Paper craft for kids · Ages 5–10 · 20 min
How to Make a Paper Pinwheel (Phirki) for Kids
Make a paper pinwheel (phirki) that spins in the wind — a square of paper, a straw and a paper fastener. A 20-minute paper craft with a little science.
What your paper pinwheel can look like
Materials 1 square of paper, 15 × 15 cm Crayons or sketch pens 1 drinking straw or a thin stick 1 brass paper fastener (split pin) Tools Child-safe scissors Ruler and pencil An adult to make the holes
Steps
Decorate both sides of the square. With a ruler, draw two diagonal lines from corner to corner. They cross in the centre. Cut along each line from the corner towards the centre, stopping about 2 cm before the middle. Ask an adult to make a small hole in the centre and in the left-hand point of each of the four flaps. Bend each holed point to the centre, one at a time, without folding it flat. Ask an adult to push the paper fastener through all the points and the centre, then through the straw near its top. Open the legs of the fastener behind the straw. Leave it a little loose so the wheel can turn. Blow on it or hold it up to the wind and watch it spin.
⚠️ Safety note Only an adult makes holes and handles the paper fastener — its ends are pointed. Never use drawing pins.
Learn while you craft
Diagonals of a square cross in the centre. Rotational symmetry: the pinwheel looks the same after a quarter turn. Wind energy turns the wheel — the same idea as a windmill.
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