YAY! Our very first free printable is here – just in time for holiday play! Thor’s winter forest – inspired by one of our very own (extremely drooly) team members. Hint: he’s the one with the festive antlers…
This snowy scene is instant miniature play entertainment that can double as adorable winter tabletop decor!
With a bold style inspired by old printing processes, this graphic DIY winter playset provides a variety of imaginative indoor play opportunities. From storytelling to small world-building – it’s a dreamy winter scene with its own cast of unique characters.
For more winter-themed small-world ideas, try making your own paper bag bear cave, pinecone pine tree farm, or create a snowy tabletop winter zen garden.
To make your own paper winter play forest, you’ll need:
Note: We prefer to shop locally or use what we have at home, but this list contains Woodpeckers Crafts, Etsy, Blick Art Materials, Bookshop.org and/or Amazon affiliate links for reference. As affiliates (and Amazon Associates), we make a small commission on qualifying purchases.*
BASIC SUPPLIES:
- Our free printable winter play forest PDF set
- Heavy cardstock
- Scissors
How to Make our Mini Paper Winter Forest – DIY Instructions:
Download the free printable winter forest play set.
Download the free printable files – there are 2 documents in the zip file: a PDF of the printable with animals and trees + background mountains, and a text document with our terms of use.
Print onto heavy cardstock.
The PDF printable of the animals and trees has 2 pages – print page 1, then print page 2 on the REVERSE. Just a note, you don’t have to print on both sides (especially if you’re using this for any of the remixed ideas below). I printed this on a super-thick cardstock to make it a little more durable, but you might want to print out a quick draft first to double-check how your printer handles the reverse printing.
Cut out and play!
These are not meant to be perfect, so don’t break a sweat over cutting perfectly. As a general rule, the trees and mountains are GREAT practice for little hands still learning how to cut – the animals may take a bit more patience and are better suited for adult scissor skills.
Six Miniature Winter Forest Paper Play Ideas…
Here are some remixed ideas – the winter forest deep cuts of paper play…
- Mod Podge the miniature paper figures onto some big plain wooden blocks (perfect for smaller hands that play less gently).
- Print out some super fun temporary tattoos for classroom holiday favors or winter parties.
- Stick them to a flat adhesive magnet sheet for your own festive set of winter forest magnets.
- Make a winter forest sticker set.
- Frame our winter forest scene with your own backdrop in a shadow box.
- Tape the winter forest pieces onto popsicle sticks to create your own set of stick puppets.
*For all of the above options, just remember you only need to print 1 side – Page 1 only!*
And let’s just break here for a second to interject some planet-saving-ness (our word…probably not a real one) – did you know there are companies that sell eco-friendly, soy-based ink for your home printers??? OH YES. Yes, there are. A couple of examples: Inkpal or Greenerprinter – they’re not available for every single printer, but I was actually pretty impressed with their array.
More Free Printable Holiday Paper Projects for Kids
Try making this simple but spectacular DIY paper chain countdown to winter holidays, design and decorate a 3D miniature paper tree, or surprise little elves with a free printable Santagram.
*A note about affiliate links: We strive to use simple, earth-friendly supplies that can be purchased locally whenever we can, but sometimes we find the best universally available options, a rare eco-friendly find, or a niche product only available on Blick Art Materials, Amazon, Etsy, or Woodpeckers Crafts. When included in our supply list, these products are affiliate links, and if you click through to make a purchase we receive a small commission that helps us re-order these supplies!
GETTING READY TO TRY this?
I love seeing all the ways people make these ideas their own! If you're sharing the results of one of our projects, mention or tag me with @barleyandbirch, or share it in the comments of one of our Pinterest project pins.
