Paper Snowflake Templates — Fold & Cut Patterns (6-Point)

Six points, not eight — and why the wedge is 30°

Real snow crystals grow on a hexagonal ice lattice, so every snowflake in nature has six arms. The quick classroom method (fold a square in half twice, then diagonally) produces an eight-point flake, which looks wrong the moment you hang it next to a real one. This page gives you the 6-point wedge: fold the square diagonally, fold that triangle in half so the right angle sits at the square's centre, then fold the 90° into thirds. You are left with a 30° wedge of 12 layers — exactly the tall triangle printed here. Cut the shaded regions through every layer, unfold, and the cuts repeat with rotational symmetry of order 6plus mirror symmetry across each fold, which is what the "unfolded result" preview computes from the selected pattern.

Folding into thirds is the hard step, because there is no edge to line up against — you have to eyeball two 30° sectors. Step 4 of the printed diagram shows the two dashed lines to aim for; a trick that works for kids is to fold the left third over first, then fold the right third back over it, and check that all three outer edges line up before creasing hard. Thin paper (origami paper, tissue, tracing paper, even coffee filters) matters more than the pattern: printer paper at 12 layers is thick enough to blunt cheap scissors and makes the narrow crystal-style needles tear. If you only have 80 gsm copier paper, choose the Classic or Diamonds pattern and use sharp, pointed scissors.

Transferring the pattern: fold plain paper first, then lay the cut-out wedge on top of the stack and either trace the shaded shapes or staple the template to the stack and cut through template and paper together. The template is printed at true size — a 20 cm snowflake needs a 20 × 20 cm square, and the wedge length equals the finished radius (the printed top edge trims the uneven layer ends so the flake comes out round). Pick the Snowman pattern for a window with six snowmen holding hands, or Flower & Heartfor Valentine's garlands.

For display: tape finished flakes to a window with a dot of glue stick (it peels off glass cleanly), string them on fishing line for a garland, or press them flat under a book overnight and spray lightly with hairspray to stiffen. In a maths lesson, ask students to predict how many times each cut will appear before unfolding — the answer (6 or 12, depending on whether the cut sits on a fold edge or the middle of the wedge) is a hands-on introduction to rotational and reflective symmetry.