Students can use their creativity to learn how symmetry works. Have students fold a piece of paper in half to create a crease, and then unfold it. Give your students paints of various colors. Ask students to paint whatever shapes or pictures they want on one half of the paper only. Don't give them too much time to do it, because you need to keep the paint wet. Once they are done, ask students to fold the paper along the crease. Once they unfold it, they will see a perfectly symmetrical picture that they have created. Allow students to do more than one painting if time permits.
Making snowflakes and other symmetrical shapes by folding and cutting paper is a classic activity that teaches students about lines of symmetry. For this activity, you need a number of square sheets of paper. Have students fold a sheet of paper in half and cut out any design they choose, as long as the fold line is not cut off completely. Have students unfold the sheet and confirm that the design is symmetrical. Have students repeat the activity by folding a new sheet twice to make a square. Students should be able to observe two lines of symmetry in their designs. Finally, have students fold the sheet a third time along the diagonal, making a triangle. The unfolded design should show three lines of symmetry.
You can also use folding activities and lessons to have students diagnose symmetry in a design. Cut out a variety of shapes with zero, one, two or three lines of symmetry. Ask your students to determine how many lines of symmetry each shape has by folding them in half a number of times. This kind of experimenting should teach students how to look for symmetry in shapes. If you have trouble making your own shapes, you can download a template online.
Use a lesson on symmetry to encourage students to express their creativity and practice their artistic skills. Distribute a sheet of paper to everyone in the class. Have each student fold the sheet in half, unfold it and draw on one half. The drawing can be either abstract or a picture of something real, or a half-drawing of something real, such as a face. Have students exchange pictures and complete the picture they receive by drawing a symmetrical copy on the sheet's other half. Do the activity more than once, as students get inspired with new ideas and new ways to challenge their classmates.