#17 For All Ages

For All Ages

Grown-ups: Vary the number of folds and try trickier six – and ten – layer folds. Keep in mind that children frequently forget where the center of the paper was and fold every which way, with unpredictable results. Celebrate their accidental discoveries and figure out new patterns, but also help them achieve patterns they wanted in the first place.

Babies: Symmetric patterns fascinate babies. Observe them focus (for two to three seconds at a time or more) as you fold and unfold snowflakes for them. Babies may want to tear up the snowflakes or chew them a bit as a part of the exploration, so be prepared to make new ones quickly!

Toddlers and Young Kids: Some toddlers like to guide parents’ hands with scissors to design snowflakes, or have parents add hand guidance and pressure to help them with cutting. They can solve and pose simple puzzles, such as what shape each hole will be when you open up the snowflake, or how many holes will each cut make.

Big Kids: As children continue working with snowflakes, they can make particular shapes appear at different parts of the snowflake (rhombus, oval, flower), figure out different folds, and discuss transformations. They can use snowflakes to study times tables, and make designs for particular multiplication facts (for example, three holes cut into each of eight sectors for three times eight). They can also explore the arts and crafts of symmetric cutting from Oriental, South American, European and other cultures.