How to Use Paper Chains for Greater Focus in Your Homeschool
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What is it about paper chains?
My boys absolutely love using a paper chain as a countdown for special occasions, holidays, or vacations. We have made paper chains for birthdays and to get ready for visitors to stay with us.
Do your kids love to use paper chains like my boys do?
If so, have you even considered using them in your homeschool? Fantastic visual and tactile reminders to help with focus, motivation, and having fun!
Why Paper Chains Can Help You Rock Your Homeschool
Easy to make with simple materials, paper chains can be created in just a few minutes. Your young learners can help by picking out paper colors and maybe adding a special touch with stickers or markers. Your little ones can also practice scissor skills by cutting out the strips. Help those little ones learn patterns by alternating colors, too!
No matter what the age of your homeschool kids, paper chains are fun. There is something very satisfying about removing a link to signify a task or event has been completed.
You can use paper chains in your homeschool for a variety of reasons like:
- Homeschool morning routine tasks
- Homeschool morning gathering tasks and subjects
- Breaking down your homeschool day into subjects or blocks
- By subject (link for each task)
- Count number of days in your homeschool year
- Anticipating special occasions like homeschool field trips
- Countdown to holidays or breaks
- Learn concepts like the alphabet, counting to ten, addition facts, etc.
Paper chains can also appeal to different learning styles. Visual learners appreciate being able to see their tasks or goals. Kinesthetic learners like forming the paper chains and physically removing links. Audio learners enjoy saying aloud the concepts, subjects, or whatever else your paper chain represents.
How to Use Paper Chains for Greater Focus in Your Homeschool
Helpful hint: have a few rules to guide the use of your homeschool focus paper chain. Talk with your kids about the reason behind your paper chain, where it will be located, and when it will be used.
If your kids tend to argue over who gets to take down the next link, you could make a paper chain for each child. Better yet, make a paper chain for taking turns!
In case you have not yet had the pleasure of making a paper chain, you will need paper, scissors, and stapler or glue. Use these steps to get started:
- Select paper for your chain. You can use colors based on preference, season, or even recycle!
- Use scissors to cut strips that are at least 1" wide.
- Write on the middle of the strips. Use numbers to keep in order, if necessary.
- Wth the writing facing out, bend strip until ends meet with a slight overlap.
- Staple or glue the overlap to hold link in place.
- Insert another paper strip (with writing towards outside of paper chain) through the center. Attach with staple or glue at overlap.
- Continue process until your paper chain is complete.
Here is an example of how my boys and I are using paper chains in our homeschool. If you think it would help your homeschool, click on the image below for a free instant download.
We made a huge paper chain with 180 cardstock links-one for each day of our homeschool year! Such a fun activity!
Make sure to keep your homeschool focus paper chain in an area where all can see but up from curious little hands. Refer to as needed to keep everyone focused during your homeschool day!
What other ways would you use a homeschool focus paper chain?
For more homeschool fun ideas, check out our free monthly homeschool fun calendars! 