearing. So your rainbow snowflakes would be much more delicate if you used these materials. And you might not be able to make your suncatchers last for more than a year because they'll be trickier to store. Although I guess you could laminate them, depending on the size.
Maybe you're wondering if you could just use construction paper to make these rainbow snowflakes. I guess, but it wouldn't be transparent like these ones are and thus couldn't be considered a suncatcher. Remember, we're making snowflake suncatchers here, not just snowflakes.
How to Make the Rainbow Snowflake Suncatcher Craft
First, you'll need to use the paper trimmer to make the colored transparencies square shaped. Our squares were 7" x 7".
Next, fold the transparencies as many times as you can, just like you would while making a paper snowflake. Then it's time to cut! Keep in mind that transparencies are thicker than paper and slip easier than paper so your kids will have to hold onto their folded transparencies as tight as they can while cutting. Encourage your kids to experiment with a variety of shapes and sizes of cuts.
Depending on the age and abilities of your kids, you might need to help them hold the folded transparencies so that the snowflakes don't unfold while they cut.
Once you're done cutting, start unfolding the colorful snowflakes. The kids will love this part is it's fun to see what the final design of the snowflake will look like.
Repeat as many times as your kids want or in as many colors as your kids want. We went for an entire rainbow of snowflakes. They're certainly a nice change from the typical white paper snowflakes, aren't they?
Be sure to hang up these rainbow snowflake suncatchers in the windows to enjoy all winter long!
