Making Paper Pinwheels is an excellent craft for young kids. They’re not only simple to make, but they can also bring instant joy and excitement. We made a couple of pinwheel without using any push pins the other day, and the kids had a great time. They even kept them near their bedside table so they could blow them whenever they wanted. Moreover, they were ideal for use as Pinwheel Art in a child’s room. If you want to make a pinwheel for your preschoolers or toddlers, you can do so without the use of pins, which is a safer option.
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Materials to Make a Pinwheel
You’ll need the following items
- Paper
- Straws that bend or flex
- Pipe cleaner
- glue
- To make a paper Pinwheel using pins ( you would need a pencil and a push pin )

HOW TO MAKE A Paper PINWHEEL
Take a square piece of paper ( preferably a 6 by 6 square ), decorate it if you would like to.
Fold it diagonally corner-to-corner so that it make an X crease on the paper.

Cut all the four diagonal lines starting from the corners going up halfway upto the center.

Gently, fold every other corner point and glue it to the center of the paper. You might need to hold and press them for sometime so that they stick together.

Cut a small circular piece of paper and glue it at the center of the pinwheel.
Punch a hole in the center of the pinwheel.
Roll one of the ends of the pipe cleaner and thread it through the pinwheel hole so that it doesn’t come off from the pinwheel.

Put the pipe cleaner through the straw from the flexible side. Make sure the straw is not touching the pinwheel and there is room for the pinwheel to rotate.
Wrap the loose end of the pipe cleaner around the end of straw.

Bend the straw and blow some air on it and watch it spin. A pinwheel without pin which is safe and spins freely is ready to use. And, so fun to make.
RELATED POST : DISCOVER THE SCIENCE BEHIND PINWHEELS AND WIND ENERGY
DIFFERENT WAY TO MAKE A PINWHEEL WITHOUT PINS
What if you don’t have a flexible straw, then you can use this alternative method.
Cut a small piece from a regular straw.
Bead the paper pinwheel and then the small piece of straw through the pipe cleaner.
Make a small slit near one end of the another straw. Put the pipe cleaner through that slit and wrap the pipe cleaner to the other end of the straw.

Additionally, here are some more suggestions for making toys for preschoolers out of recycled materials
- How to make a Spirograph Toy using Cardboard
- DIY – How to make a Toy Car using Plastic Bottle
- Nature Inspired Art and Crafts
If you have any fun activities for kids, I’d love to hear about them.
Till then, Happy Crafting !
Such a fun craft! I will have to try this with my kids.
Glad you liked it. Its pretty easy to make and ton of fun playing around.I hope you give it a try.
Wow, great post. I love the idea of doing it without a push pin!
Great activity for kids to keep them engaged.
How fun! Great directions and pictures for reference. Looks like a fun back to school activity to try!