How-to recipes
How to make paper chains (the honest weeknight version)
Paper chains are loops of construction paper linked into a line. No specialty pad. No kit. A doorway swag is about 24 to 36 loops and fits a weeknight if the adult cuts the first stack of strips. The whole craft is on this page.
What you need
Construction paper from the drugstore is enough. Printer paper is a fine substitute. You do not need a craft-aisle pack of “chain paper.”
- Construction paper — 4 to 6 sheets for a doorway. More colors if you want a pattern.
- Scissors. Adult cuts the strips for preschoolers.
- A glue stick, or clear tape. See the note below. You do not need both.
- Optional: a ruler, so the first strip is even. After that, use it as a template.
How many loops for a doorway
A standard interior door is about 80 inches tall and 30 to 36 inches wide. You are not making a floor-to-floor curtain on a Tuesday.
Each loop, made from a strip about 4 cm by 22 cm, adds roughly 5 to 6 cm of chain once it is linked. A gentle U from one side of the door frame to the other is about 24 to 36 loops. That is a weeknight. A hallway runner, or chains to the floor, is a Saturday — double the paper and give it an hour.
The steps
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01
Cut the strips
Cut strips about 4 cm wide (a finger and a half) and 20 to 25 cm long. One letter-size sheet yields six to eight strips. Stack two sheets if the adult is cutting and the paper is thin. Set a pile in the middle of the table so nobody is waiting on the scissors.
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02
Make the first loop
Curl one strip into a ring. Overlap the ends by about 2 cm. Glue or tape. If you used a glue stick, pinch for a slow count of five. This first loop is the only one that is not threaded through anything. Get it round-ish. Perfect circles are not the point.
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03
Link the next loops
Thread the next strip through the first ring, then close it the same way. Keep going. Alternate colors if you have two. One person can cut while another links. A toddler can hold the finished end so it does not slide off the table.
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04
Stop at a doorway length
Lay the chain along the floor from one side of the door to the other, with a little sag in the middle. If it is short, add loops. If it is long, you have a hallway garland. Do not start a second chain “because it is going so well” unless you still have thirty minutes. Boredom returns when the glue does.
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05
Hang it, then photograph it
Tape or hook each end at about head height, or higher if people need to walk through. Photograph the finish. A popped loop is a retape, not a failure. Finish photos in Crafty stay private to the household studio unless you share a card.
Variations
- Rainy day, thicker chain. Use wider strips, about 6 cm. Fewer loops, same doorway.
- Christmas. Red and green, or kraft paper and one gold sheet if you have it. Same count.
- Playdate. Pre-cut the strips. Two to six kids can each run a short chain, then you join the chains. Adult still runs scissors.
How Crafty helps
The loops are here. In Crafty — iOS only; Crafty Kids in the App Store — the next paper make can land on one shopping list, and the photograph sits on the shelf instead of going out with the recycling. One free project is typical in a week; free projects stay open.
More at the table
Questions
Glue stick or tape for paper chains?
A glue stick is quieter and less sticky on fingers. Tape holds immediately and is faster with a restless table. Either works. White school glue is slower; use it only if that is what you have, and hold each join.
How many paper chain loops for a doorway?
Twenty-four to thirty-six loops make a doorway swag — a gentle U from one nail to the other. That is a weeknight. A floor-to-ceiling curtain of chains is a different afternoon.
What paper do I need for paper chains?
Construction paper is the usual. Printer paper works and looks thinner. You do not need specialty scrapbook pads. Four to six sheets cover a doorway swag.