Inside: Build fine motor skills while making these tissue paper snowflakes. Squeeze sparkling watercolors from pipettes for beautiful results!
It’s a tradition to make some sort of snowflakes each winter to adorn our classroom walls.
We might tweak the way we make them, but they are always done on either coffee filters or tissue paper. Both are delicate and allow the colors to mix.
Using pipettes and other types of droppers not only strengthen fine motor development, but they are also fun to use! Once preschoolers learn how to use them, they want to keep going, such as with our pine cone art and our colorful waterfalls.
This type of activity is definitely is part of my top 10 ways to get fingers ready for writing.
How to Make Tissue Paper Snowflakes
What you will need for this activity:
- White tissue snowflakes
- Blue liquid watercolors
- Purple liquid watercolors
- Gold metallic watercolors
- White metallic watercolors
- Pipettes
Preparing the activity:
Pour the liquid watercolors into containers and thin with water to desired strength. I suggest placing the snowflakes on some sort of tray that can contain the watercolors, because preschoolers love this activity so much that excess watercolors will flow off the snowflake.
Invite the children to squeeze the watercolors onto the snowflakes.
You might need to show them how to squeeze the paint into the pipette and then release it onto the snowflake. You will know when they get it – their faces will light up!
Displaying the watercolor snowflakes:
We’ve primarily displayed our watercolor snowflakes on bulletin boards, as shown below, often mixed with other artwork. They also look lovely as window displays and can also be turned into festive garland. You could also hang them from the ceiling, as we did with our watercolor doily art.
Head on over to my winter Pinterest board to find more fun activities like this!
Related posts:
17 Tasty Winter Snacks for Kids
15 Winter Activities Involving Ice
Best Preschool Math Activities for Winter
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These are just beautiful aren’t they, and look such fun to make.
Hi Ema – seriously, our 3s could do this for weeks at a time, they love it so much! We use our pipettes often for that reason. That, and the salad spinner!
Excellent! Love these! What a great winter-time activity!
Thank you, Stephanie! Yes, we had a lot of fun with them, and they look so pretty hanging in our room!
I can’t believe I’ve never used coffee filters. Thanks for teaching me how!
Coffee filters absorb watercolors beautifully!
SO cute!
Thanks, Nicole!
Wow, aren’t they effective!
I love that they had so much fun making them, and they are all so different!
Hi there,
Can I just say how much I love these ideas. It’s great to see activities that are quick and easy. I try them out before taking them into our 2/3year olds. I would love to claim them as my ideas but I rave about this site. Keep it up
Thank you, Bernadette! Stick around because I will be adding more!