Plain snowflake outlines, drawn in a heavier line than the cut-out sheets and with nothing at all inside them. Four to a sheet by default, or one, two or six. They are made to be drawn round, coloured in or cut out, which is three different jobs that all want an empty shape.
Why an empty outline is a different sheet
The cut-out snowflake templates have a star shaped hole in the middle, because that is what a folded paper snowflake has. An outline for tracing or colouring should not: a hole in the middle means a pencil line that goes nowhere and a colouring area that is broken in two.
So these are solid. One continuous line round the whole shape, a slightly heavier weight so a six year old can follow it with a pencil, and clean white space inside for whatever is going in there.
Four ways people use them
Tracing. Put the sheet under thin paper, or let a child draw round the printed line with a finger first and then a pencil. The arms are the hard part and that is the point of the exercise.
Colouring. An empty snowflake is one of the better shapes to hand a child who wants to fill something in with pattern rather than colour a picture. At one to a sheet it is big enough for felt tips.
Cutting. Without the centre star there is only one line to follow, which makes these the easiest of the snowflake sheets to cut and the right ones for a first attempt with scissors.
Stencilling. On 160gsm card, cut out and used as a mask with a sponge and white paint, they make a window or a wrapping paper pattern.
Sizes
One to a sheet fills the page and is the size for a display, a stencil or a toddler with a crayon. Two gives a pair of large outlines. Four is the default and is the size most people want for a colouring sheet. Six packs the page for cutting a set.
The outline is generated like the other snowflake sheets, so a different shape comes up every time the page loads. If you want a matched set, print the same sheet twice rather than reloading between prints.
Questions
- Is there anything printed inside the snowflake outline?
- No. The shape is a single line with clean white space inside it and no hole in the middle, which is what makes it work for tracing, colouring and cutting rather than only for cutting.
- How many outlines are on a sheet?
- Four by default. The control above the paper also offers one to a sheet for a display size outline, two for a large pair, or six for a set to cut out.
- Can I use these as a stencil?
- Yes. Print at one to a sheet onto 160gsm card, cut the shape out and keep the card with the hole in it. Hold it against glass or paper and dab white paint through with a sponge.
- How is this different from the snowflake template page?
- The template sheet is for cutting out and has a star shaped hole in the middle and finer detail along the arms. These outlines are solid, drawn in a heavier line and left empty inside.