How do I prepare and use Christmas paper-chain templates?
Quick answer: Choose a color pattern or the 25-day countdown from the printable cards. Then measure the space where the chain will hang, cut 1-inch paper strips with a ruler and make a ten-link sample to estimate how many strips you need. Link the loops with glue sticks, or have an adult use a stapler. The cards give you color sequences, countdown activity ideas, a random picker and print controls. They are not full-size strip templates, so you mark and cut the strips yourself.
Christmas patterns and advent activity cards
Print these text cards to keep beside your paper. They are color guides and activity suggestions, not a full-size cutting grid. Use the picker for inspiration; follow the dates in order for a countdown.
Draw one when the room is ready
Strip 1 — red loop — back reads: write a wish list, then hide it from siblings
Advent countdown strips — December 1 to 13
One strip per morning: number on the front, activity on the back, torn at breakfast.
- Strip 1 — red loop — back reads: write a wish list, then hide it from siblings
- Strip 2 — green loop — back reads: hot cocoa after school with extra marshmallows
- Strip 3 — red loop — back reads: pick one toy to donate before the new ones arrive
- Strip 4 — white loop — back reads: make paper snowflakes for the bathroom mirror
- Strip 5 — red loop — back reads: write a thank-you card for a teacher or coach
- Strip 6 — green loop — back reads: walk one decorated street after dark
- Strip 7 — red loop — back reads: bake drop cookies and freeze half for party day
- Strip 8 — white loop — back reads: read the oldest holiday book on the shelf
- Strip 9 — red loop — back reads: one ornament per person goes on the tree tonight
- Strip 10 — green loop — back reads: learn the chorus of one carol for the car
- Strip 11 — red loop — back reads: wrap one present together as a team
- Strip 12 — white loop — back reads: game night — pick a table game and keep score
- Strip 13 — red loop — back reads: count the rings still attached and guess the days left
If you'd like a different decoration that day, paper-bag stars are another option. They need bags, cutting and assembly prepared separately, and each child can write their name on a small label for the hanging string.
You could turn this day into making ornaments, but plan ahead: photo ornaments need photos collected beforehand and frames prepared. Each person can write their initials on the frame and the year on the back.
Matching cards are one game-night choice. You can play with 6, 12, 26 or all 29 pairs, keeping the printed list as your answer key, but the partner cards need making beforehand. See how to prepare Christmas matching cards.
Advent countdown strips — December 14 to 25
Activities for the remaining mornings, through Christmas Day.
- Strip 14 — green loop — back reads: camp under the tree lights for one story
- Strip 15 — red loop — back reads: make cards or drawings for faraway family
- Strip 16 — white loop — back reads: popcorn and a holiday movie night
- Strip 17 — red loop — back reads: build a mini paper chain for a cousin and mail it
- Strip 18 — green loop — back reads: bake a breakfast treat for tomorrow
- Strip 19 — red loop — back reads: deliver cookies to a neighbor
- Strip 20 — white loop — back reads: wear holiday colors head to toe today
- Strip 21 — red loop — back reads: sing one carol at dinner, everyone picks a verse
- Strip 22 — green loop — back reads: sort the stocking stuffers and guess each one
- Strip 23 — red loop — back reads: leave a kind note under each pillow after bedtime
- Strip 24 — white loop — back reads: set the table for the big day, place cards included
- Strip 25 — red loop — back reads: read the Christmas story, then straight to stockings
Pattern strip deck
Four signature patterns plus four bonus sequences, each with counts for a set number of links.
- Peppermint twist — alternate red and white every loop; 10 links = 5 red, 5 white; 16 links = 8 red, 8 white
- Holly berry — repeat green, red, green, white; 10 links = 5 green, 3 red, 2 white; 16 links = 8 green, 4 red, 4 white
- Santa's belt — repeat red, red, white, black; 10 links = 6 red, 2 white, 2 black; 16 links = 8 red, 4 white, 4 black
- Winter night — repeat green, green, white, white; 10 links = 6 green, 4 white; 16 links = 8 green, 8 white
- Candy stripe — repeat red, white, red, green; 16 links = 8 red, 4 white, 4 green
- Kraft cabin — repeat kraft, kraft, red, white; 16 links = 8 kraft, 4 red, 4 white
- Tree lights — repeat green, red, yellow, blue; 16 links = 4 strips of each color
- First frost — alternate white and light blue every loop; 10 links = 5 white, 5 light blue
What the Christmas paper-chain cards include
You can use the printable cards for a red-and-white garland, a four-color pattern or a countdown to Christmas, where someone tears off one ring each morning. The cards include eight color patterns and 25 activity suggestions, plus a random picker and print controls. You can also print a blank notes sheet and write in your measurements by hand before cutting the rest of the paper.
The cards help you plan and copy patterns. They do not print measured strips for cutting. You mark the strips on your own paper with a ruler, so you can use colored paper you already have or decorate plain strips before linking them.
If children decorate plain strips, do it before the loops are closed and keep to the chosen color sequence. Simple prompts help, such as decorating the first letter of your name. Our color party ideas page has more patterns to try.
Are the printable cards full-size strip templates?
Quick answer: No. The cards contain color sequences and countdown activity suggestions, with a picker and print controls. You measure and cut the strips yourself.
To cut strips, mark your paper with a ruler using the sizes in the next section. If you want a paper record, print the blank measurement notes and fill them in by hand.
Cut the strips and measure a sample chain
For letter paper, mark the 11-inch side at one-inch intervals and cut across the 8.5-inch width. That gives 11 strips from one sheet, each 1 by 8.5 inches. You can also cut construction paper into 1-by-9-inch strips. A 9-by-12-inch sheet makes twelve of these strips, but check your sheet size first.
Overlap the ends by half an inch when you close each loop. An 8.5-inch strip then makes a loop 8 inches around, and a 9-inch strip makes one 8.5 inches around. That is the distance around the loop, not the length it adds to the garland. The hanging length also depends on the shape of the loops, how the rings interlock and how much the chain droops.
To count sheets of letter paper, divide the number of strips by eleven and round up. If you are buying colored paper, work this out for each color separately. For example, 80 strips need eight sheets and 40 strips need four. Eight children each making a ten-link chain will use 80 strips, and four pairs each making a ten-link chain will use 40. Count only the people actually making chains. If siblings or helping adults will make their own chains, add their strips too. These are paper counts, not promises of any particular garland length.
Confirm who's coming first, including siblings, then note separately how many will make chains. The party guest-list planner helps you check attendance and follow up on missing replies before you count strips.
| Where you want the chain | Target length | Your estimated strip count |
|---|---|---|
| A 4-foot doorway swag | 48 inches | Work out from your sample |
| A 6-foot mantel garland | 72 inches | Work out from your sample |
| A 10-foot wall garland | 120 inches | Work out from your sample |
How many strips do I need for a six-foot chain?
Quick answer: Make a ten-link sample and measure it in the shape you plan to hang it. Divide 72 inches by that length, multiply by ten and round up for an estimate.
Ten strips will not reliably make six feet, because the distance around each ring is different from the length it adds to the linked chain. Make your sample with the same paper and overlap you plan to use. Every number below is an example, not a tested result for this strip size.
Worked example: suppose your ten-link sample reaches 24 inches when you hold it in the garland shape. Then 72 ÷ 24 = 3, and 3 × 10 = 30 strips. On letter paper, 30 ÷ 11 is about 2.7, so you would cut three sheets. If you switch to 1-by-9-inch construction-paper strips, measure a new sample instead of reusing the letter-paper figure. As the chain grows, hold it up to the space before closing the last links.
Choose a Christmas color pattern
Start with the first color listed and repeat the sequence. The counts in this table are for 10 or 16 links, not for six or ten feet of garland. For a longer chain, count the complete repeats first. Then, for any remaining links, add colors from the start of the sequence.
The cards also include Candy stripe, Kraft cabin, Tree lights and First frost. You can use their sequences with the same strip size, or let children choose colors from the paper you already have. Sort the strips into piles by color before anyone closes the first loop, and put a short example sequence beside the piles so children can see which color comes next.
If a child finds it hard to follow the pattern by color alone, write the color name or a simple symbol on each pile and on the example sequence. Ask the family what helps. Our color-blind-friendly party games page has more ideas that don't rely on matching colors.
| Pattern | Repeating sequence | For 10 links | For 16 links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peppermint twist | Red, white | 5 red, 5 white | 8 red, 8 white |
| Holly berry | Green, red, green, white | 5 green, 3 red, 2 white | 8 green, 4 red, 4 white |
| Santa's belt | Red, red, white, black | 6 red, 2 white, 2 black | 8 red, 4 white, 4 black |
| Winter night | Green, green, white, white | 6 green, 4 white | 8 green, 8 white |
How to link the paper strips
Rings in a chain naturally face different ways. Keep the decorated side facing out, but don't expect every ring to lie flat or every seam to face the wall.
- Curve the first strip into a ring, with any decorated side facing out.
- Overlap the ends by half an inch, put glue stick on the overlap and press the ends together until they hold. Follow the directions on your glue rather than counting a set number of seconds. An adult can use a staple instead.
- Thread the next strip through the closed ring before joining its ends.
- Keep going in your color sequence. In pairs, one child can hold a ring while the other glues the next strip, then they swap jobs.
- Hold the chain up to the space where it will hang and add links as needed. Support both ends, and add support wherever you want a swag to rise.
While you hold it up, check what the garland will hang from and that it won't crowd the room. If the same table is used for crafts and food, leave time to clear it. See decorating a small party space without clutter or damage before fastening anything.
Should we use glue or staples?
Quick answer: Glue sticks let children close their own loops at the table. An adult can use a stapler instead.
Try your paper and fastening method on a sample first, especially if you switch from copy paper to thicker card stock. If children are working on their own chains, glue sticks keep the job in their hands. If an adult is putting together a long garland, staples are another option.
Make a 25-day Christmas countdown chain
Cut 25 strips for December 1 to 25, plus one unnumbered strip to hang the chain from: 26 strips in total. On letter paper, that is three sheets, but you may need more if you want each color on separate sheets. Write the date on the outside of each strip and that day's activity on the inside before closing the loops.
Link the dated rings with December 1 at the bottom and December 2 through December 25 going upward, then the hanging strip above December 25. Hang the chain on November 30. Each morning, tear off the bottom dated ring and read its activity. After December 25, only the hanging strip is left.
Use the dated cards in order, changing activities to suit your family. Ideas from the cards include cocoa after school, paper snowflakes, a holiday story and one ornament per person. The random picker can suggest another idea, but it does not keep track of which dates you have already done. Store the countdown as one linked chain. Keeping some strips separately would break up the daily order.
If you swap out a craft day, a short acting round needs little preparation. Choose prompts that suit your family, and show each card privately to the actor. Christmas acting cards for families include a random picker.
Set up the craft table and run a session
This example session lasts 60 minutes and assumes the strips are already cut. If you are making longer chains, allow more time for linking.
Before following the timetable, check the table has space for strips and finished chains, and decide where children go if you pause for food. Choosing a craft project and getting the table ready also covers cleanup and pickup.
For a decoration on party day, you could cut strips two days ahead, link them the day before and hang them on the morning of the party. Store the chains loosely between sessions.
- 0:00 to 0:10: Show how to make the first loop. Children choose a pattern and sort their strips.
- 0:10 to 0:35: Link the chains. Show how to thread each new strip through the last closed ring.
- 0:35 to 0:45: Check and finish. Measure the garlands or check the countdown dates, and add any missing links.
- 0:45 to 0:55: Set the chains aside. Clear away scraps and start a quiet activity while the glue sets.
- 0:55 to 1:00: Hang the chains or pack them up. Put each child's chain with their belongings if it is going home.
For that quiet pause, the ready-made text from Christmas activity placemats works well: read a joke aloud or draw a table question. You don't need the optional drawn puzzles, and nobody has to handle the drying chains.
If you already have boards ready, picture bingo is another seated choice for the drying time, instead of the placemats. Rounds vary in length, so use Christmas picture bingo only if your schedule has room. Keep the caller log and a pencil within reach.
Can we make the chains ahead of time?
Quick answer: Yes. Put the finished chains loosely in a box and check the joins before you hang them.
How long the chains keep their shape depends on the paper, glue and storage. Don't fold the links into sharp creases. If you plan to keep the decorations for another year, test a sample first.
Checklist before you start
- Measure the hanging space and make a ten-link sample before cutting a whole stack of strips.
- Put out paper, a ruler, scissors and glue sticks. Cut strips in advance for anyone who needs them.
- Sort the colors and put a sample sequence beside each pile.
- For a countdown, write the dates and activities on the strips before linking them.
- Decide who will show the first loop and who will refill supplies.
- Leave a box or clear surface for finished chains and somewhere to put scraps.
Ask one helper to look after scraps and agree when the table gets cleared, so finished chains stay safe and the job doesn't all land on you. Our guide to planning party cleanup so it doesn't fall on the host covers sharing those jobs.
| Where you want the chain | Target length | Your estimated strip count |
|---|---|---|
| A 4-foot doorway swag | 48 inches | __________ |
| A 6-foot mantel garland | 72 inches | __________ |
| A 10-foot wall garland | 120 inches | __________ |
| Detail | Your notes |
|---|---|
| Where the chain will hang | ______________________________ |
| Target length in inches | ______________________________ |
| Strip size and overlap | ______________________________ |
| Ten-link sample measurement | ______________________________ |
| Estimated strips needed | ______________________________ |
| Color sequence | ______________________________ |
| Sheets of each color | ______________________________ |
| Extra strips to cut | ______________________________ |