DIY Paper Starburst Kids' Birthday Party Decorations

How to Make a Paper Starburst

These beautiful starburst decorations look complicated but are actually super-simple to make. All you need is some paper cut into squares, scissors, and glue. Kids will love making these for a birthday party, holiday celebration, kids' crafts party, or any other occasion.

Gather Your Supplies

To make these easy paper starbursts, you will need just a few things:

• Lightweight card stock or construction paper in beautiful colors, cut into 4" x 4" squares (If you want bigger starbursts or smaller ones, simply adjust the size—say, to 3" x 3" squares or 2" x 2" squares.)
• Scissors or a paper trimmer
• Ruler
• Glue stick
• Stapler

To hang the paper starbursts you will need:

• Hole punch
• Ribbon

Take a Square and Fold It in Half Into a Triangle

Start by taking one of the squares and folding it in half to form a triangle as shown.

Fold the Triangle Again and Make 2 Cuts

Fold the triangle once again in half. Hold it so that the seam you just folded is on the bottom. Make two parallel cuts, each about 3/4 of the way up. 

Your Triangle Will Look Like This

At this stage, your triangle will look like this.

Unfold Your Square

When you unfold the square you've cut, it will look like this.

Fold and Glue the Inner Square’s Corners

Keeping the square with a corner facing you so that it's diamond-shaped and the cut corners are on the left and right sides, fold the two flaps of innermost corners over each other and glue them together. Try to keep the fold you've made rounded as you glue the corners together. (Hint: Putting a pencil into it when you glue it down will help).

Turn the Square Over and Glue the Middle Set of Corners Together

Take your square and flip it over. Glue the middle set of corners together just as you did with the center corners, making sure that you keep the flaps rounded.

Flip It Over Again and Glue the Remaining Corners

Flip the square over once again and glue the last two corners together, again making sure that you keep the paper rounded. You now have a completed star point.

Continue Making More Star Points

Take your next square and repeat the steps above. Keep making star points until you have a full star (about 7 points should do it for a star this size). Lay them out before gluing the points together.

Glue or Staple the Points Together

Take your glue stick or a stapler and glue or staple the points of your star together at the bottom of each point, as shown.

The Finished Starburst

When you are done, your paper starbursts will look like this. They are as gorgeous as they are easy to make.

If you plan to hang them around the house, you can make a hole at one of the top points of a star point and put a ribbon through and loop it so that it's ready for hanging. These work great as decorations for any type of party.