Heart Chain

What You Need:

• Red construction paper
• Pink construction paper
• White construction paper
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Mini stapler

What You Do:

1. Place a sheet of red construction paper vertically on a table in front of your child.
2. Have them fold the top of the paper down to meet the bottom of the paper. The paper should now be folded in half.
3. Show them how to use a ruler to measure half an inch.  Starting at the top left edge of the folded paper, have them make a mark on the paper with a pencil at every half inch mark until they reach the end of the paper. 
4. Help them repeat this process with the bottom edge of the paper.
5. Now show them how to use the ruler to match up the first top mark with the first bottom mark.
6. Let them use a pencil to draw a line along the ruler that connects each top and bottom mark.
7. Have them continue to make these lines across the rest of the page.
8. Next, let them use scissors to cut each penciled line. Make sure they cut the paper while it is still folded. Each of their paper strips should have a fold.
9. Help your child make similar strips of folded paper from the white and pink sheets of construction paper.
10. Have them choose the first color strip they want to turn into a heart.
11. Help them grab both ends of the strip before folding them inward. If they do this right, they should see the shape of a heart form. 
12. Let them hold onto their heart while you carefully staple the ends together.
13. To create their chain, have them string the next strip of paper through the already stapled heart before stapling the ends together.
14. They should repeat this process until all of their paper strips are used up. Once they're done, help them hang their heart chain where everyone can enjoy it!