This star paper chain is so much fun to make and are an easy craft that the whole family will enjoy. These paper chains also double as a fun DIY garland decoration.
In this post, I will be showing you how to quickly and easily a star paper garland. At the bottom of this page, you will fa template that I have created that will make the process much easier as well.
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What is paper garland?
Paper garland are fun DIY decorations that you can make to quickly decorate your home or classroom.
A craft that only requires some paper, a pencil and a pair of scissors, it is great for kids and adults of all ages.
Paper chains can be made in endless amounts of shapes and designs. Today, I’ll be showing you how to make a star design using supplies that you probably already have available
Materials needed:
- The free printable paper chain template (The download link can be found at the bottom of the post).
- Construction paper or printer paper in any color of your choosing.
- Cardstock (regular printer paper will work as well too)
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Tape or glue (Optional. You will need this is if you are planning on attaching. Multiple paper chains together).
How to use the printable template:
Step 1: Print out the template.
I would highly recommend printing out the template onto cardstock. While regular printer paper would as well, cardstock is much thicker and will make tracing the shape onto the construction paper much easier. Especially if you are in the classroom and multiple children are passing around the template to use.
Step 2: Cut out the star shape the dotted lines.
Using scissors, begin cutting out the template then, set it aside.
Step 3: Fold the paper chain.
How to fold a paper chain
Step 1: Start with a rectangular paper strip.
What I usually do is fold a piece of construction paper or printer paper in half and then cut along the crease to form two rectangular pieces of paper.
Step 2: Fold three times.
Using only one side of the piece of paper (and keeping the other half for creating additional paper chains) fold it in half. Fold it in half a second time and then finally one more time for a total of three folds.
Step 3: Fold accordion style.
Next, unfold the strip of paper and then begin refolding it again, but this time accordion style along the creases that you just made. Accordion style means that you fold back and forth along each crease.
You will end up with a zig zag sort of paper. It is very important to ensure that the left hand side is the folded edge and the right hand side opens up similar to opening a book.
This is key in making sure that your final design pieces connects to one another.
Another important note is that when tracing the template, you must make sure that the right side of the design falls off the edge a little bit This will ensure that the design connects properly.
Because of printer differences and variations of paper, sometimes the edges of the template might not line up perfectly.
If this is the case, all you need to do is extend the drawing a but so that the shape hangs off of the right side of the paper.
This is very important! If you don’t do this step, you will end up with four separate cutouts instead of a connected chain.
Step 5: Cut and Unfold.
Finally, cut along the lines and then unfold the chain to reveal your final paper garland. You can repeat the process as many times as you would like and then tape or glue the chains together to form a longer garland.
Free Printable Star Paper Chain Template:
This template page has been designed to be printed onto a standard piece of 8.5×11 inch white cardstock or printer paper. I would highly recommend using cardstock if you have some available.
Please feel free to download and print as many copies of the template as you would like. However, please do not edit or redistribute the files in any way. These templates have been created for personal use or classroom use only.
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