How to make a pencil pinwheel for kids | Free DIY printable

Kids are always fascinated with pinwheels. Take them to a fair or carnival, and you’d see how they’re left mesmerized by the spinning-in-the-wind, colorful pinwheels. 

What your child learns: Pinwheels are an excellent STEM activity for kids. They can learn how when the wind hits the pinwheel, it spins. A pinwheel's arms catch air moving along its edges, and the air is forced downward because of its shape, which makes it move up; each arm repeats this movement and starts spinning. Giant windmills use the same principle to grind flour, pump water, and generate electricity worldwide—experiment with blowing air above and below the pinwheel to see which direction the pinwheel spins.

So here we bring you an easy way to make a paper pinwheel at home - but with a fun twist! It’s not a regular pinwheel but a DIY pencil pinwheel! Your child can attach this to a pencil, and every time they use the pencil to write or draw, they’ll remember this fun DIY they did with you.

You will need:

• Pinwheel paper template 
• Cardstock paper
• Crayons (optional)
• Pencil with eraser
• Pushpin
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Crayons or paint
• Button (optional)

How to make a pencil pinwheel - 12 steps to do the DIY:

• You can choose any of the pinwheel templates. 
• Download the printed version on one side and the plain version on the back of the cardstock paper
• Cut out the paper squares
• Cut along the four diagonal dotted lines
• Place the plain (back) side of the paper up
• Now you have 8 cut tips in total on your square
• Mark any tips as Tip #1 and fold them, bringing the tip to the center of square 
• Glue Tip #1 in the center
• Do the same for all the odd-numbered tips – Tip #3, Tip #5, and Tip #7
• Glue all the tips together in the center
• Insert a push pin at the center (Be careful here. Don’t place a finger behind the center of the pinwheel. Parents are advised to supervise this step)
• Insert the pin into the eraser of the pencil. Leave little wiggle room for the pinwheel to spin

Tip: Insert a button between the pin and the eraser so that the pinwheel can spin easily

There you have it! An easy-peasy DIY pencil pinwheel. 

Now ask your child to blow on the edge of the pinwheel and enjoy spinning it!

Check out more amazing DIYs:

Teach your child to tie their shoes!

Easy DIY birdhouse from milk carton for kids

Simple DIY Origami for Kids!
 

Explore byjuslearning.com today to find out how your child can learn by seeing, playing, and doing through an interactive app and hands-on activities on Magic Workbooks that encourage children to learn at their own pace alongside beloved Disney and Pixar characters and become lifelong learners.