Home · DIY Corner · DIY Paper-Chain Garland

DIY Paper-Chain Garland for a Kids' Party (Sukkah-Ready)

Every child knows how to make a paper chain. The difference between a classroom chain and a stylist's garland is three decisions — paper, palette and how you hang it — and none of them costs more than a few dollars.

The paper chain is the most democratic decoration there is — every child can make one, and every classroom has. That's exactly why a chain that looks styled stops people: they know what it's made of and can't quite believe it looks that good. A well-made chain draped along the front edge of the children's table, looped across a sukkah wall or swagged above a dessert cart reads as intentional, sculptural and expensive, and it costs less than a balloon.

This version takes thirty minutes for a ten-foot run, keeps the kids fully involved, and follows three rules that turn a craft into décor.

How to make it

1. Choose a three-color palette plus gold

   The classroom chain uses every color in the pack. The stylist's chain uses three — usually two tones of the party's main color and one neutral (ivory, blush or sage) — plus a single sheet of metallic gold. Pull the colors from the theme you've chosen; our theme pages each list a palette. If you're decorating a sukkah, warm ivory, olive and terracotta with gold look beautiful against greenery.

2. Cut uniform strips

   Cut every strip 1 inch wide by 8 inches long. Uniformity is the whole trick — a chain where every link is identical looks manufactured; a chain with drifting widths looks like homework. A $10 paper trimmer makes this a five-minute job; if you're cutting with scissors, draw the lines with a ruler first and let the children cut on the line. One letter-size sheet gives eleven strips; a ten-foot chain needs about 55 links.

3. Color-block instead of alternating

   Here's the decision that changes everything. Don't alternate colors link by link. Build the chain in runs of five to seven links of one color, then a single gold link, then a run of the next color. Color-blocking makes the chain read as bands of color from across the room, and the gold link every run acts like a piece of jewelry. Glue stick or double-sided tape at the seam — never staples, which snag small fingers and catch on ribbon.

4. Loop the ends the same direction

   As you add each link, thread it through the previous one and close the seam on the same side every time. When all seams face one direction, the chain hangs flat with every link showing its good face. Give the finished chain a gentle shake to let the links settle before you hang it.

5. Hang it in swags, not a straight line

   A paper chain pulled straight looks like a barrier. Hung in soft swags with an anchor every three to four feet, it looks like bunting from a shop window. Use removable adhesive hooks or small clips on the wall or the sukkah's frame, tie a loop of ribbon at each anchor point, and let each swag droop about a hand's width. Along the front of the kids' table, clip it just under the tabletop edge so it hangs clear of little knees — see our table-styling guide for where the eye goes first.

Where it earns its keep

Along the front edge of a kid-height table, a color-blocked chain frames the whole setting in photos. On a sukkah wall it's the one decoration that looks better the more children help — and it survives wind if you anchor it on the wall side rather than the open side. Above a dessert cart, one long swag draws the eye up to the cake. For a Sukkot table start to finish, read our Sukkot kids' table guide.

Frequently asked questions