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3D paper star: a Christmas craft for 8-year-olds
Age: 7+ · Time: 30 min · For:
A 3D paper star looks impressive hanging in a window or on the tree, but it is made from two squares of paper with just a few folds, cuts and dabs of glue. Children of 7 or 8 can usually make one independently after the first try.
Tips
- Crisp creases give sharp points.
- Use patterned paper: old maps, sheet music or book pages look beautiful.
- Staples are quicker than glue for older children.
Ideas
- A star garland: make five small stars and string them on a ribbon.
- A tree topper: a big golden star with a hole in the back for the top branch.
You need
- 2 square sheets of paper of 15 x 15 cm (printer paper, coloured paper or an old calendar page)
- scissors
- a glue stick or PVA glue
- a pencil and a ruler
- a thread or ribbon for hanging
- a stapler (optional)
Steps
- Fold one square in half diagonally both ways and in half straight across both ways. Unfold. You now have eight creases meeting in the centre.
- Make the cuts: on each of the four straight creases (not the diagonal ones), cut from the edge towards the centre, stopping about a third of the way from the middle.
- You now have eight flaps, two at each corner. Put glue on one flap at a corner and overlap it with its neighbour to make a point. Hold until it sticks.
- Repeat at all four corners. The square rises into a four-pointed star with a raised centre.
- Make a second star the same way from the other square.
- Glue the two stars back to back, with the points turned so the second star's points sit between the first one's, so you get eight points.
- Glue or tie a thread to one point for hanging.
Questions
My star is flat. What went wrong?
The cuts may be too long or too short. Stop a third of the way from the centre. Overlapping the flaps more makes the star taller.
Can I make it bigger?
Yes, use 30 cm squares for a big star for the window. Thicker paper keeps a large star in shape.
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