Jolly Bouncy Snowman! A Fun Winter Craft!

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October 22, 2024 / DIY / Stem Activities / Engaging Engineering Building / Age 9 - 12 / Bouncy Paper Snowman

Bring your favourite snow activity indoors. The best part is that this is a "bouncy" snowman with a spring-like neck that can nod and shake as if it's come to life! With simple materials like card and felt-tip pens, you can add fun and movement to your winter!

Age: 9-12
Time: Less than 1 hour

Materials Needed:

Square card
Ruler
Double-sided tape
Scissors
Felt-tip pens

We'll need some paper, a ruler, scissors, double-sided tape, and a couple of markers. With a bit of snipping, sticking, and drawing, we'll create a jolly little snowman. It's all rather straightforward, innit? Let's get those creative juices flowing!

Step-by-Step Instructions:

First, we'll make the snowman's body. Cut a 21cm square from the card. Fold the card in half twice to create a cross-shaped crease.

Using the two creases as guide lines, fold all four corners inwards to form a smaller square.

Use a ruler to divide each side of the small square into thirds and mark these points.

A flatlay shows a partially folded piece of white paper, a blue pencil, and a ruler on a light wood surface, suggesting the tools and materials for a paper craft project.

Fold along the marked points again, creating 9 smaller squares on the small square.

There's a bit of paper there, folded into a neat little square shape, all pointy and precise. It's sitting on a light wood surface, looking rather pleased with itself.

Unfold the triangles on both sides. Refold the triangles on the top and bottom edges along the creases to deepen them.

Press one side inwards with one finger, then do the same on the other side. Fold down the protruding parts on both sides. The snowman's body is now complete.

Make the snowman's head using the same method.

There you have it: two perfectly formed little paper boxes, one a bit smaller than the other, all sitting neatly on a light wood surface. A fine pair, they are.

Next, we need to make a paper spring. Cut a strip of card 21cm long and 9cm wide. Divide the width into thirds.

A steady hand uses a ruler and pencil to carefully mark a straight line onto a piece of paper; looks like the start of a precise craft project to me.

Fold the card along the third-marks.

Continuously fold the strip back and forth to test the spring's elasticity.

Create eyes, a nose, and a hat for your snowman. You can also add other decorations if you like.

There's a jolly little snowman face laid out on a light wood surface. It's all ready to be stuck onto something, I reckon – perhaps that paper box we made earlier? A black hat, coal eyes, and a jaunty orange nose. Proper festive, it is.

There's a rather charming paper snowman, all ready to be assembled. He's got his hat and facial features all laid out, just waiting to be put together. A proper festive chap, he is.

Place the spring inside the snowman's body. Press the snowman up and down - can it bounce?

The Science Behind It:

The paper spring utilises elasticity and layered structure from paper folding. By folding the paper into a specific shape, we can create an elastic effect that allows the paper to quickly return to its original state after being compressed.

Try adjusting the number of folds and the spacing between them to see if it affects the spring's elasticity. What happens if you use stiffer card?

Jolly Bouncy Snowman! A Fun Winter Craft!

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Materials Needed:

Step-by-Step Instructions:

The Science Behind It:

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