A Simple Guide to Making Hand-in-Hand Paper Doll Garlands

The hands are key to making the dolls connect as a chain.

Making a chain of paper dolls is a pleasant surprise, and it's just as enjoyable to teach a young child the trick behind these connected paper figures. The trick to getting a good chain is to sketch the dolls so that both hands extend past the folded edges of the paper; this way, each doll's hands will link with the hands of the next one. To create different looks, you can alter the shapes of the figures to make various styles of paper doll chains.

Step 1

Place a sheet of paper in a vertical orientation, as if you were about to read a letter on it. Fold it in half from left to right, then press down along the center crease. Tear the paper in half along that crease, or use scissors to cut it. Each half will produce one chain of paper dolls. The size of the paper isn't important, but larger paper will result in bigger dolls.

Step 2

Turn one half sheet so that it is wider than it is tall. Fold it in half from left to right, making a crease, so that the fold ends up on the left side.

Step 3

Take the front flap of the paper—the right edge—and fold it back to align with the left edge, creating a straight vertical crease along the fold.

Step 4

Turn the paper over and fold the remaining flap—now on the left—over to meet the right side, creasing it vertically. If you slightly unfold the paper, it should resemble an accordion or zigzag shape.

Step 5

On the top flap of the folded paper, draw a paper doll shape so that both hands go a little beyond the sides of the paper. Make the figure fill almost the entire vertical space of the flap. You can design the character as male, female, or gender-neutral, and color it in later.

Step 6

Cut out the figure while keeping the paper folded, so you cut through all the layers at once. Be careful not to cut the folds or edges where the hands extend beyond the paper. Unfold the paper to see your paper doll chain.