Dads and kids: Making paper doll chains

Making a paper doll chain is a perfect activity for dads and children on a sleepy afternoon. It is simple and does not require either time or money. Most importantly, it will be an exercise in creativity that the children will surely enjoy.

Things you will need:

* Some cardboard or hard paper

* A pair of scissors

* Pen, crayons, markers, and color pencils

* Glue

* Colorful paper or fabric scraps, buttons, beads, ribbons, sequins, and stickers to decorate the dolls

Steps to make the doll chain:

* Cut out a broad strip of the cardboard or paper. This could be about 10 cm high and as long as you want to make your doll chain.

* Fold about 6 cm of one end of the strip. At the point where the folded end overlaps, fold the strip again, but in the other direction. Go on making similar, alternating folds, so that the entire strip is folded into accordion style panels.

* Hold the folded panels bunched up tightly, with the top panel facing you. Help your children to draw the outline of a doll on this top panel, with the hands and legs spread out so that these extend to the panel borders.

* Carefully cut around the doll, taking care to retain the folds where the hands and legs touch the borders.

* Now unfold the strip to see your chain of dolls, joined by their hands and legs.

* Let your children decorate the dolls using the crayons, markers, color pencils, pieces of fabric, beads, ribbons, etc.

* You can even help your kids cut out little shapes from fabric scraps that they can use to create colorful dresses for the dolls.

You can use this chain to decorate the walls of your living room. You could even stick it around a lampshade, hang it as a mobile, or use it to decorate your child's door.