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Easy DIY Shamrock Chain: A Fun St. Patrick's Day Craft for Families

A step-by-step guide to creating a festive DIY shamrock decoration

By Jenny Sites, publisher of Macaroni KID Fredericksburg-Spotsylvania-Stafford, Va. February 26, 2024

Transform your St. Patrick's Day into a magical experience by crafting with your kids! My kids were super excited to create this adorable paper shamrock chain and string it up around the house. They are hoping to attract a leprechaun with their fun green and white decor.

Create your own paper shamrock chain for St. Patrick's Day with these easy step-by-step instructions.

Note: We chose to make our chain as four leaf clovers, but you can make true shamrocks instead by stapling one section straight as a stem instead of into a heart.

Paper Shamrock Chain

Supplies:

  • Green 8.5x11 inch paper
  • White 8.5x11 inch paper
  • Scissors
  • Stapler (Glue or double-sided tape will also work)

Directions:

1. Turn the paper vertically and cut each piece into eight long strips. (Each sheet of paper will create two shamrocks.)

2. Take 4 strips of the same color and fold them each in half to make a "V" shape, like this:



3. Staple one "V" to another "V" and continue around until they form an "X", as shown here:



4. Once you have stapled all 4 pieces together, turn down the top ends of one of the "V" shaped pieces to create a heart. Staple the ends together to create a heart:



5. Repeat step 4 until all four hearts have been created:



6. Repeat steps 1-5 for the green paper, but only create 3 hearts, leaving the last heart unstapled. Slide one side of the "V" through the white shamrock and then create a heart and staple it, linking the two shamrocks together, like this:



7. Continue step 6, alternating shamrock colors as you link:



Follow these simple steps to create a shamrock chain that brings a touch of St. Patrick's Day spirit into your home and offers a fun crafting experience for the whole family!

☘️ Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘️

Jenny Sites is the publisher of Macaroni KID Fredericksburg-Spotsylvania-Stafford, Va.