Mini Minds Hub · Free printable

Make Your Own Snowglobe

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Make Your Own Snowglobe is a free printable Christmas craft from the Mini Minds Hub. It is based on the Jaques of London DIY snow globe. Children make their own snowy scene to bring into the home, so a white Christmas can happen indoors, whatever the weather outside.

The Mini Minds Hub is the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print the sheet, look it over together and check what you need before you begin. The sheet is paper, so any other materials come from your own home.

What is on the sheet

Children make their own snow globe, a small snowy scene to keep and display at home. It is a Christmas craft, so the focus is on making something rather than answering questions. Children decide how their scene will look, put it together carefully and finish with something they can show off. It suits an afternoon at the kitchen table, a rainy weekend or a classroom Christmas session.

Ways to make it your own

Plan the scene first

Before making anything, ask your child to describe the scene. Is it a quiet village, a forest, an animal or a snowy garden? A quick sketch helps them decide what goes where.

Pick a small set of colours

Winter scenes look striking with just a few colours. Try blues, whites and silver, with one bright colour such as red for something special.

Check as you go

Stop halfway and look at the scene from the front, as a viewer would. Is the main figure easy to see? Is anything squashed or hiding something else?

Choose where it will live

Decide in advance where the finished snow globe will be displayed. Having a place for it gives children a reason to take care with the final details.

Why a snow globe?

A snow globe is a small scene inside a clear container. When it is shaken, the pretend snow swirls around and then settles again. Snow globes are a familiar sight at Christmas, and many people have one on a shelf or mantelpiece. In much of England, snow on Christmas Day is fairly rare, which is partly why the idea of a white Christmas feels so special.

Craft projects give children a chance to plan, make and look critically at their own work. In the National Curriculum for England, art and design and design and technology both include using materials creatively to design and make things, and thinking about how well they turned out. A seasonal project like this gives those strands a real purpose that children care about.

Glitter, beads and other small decorations can be a swallowing risk for very young children, so keep them away from under threes. Adults should handle any glass, sharp tools or other risky items. Wash hands after crafting and wipe up spills straight away, as wet floors can be slippery.

Snow and snow globe facts

  • Snowflakes are made of tiny ice crystals.
  • Many snowflakes have six sides or six arms.
  • Snow globes are usually filled with liquid, which slows the pretend snow as it falls.
  • A snow globe is shaken to make the snow swirl, then left still so it can settle.
  • Snow globes are often kept as Christmas ornaments and displayed for the season.

Skills and curriculum link

  • Planning a design
  • Creative thinking
  • Fine motor control
  • Following instructions
  • Patience and care
  • Evaluating your own work

Helping your child get the most from it

  • Talk before you startChat about snowy places your child has seen, in real life, in pictures or in films. This gives them ideas and helps them describe what they want to make.
  • Prepare the spaceCover the table, gather everything you need and keep a cloth to hand. A tidy start means your child can focus on making rather than searching.
  • Let them leadOffer help when asked, but let your child make the choices. A scene that looks a bit wobbly but is truly theirs is worth more than a perfect one.
  • Finish with a showingLet your child present the snow globe to the family and explain what is in the scene. Talking about their work builds confidence and vocabulary.

Key words

  • SceneA picture or setting that shows a place and what is happening in it.
  • DesignTo plan how something will look before you make it.
  • OrnamentA decoration that is made to look nice and be displayed.
  • DisplayTo put something where people can see it.
  • EvaluateTo look at your work and decide what went well and what you would change.
  • CrystalA tiny, hard, regular shape. Snowflakes are made of ice crystals.

How to use it

  1. Print the sheet and read it through together before you begin.
  2. Check what you need and gather it in one place. Adults should deal with anything sharp, hot or made of glass.
  3. Talk about the scene your child wants to make. A quick sketch can help them decide.
  4. Let your child do the making, with help only where they ask for it or where an adult is needed for safety.
  5. Find a place to display the finished snow globe, and ask your child to tell you about it.

Help, stretch and game ideas

If it feels too hard

Break the project into small parts and do one at a time. Start by choosing just one main figure or feature for the scene. Gather the materials together beforehand. Offer to hold things steady, and praise effort and neat ideas rather than a perfect result.

To stretch confident children

Ask your child to write a short story about the place inside their snow globe. Who lives there? What is the weather like? Or make a second scene for a different season, and compare how the colours and shapes change.

Make it a game

Play Guess the Scene. One person describes their snow globe without naming the main figure, using only clues such as colours, shapes and weather. The others guess what it is. Take turns, and give each clue one sentence.

Talk about it

  • What is the best thing about snow, and what is the worst thing?
  • If you could shrink and live inside your snow globe, what would you do first?
  • Which part of your scene did you plan most carefully?
  • What would you change if you made another one?
  • Who would you like to give a snow globe to, and why?
  • How is a made scene different from a photograph or a drawing?

Take it off the page

Snow scene drawing

Draw a winter scene on blue paper with white chalk or crayon. Add a tiny figure and ask a grown-up to guess what the story is.

Paper snowflakes

Fold plain paper, snip simple shapes along the edges and open it up. Adults should help with scissors for younger children. Hang the snowflakes in a window.

Winter walk

On a cold day, go outside and look for things that would fit in a winter scene, such as bare trees, frosty leaves or puddles. Describe them to each other when you get home.

Who it is for

Parents

Choose a calm moment and join in at the start, then step back and let your child lead. Do not worry about neatness. The aim is to enjoy making something to keep for the festive season.

Teachers

This works well as a Christmas craft session, a quiet end of term activity or a link to art and design and design and technology. Ask children to plan, make and then say what they would improve. Check any materials for allergies and safety first.

Home educators

Use it as part of a winter or Christmas topic. Combine it with a discussion about seasons and weather, a story, or drawing from observation. Children can write about their finished scene to link the craft to English.

Where this fits

Before a project like this, children usually practise cutting, folding, sticking and colouring, and they learn to think about how a finished piece will look. Simple drawing and colour choice are helpful starting points.

Afterwards, they can try more detailed models, make scenes for other seasons or festivals, or plan a project with a few more stages. Looking back at their work and saying what they would change is a skill that grows with each craft.

Questions parents and teachers ask

Is this a kit or do I make it from scratch?

The sheet is a free printable on paper, so it does not come with physical parts. Look at the sheet before you start to see what it asks for, and gather any other materials yourself before your child begins.

Is Make Your Own Snowglobe free?

Yes. It is a free printable from the Jaques of London Mini Minds Hub. You only need to print it, and you may want to gather a few craft items from around the home.

What age is it suitable for?

No set age is given. Younger children will need a grown-up to help, especially with small items, and older children can plan and make more independently. You know best what your child can manage.

How long does it take?

No set time is given. It depends on your child and how much they want to decorate. Let them work at their own pace, and break it into two sessions if they tire.

Do I need special materials?

Check the sheet to see what it asks for, then see what you already have at home. Keep adults in charge of anything sharp, hot or made of glass.

Can I use it in a classroom?

Yes. It works as a festive craft session or an art and design lesson. Check materials for allergies and safety, and plan time for children to share and evaluate their finished work.

Which parts of the curriculum does it support?

It links to art and design and design and technology strands in the National Curriculum for England, such as designing, making with materials and evaluating work. It also gives children something real to talk and write about.

Preview the full PDF

Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.

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