Fun Paper Fortune Teller Games
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.
Add riddles or predictions of future dreams and you are ready for lots of laughs!
Also terrific for a fast puppet or cute May basket!! 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 origami. I’ve heard it called an origami finger game as well.
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.
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.
Paper Fortune Teller Instructions
Crease the paper all directions
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.
These crease lines 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 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.
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.
Fold into the center again
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.
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 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).
Paper fortune teller 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, let’s decide what game we are playing and do that 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?
Decide which game to play
Now that you know how the game is played you can start imagining ways you could use it as a game. There are a lot of ways to use this as a game. 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)
List of things to write under the flaps- ideas
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
That’s it?
Yep, that's it!
Now go and find someone to play with!
Keep this idea in mind for a time filler. Just need a piece of paper and a pencil!
Other ideas for your Paper Fortune Teller- Cootie Catcher
Here are a couple other really cute ideas that we used to do with the Paper Fortune Teller.
Cute May Basket from a Paper Fortune Teller
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!
Simple Puppet from a Paper Fortune Teller
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!
YouTube Video
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
More origami crafts on Welcome to Nana's!
Loving the paper-folding fun? Hop on over to one of these origami ideas to keep the creativity rolling:
- Folded Origami Paper Stars
- Origami Shirt Fathers Day Card
- Easy Origami Corner Book Marks
- How to Make Paper Airplanes
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
Supplies for Paper Fortune Teller- Cootie Catchers
- Paper Fortune Teller- Cootie Catcher Free Printable (print on one side only)
- Colored pencils or markers
- Scissors
M says
The link does not work.
sally says
The link doesn't work.