Are the kids itching to get to Christmas or other holiday or event? A paper chain will help them know how many days are left.

It is made out of strips of paper cut into 3/4" or 1" wide strips about 6" long. Then you can tape or glue the ends together, interlocking each piece of the chain by putting the next strip through the center of the first strip and then gluing or taping.

These can be made out of construction paper or use scrap paper. Green, red, or yellow are good Christmas colors, but you can use any color you have on hand. See our Materials page or Mining Your Mail or Mining Your Trash pages for other ideas of things to use.

Some things you can do with the chain are:

• Write a special activity on each chain to do each day.


• Have a special treat or small gift for each day.


• Create the first clue for a treasure hunt each day ending with a small token gift (which you can make for free too) or a piece of candy or small candy canes work well too.


• Write a number on each chain. You can make it count down or count up.

Enjoy counting down the days to Christmas or your own special holiday.

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