Pattern block snowflakes are a fun winter craft that combines math and art!

Use geometric shaped pattern blocks to create beautiful snowflakes!  There are so many possibilities, and a whole class can create them with no two alike.  Young kids will enjoy this, but don’t underestimate the value of doing this project with teens – they can create some awesome snowflake designs!

This project was originally posted in January 2017 and updated in 2022.

Pattern Block Snowflakes

I thought about tracing our pattern blocks on white paper and cutting them out, but in order to SAVE TIME I did a quick search and found some to print!  I printed them on card stock for durability and then cut them out.  It was a lot of cutting, but not bad since it was all straight lines.

Here are the ones I printed:  Pattern Block Printable (click on Pattern Blocks from this link)

Then we were ready to design snowflakes!  The photo below shows the five shapes we used.  We used Elmer’s glue and blue construction paper.  I squirted the glue onto paper plates and gave the boys Q-tips for spreading it, which helped cut down on mess and overuse of glue.

It’s best to experiment with the snowflake design before gluing it down.  If you start with a hexagon in the middle, it’s easy to create a 6 pointed snowflake, although you can create beautiful designs with other shapes as well.

This activity was such a win for all ages!  Everyone was calm and happily designing snowflakes for a long time.  Janie (2) had a wonderful time spreading the glue and gluing down random shapes on her paper.

Jonathan (5) created this snowflake all by himself.

This one is Owen’s (age 7):

And Gresham’s (age 10):

The next snowflakes were created by Aidan and I.  Aidan is in 8th grade, and we discussed lines and angles while building these.  For example, some pieces can be lined up accurately by making sure that you are creating a right angle or a straight line.  So many geometric relationships can be discovered with this project!

Creating the snowflakes was also quite relaxing.

Last one…

Have fun designing snowflakes!  

Need more ideas? You might also enjoy our Geoboard Snowflakes project.  

Or, make amazing snowflakes out of toothpicks and marshmallows!

3 Comments

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  1. Richa Choudhary Jan 20, 2017

    I loved this idea...a great activity to learn about maths and patterns...this is an activity to keep a 2 year old and a 10 year old occupied at the same time with the level of difficulty.
    AllThatsmom

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  2. Pam Harrell Jan 22, 2017

    You could just lay the pattern shapes on the dark construction paper - not gluing, place the construction paper out side , on a sunny day and you would get a snowflake created by the sun.

    Reply
  3. Diane Jan 1, 2019

    I just love this idea. I start winter weather after the holidays, and I’m going to use this. I teach two classes preschool ages 3 & 4, PreK ages 4&5. I believe both classes will enjoy this. I have a book with pictures of real snowflakes to give them insight. I can’t wait to see what they do! Excellent open ended art!

    Reply
    1. Christine Deliso Jan 14, 2021

      I want to try this with my pre-k and was wondering how your pre-k and 3s did?

      Reply

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