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Craft

Paper pinwheel craft

Craft settings

Blade style

Rounded curves off the tips that catch the wind. Double pins a smaller square on top, for eight blades.

Pinwheel size

The side of the square the template prints, at true size.

Pattern

Colour-in prints the blades blank, to decorate before cutting.

Advanced settings

Live worksheet preview
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CUT · FOLD · SPINPaper pinwheelCut a square, fold four corners, pin it to a stick1Cut out the squareCut along the outside line of the template.2Cut the cornersCut from each corner towards the middle. Stop at the circle.3Fold four cornersBring each corner with a dot into the middle, one after another.4Pin the middlePush a pin through all four dots and then the middle dot.5Add a stickPush the pin into a pencil’s eraser or a wooden stick, not too tight.6Blow and spinBlow on the blades, or run with it, and watch it spin.Adult help with the pin: cover the sharp end once it is through.Well done! Your pinwheel is ready to spin!A square 13 cm wide, printed at true size.Created with Print Joey — printjoey.com
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Pinwheel templateDecorate both sides first. Cut out the square, cut each solid line from its corner to the circle, then fold the corners with dotsinto the middle.A square 13 cm wide, printed at true size.Cut lineStop herePin holeTip: the back of the paper shows once the corners fold, so colour that side too.Created with Print Joey — printjoey.com
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Quick guide

How it works

Cut a square, cut in from each corner, fold four tips into the middle and pin it to a stick: a pinwheel that spins when you blow on it. The template prints the square at true size, with every cut line stopping at a circle and every pin hole marked, and the steps show each fold as a picture.

Choose the blades, the size and the pattern, then download.

  1. Choose classic, rounded or double blades.

  2. Choose the size of the square.

  3. Choose rainbow, spots or colour-in.

  4. Download and print on A4 or US Letter paper.

Teaching tip

Using these worksheets in teaching

A pinwheel turns a flat square into something that moves, and a child can see why: each folded tip makes a cupped blade that catches the air on one side. Cutting to a mark and stopping builds scissor control, folding every tip the same way round the square is rotational symmetry in the hands, and trying it in front of a fan or outside is a first experiment with wind.

Frequently asked questions

  • What do we need besides the sheet?

    Scissors, a pin with a round head, and a pencil with an eraser or a wooden stick. A small bead between the pinwheel and the stick helps it spin freely.

  • Is the pin safe for children?

    An adult should push the pin through the pinwheel and into the stick, and cover or bend back any point that comes out the other side. The sheet says so below the steps.

  • Why won’t it spin?

    Usually the pin is pushed in too tight, pressing the blades against the stick. Pull it back a little so the pinwheel can turn, and check that every folded tip is on the pin.

  • What is the double pinwheel?

    A second, smaller square folded the same way and pinned on top of the big one and turned an eighth of a turn, so its blades sit between the big ones: eight blades in all. At the medium and large sizes the small square prints on a page of its own.

  • Which paper works best?

    Printer paper is fine; slightly heavier paper keeps its shape longer outdoors. Colour or decorate both sides before cutting, because the back of each tip shows once it is folded.

Related tools

Last reviewed: July 2026. Worksheet content is generated by deterministic algorithms and covered by automated correctness tests — no AI-generated answers.