Need a 5–10-minute craft and a bit of fun? A Paper Fortune Teller is an origami finger game made from one sheet of paper. It moves up, down, and sideways on your fingers in a game of chance answers to tell fortunes, jokes, or predictions!
Jump to:
- Fun Paper Fortune Teller Games
- Cootie Catchers - ha!
- Origami fortune teller or origami finger game
- Free Printable Paper Fortune Teller Pattern
- Paper Fortune Teller Instructions
- Fortune teller game instructions
- But we haven’t written anything under the flaps yet!!!
- Decide which game to play
- Such an Easy Craft!
- Other ideas for your Paper Fortune Teller
- Craft Video Tutorial
- More origami crafts on Welcome to Nana's!
- Supplies to Make Your Paper Fortune Teller
- DIY Paper Fortune Teller- Cootie Catcher
Fun Paper Fortune Teller Games
Ready for a fun one? These paper fortune tellers are so much fun to make, they used to bring us hours of entertainment!
Add riddles, options of good fortune, or predictions of future dreams and good luck, and you are ready for lots of laughs.
This craft could also double as a fast puppet or cute May basket. Using just one piece of paper and a pencil to make, it's versatile, fast, and easy!
Cootie Catchers - ha!
Did you ever make a paper fortune teller in grade school? We called them cootie catchers or pinchers and filled them with riddles or predictions of who we might marry.
This little folded paper game provided entertainment so many times when all we had was a piece of paper, some time to fill, and a bit of imagination. We probably made hundreds of cootie catchers over the years- for games, puppets, and May baskets.
Origami fortune teller or origami finger game
I never thought of this being origami, but that’s what it is! We would tear a piece of paper into a square, fold it carefully, and write our messages inside. So technically, it is a form of origami! I’ve heard it called an origami finger game as well.
It does take a little bit of fancy folding, but don't worry, it's made easier by the free pattern and step-by-step instructions below.
Free Printable Paper Fortune Teller Pattern
There is a printable paper fortune teller for you to print off, cut out and fold if you would like. Or you can easily cut and use your own paper. Let’s see how it works.
Print off the Printable Paper Fortune Teller and cut it out. Here is the link: Printable Paper Fortune Teller.
You can use any kind of paper you'd like, as long as it's not too thick. I'd recommend a piece of origami paper, printer paper, scrapbook paper, or construction paper.
The printable template makes for a great size for your fingers, but if you wanted to try a little piece of paper (or a giant one), that could be fun too.
If you'd prefer not to print off the pattern, you can take a sheet of printer paper, fold down one corner to the opposite corner to make a triangle flap from the paper, and cut off the extra.
The triangle will open and be an even square. That’s the starting point of this craft, a square piece of paper.
Paper Fortune Teller Instructions
Ready to make our origami paper fortune tellers? Once the kids get started, they might not want to stop, these silly things are a lot of fun.
Let's jump in!
Crease the paper all directions
Fold the square paper in half from the left side of the paper to the right, crease well, and then open out flat. Fold the square paper in half from the top edge of the paper to the bottom edge, crease well and then open out flat.
Then fold the square paper diagonally both directions, making the corner tip touch as you crease well, and open out flat again.
Each fold line will help you to do the origami folding of the fortune teller evenly- so make the first folds as accurately as possible.
Fold the corners into the center
Lay the flat but creased paper in front of you. Fold the top right corner of the paper into the very center of the square (where all of the first creased lines intersect).
Note: If using the free printable pattern, start with the printed side DOWN.
Repeat this with the top left corner, then the bottom corners of the paper as well, so you are left with identical triangles that create a smaller square. These corners of the original square should meet at the center but not overlap.
Keep the corners folded in, don’t unfold again.
Write on or color in the color words
If you are making the game from your own paper, write a color word on each point that meets at the center- “BLUE”, “YELLOW”, “RED”, and “GREEN”.
Note: The free printable paper will have this done for you.
Turn this over, so the outer folds are facing away from you.
Fold into the center again
Fold each of the corners of this smaller square into the center of the paper and crease well. They will touch at the center but not overlap (like the last time).
Keep these small triangles you've created folded in.
Write on the numbers
If you are making the game from your own paper, write a number on each of the 8 small triangle sections you see. Number them 1-8.
Note: The free printable paper will have this done for you.
This is all the origami folding that needs to be done in this simple project. Easy-peasy!
Turn the folded paper fortune teller over.
The fun part!
The folds have created four little square flaps or pockets that you can stick your fingers into (use your thumb, and first three fingers- the poor pinky finger gets left out!).
This pops these little pockets open (your fingers go in these pockets) and causes the four corners of the square to meet together in a point. This takes a bit of maneuvering the first time you do it.
As you move your fingers you can open the points up and down. This will create the movement of the game (or puppet).
Fortune teller game instructions
Now for instructions on how to make and play the game.
You will have a person choose a color on the front of the Paper Fortune Teller. Then you’ll move the “mouth” up and down as you spell the color they have chosen.
So if they choose “RED”, you open it up and down/then sideways and back together three times as you spell out “R-E-D”.
Then the person will choose a number from inside the open Paper Fortune Teller “mouth” from the position it is in after you have spelled out the color.
On my game, the numbers 7,8,3, or 4 are available as choices after spelling out R-E-D.
So if they choose “8”, you take the Paper Fortune Teller off your fingers and lift the flap with an “8” on it to see what it says.
But we haven’t written anything under the flaps yet!!!
OK, for our last step, let’s decide what game we are playing and add our messages inside of the fortune teller next.
Lay the Paper Fortune teller back down on the table and flatten it out again so that the side with the 8 numbers is on top.
You will be lifting each flap and writing something on the area underneath each number. That is what you will read to the person you are playing with when they choose that number. Make sense?
This is the last thing to be done to finish up this fun game!
Decide which game to play
Now that you know how the game is played, you can start imagining ways you could use it to have some fun. This one folded paper can be used for a lot of kinds of different games!
Here are a few ideas of things to write under the flaps.
- Write short jokes- (perfect for April Fool's Day!)
- Answers to yes/no questions (like- “Definitely so” or “No way!”)
- Fun fortunes (like- “You will make a friend today”)
- Activities to go and do (like- go play hide-n-seek)
- Learning games (like questions and answers to something that is being studied)
There are lists of answer possibilities for these games on the Free Printable Paper Fortune Teller Pattern for you to choose from if you would like!
Here is the link again: Free Printable Paper Fortune Teller Pattern
Such an Easy Craft!
And that's it! Now go and find someone to play with, maybe go offer to tell a friend's fortune!
Keep this craft idea in mind for a time filler for the kids, when you have a few free extra minutes.
All you need is a piece of paper and a pencil, but there are all sorts of fun things that can come from it.
Other ideas for your Paper Fortune Teller
I know you already have all sorts of games to play with this simple craft, but I bet you didn't know you could turn these origami folds into something else as well!
Here are a couple other really cute ideas that we used to do with the Paper Fortune Teller.
Cute Origami May Basket
Cut and fold a large colorful square of paper into a paper fortune teller. Place it points down on the table and add a handle to the top.
Put a few flowers and a bit of candy in the pockets and it makes a great May basket!
This could be a cute little handmade gift idea for Mother's Day as well.
Simple Origami Puppet
A Paper Fortune Teller can also be used as a very simple puppet. Put your fingers in the fortune teller and close the pointed parts together to form the “mouth” of the puppet.
Draw a mouth on the horizontal line and two eyes above the mouth, on each side of the vertical line. You can add decorations of all types to the face. Be creative!
Only open the fortune teller up and down to make the mouth move. It’s a puppet!
Oh, I just remembered, we used to draw a “tongue” inside the open mouth- ha!
You can add whatever features you would like. Simple and fun!
Craft Video Tutorial
Pop on over to YouTube to watch the video if that is your preference. And while you are at it, subscribe while you are there!
Link: YouTube video link for Paper Fortune Teller- Cootie Catcher DIY
A paper fortune teller is easy to make with a single piece of paper! Start by folding in the corners of your paper, then write four color words. Fold again, then write your numbers. Turn the paper over and gently find the "pockets" for your fingers. Now open the fortune teller up and write your messages inside. Refold and it's ready for you to play!
Some great fortunes for a paper fortune teller are: "You will make a friend today", "You will find something you lost", and "You will accomplish something difficult". You can also use your paper fortune teller to answer questions, or tell jokes!
First, have a person ask a question, then choose a color on the front of the Paper Fortune Teller. Then you’ll move the “mouth” up and down as you spell the color they have chosen. Next, they will choose a number that is now displayed inside the open Paper Fortune Teller “mouth”. Lift the flap of the number selected to see what it says.
You may have heard of a paper fortune teller being called a "cootie catcher" in the past! Since it is a simple form of origami, it can also be called an origami finger game.
More origami crafts on Welcome to Nana's!
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- Folded Origami Paper Stars
- Origami Shirt Fathers Day Card
- Easy Origami Corner Book Marks
- How to Make Paper Airplanes
- How to Make Origami Trees (3 Ways!)
Supplies to Make Your Paper Fortune Teller
- Paper Fortune Teller- Cootie Catcher Free Printable (print on one side only)
- Colored pencils or markers
- Scissors
DIY Paper Fortune Teller- Cootie Catcher
Equipment
- Scissors
Items Required
- Free Printable Paper Fortune Teller Pattern
- OR copy paper
- Colored pencils or markers
Instructions
- Print off the Free Printable Paper Fortune Teller Pattern and cut it out. Here is the link: Printable Paper Fortune Teller.OR you can take a sheet of printer paper, fold down one corner to make a triangle from the paper and cut off the extra. The triangle will open and be an even square. That’s the starting point of this craft, a square piece of paper.
- Fold the square paper in half one direction, crease well, and then open out flat. Fold the square paper in half the other direction, crease well and then open out flat. Then fold the square paper diagonally both directions, crease well, and open out flat again.
- Lay the flat but creased paper in front of you. Fold a corner of the paper into the very center of the square (where all of the first creased lines intersect). Note: If using the free printable pattern, start with the printed side DOWN.Repeat this with all four corners of the paper. These corners of the original square should meet at the center but not overlap. Keep the corners folded in, don’t unfold again- which makes it a smaller square.
- If you are making the game from your own paper, write a color word on each point that meets at the center- “BLUE”, “YELLOW”, “RED”, and “GREEN”.Note: The free printable paper will have this done for you. Turn this over.
- Fold each of the corners of this smaller square into the center and crease well. They will touch at the center but not overlap (like the first time). Keep these folded in.
- If you are making the game from your own paper, write a number on each of the 8 small triangle sections you see. Number them 1-8.Note: The free printable paper will have this done for you.This is all the origami folding that needs to be done in this simple project. Easy-peasy!Turn the folded Paper Fortune Teller over.
- The folds have created four little pockets that you can stick your fingers into (use your thumb and first three fingers- the poor pinky finger gets left out!).This pops these little pockets open (your fingers go in these pockets) and causes the four corners of the square to meet together in a point. This takes a bit of maneuvering the first time you do it. As you move your fingers you can open the points up and down. This will create the movement of the game (or puppet).
- Now for instructions on how to make and play the game.You will have a person choose a color on the front of the Paper Fortune Teller. Then you’ll move the “mouth” up and down as you spell the color they have chosen. So if they choose “RED”, you open it up and down/then sideways and back together three times as you spell out “R-E-D”. Then the person will choose a number from inside the open Paper Fortune Teller “mouth” from the position it is in after you have spelled out the color.On my game, the numbers 7,8,3, or 4 are available as choices after spelling out R-E-D.So if they choose “8”, you take the Paper Fortune Teller off your fingers and lift the flap with an “8” on it to see what it says.
- Lay the Paper Fortune teller back down on the table and flatten it out again so that the side with the 8 numbers is on top.You will be lifting each flap and writing something on the area underneath each number. That is what you will read to the person you are playing with when they choose that number. Make sense?
- There are lists of possibilities of what to write (several game ideas) on the Free Printable Paper Fortune Teller Pattern for you to choose from if you would like! Here is the link again: Free Printable Paper Fortune Teller Pattern
- Other uses for the paper fortune teller- draw a face on the front and use it as a finger puppet. OR staple on a handle and use it as a May Basket!!
Video
This post was originally published in April 2023 and has been updated to add more relevant and detailed content.
Laura says
I used to make these all the time as a kid, such a fun game with friends 🙂