A lightning bolt looks simple, but it is surprisingly hard to draw by hand — the zigzag never comes out even. These free printable lightning bolt stencils solve that: crisp, ready-made bolts in different shapes and sizes that are easy to trace and cut out. Use them for superhero costumes, storm and weather crafts or bold room decor. Pick a bolt below, open the full-size image and print it on A4 or US Letter paper.
Ideas for lightning bolt crafts
- Make superhero badges, masks and cape decorations for a costume or themed party
- Build a storm scene by pairing bolts with cloud stencils and tornado stencils
- Decorate a weather-themed classroom display or science poster
- Cut small bolts from yellow paper for stickers, bookmarks and notebook covers
- Trace a bolt onto card stock for a reusable stencil you can paint through
Did you know?
Lightning is a great theme for a science lesson too. A typical bolt is only a few centimetres wide, and when lightning strikes sand it can melt it into small glass tubes. Children can cut out paper bolts while learning how thunderstorms work.
How to print and use them
Print at 100% for the size shown, or resize the image in any photo editor — small bolts work well for stickers and cards, large ones for posters and costumes. For a sturdy stencil, print on card stock and cut along the outline.
Recommended Stencils:
Balloons Stencils
Mushroom Stencils
Bat Stencils
Crow Stencils