Make Atom Paper Snowflakes


Make atom paper snowflakes to hang as ornaments or use as holiday decorations.
Make atom paper snowflakes to hang as ornaments or use as holiday decorations.

Making paper snowflakes is a holiday tradition. Why not “science” up your holidays by making atom paper snowflakes?

Making atom paper snowflakes requires only a single sheet of paper, scissors, and paper folding skills. Here are instructions for making the atoms and a template you can print, fold, and cut out to make the shape.

Atom Paper Snowflake Instructions

Paper Atom Snowflake Fold 1

First, take a single sheet of paper and fold down the upper right-hand corner so the top edge meets the left edge of the paper.

Paper Atom Snowflake Fold 2

Second, cut away the bottom strip. This will divide the remaining paper into a square.

Paper Atom Snowflake Fold 3

Next, fold the upper left-hand corner down to the lower right-hand corner.

Paper Atom Snowflake Fold 4

The next step requires a little extra care. The right-hand edge needs to be folded down until the fold reaches 1/3 the total distance along the bottom. There will be a slight overhang of paper.

Paper Atom Snowflake Fold 5

The final fold is pulling the left-hand edge over the top of the previous fold so the edge lines up with the right-hand edge. If you judged your 1/3 distance, this fold should fit right on top of the previous fold. If it doesn’t, make adjustments until it does.

Paper Atom Snowflake Cutout

Finally, you are ready to cut. Cut away the gray areas of this pattern. Once you finish, you will have two pieces to unfold. The tip you cut off will form the nucleus and the outer part will unfold into the orbitals.

Atom Paper Snowflakes PDF

Paper Atom Decoration on a Christmas Tree
Paper Atom Decoration on a Christmas Tree

If you need a little more help, I have a PDF to help. This PDF prints out the gray cut-away part. If you place the paper face down and fold using the method listed above, the gray shape will be right on top of the final fold. Just cut away the gray parts.

Have an atomic holiday!