Paper chain codebreakers
There’s a glitch in the paper chain. The workshop needs a pattern spotter to work out where the colours went wrong.
Something has gone wrong on the workshop production line. A paper chain that should alternate red and white perfectly has a glitch, and the elf needs a sharp-eyed codebreaker to find and fix it.
It’s a clever little puzzle for children who love spotting patterns, and putting it right with the spare link feels genuinely satisfying.
Once the chain is mended it can go up as a decoration, and the children can keep adding links through December to see how long it grows.
How to set it up
- Cut strips and tape the first into a loop. Thread each new strip through the last loop before taping its ends.
- Alternate colours, then put two red links together. Leave a spare white strip with the elf.
- Ask a codebreaker to spot the slip. Open the tape on one red link and help them fit the white link between the two reds.