Paper Fortune Teller: How to Fold It, Play It and 40 Fortunes
A paper fortune teller is a square of paper folded into four little pockets that open and close on your fingers. A friend picks a colour and a number, you count, and a flap reveals their "fortune". Children have made them for generations, and they still work in any classroom or at any party. Here is how to fold one, how to play, and 40 fortunes to write inside.
What You Need
- One square sheet of paper. A normal A4 or letter sheet works: fold one corner down to the opposite edge and cut off the extra strip.
- Coloured pens or pencils.
- About five minutes.
How to Fold a Paper Fortune Teller
- Fold the square in half corner to corner both ways, then unfold. You now have an X-shaped crease.
- Fold all four corners into the centre, where the creases cross. You have a smaller square.
- Turn the paper over.
- Again fold all four new corners into the centre. The square gets smaller still.
- Fold the square in half, unfold, and fold it in half the other way, so it bends easily.
- Turn it over so you see four small square flaps. Slide a thumb and finger of each hand under the flaps and push the four points together. It should open and close in two directions.
If it will not open both ways, sharpen every crease with a fingernail and try again. Thin paper is easier than card.
How to Fill It In
- Outside (4 squares): colour each one, or write four colours, animals or names of planets.
- Inside (8 triangles): write the numbers 1 to 8.
- Under the flaps (8 spaces): lift each number flap and write a fortune behind it.
How to Play
- Hold the fortune teller closed on your fingers. Your friend picks one of the four outside colours.
- Spell the colour out loud, opening and closing the fortune teller once for each letter (R-E-D is three moves).
- Your friend picks one of the numbers they can see inside. Open and close that many times.
- They pick one more number. Lift that flap and read their fortune out loud.
It looks random, but a quick player can learn which colour leads where. That is part of the fun, and also why a paper fortune teller is a toy, not an oracle. If you want an answer that nobody controls, ask the Magic 8 Ball or press the Yes or No Button.
40 Fortunes to Write Inside
Yes or No Answers
- Yes, definitely.
- No way.
- Ask again tomorrow.
- The stars say yes.
- Not today.
- Only if you smile.
- Maybe, maybe not.
- Without a doubt.
- Better not tell you now.
- Try again after lunch.
These work like a home-made magic 8 ball. Ask a yes-or-no question first, then play. Want more? The real magic 8 ball answers list all 20 classic replies.
Funny Fortunes
- You will find a sock you lost years ago.
- A dog will smile at you today.
- You will laugh so hard you snort.
- Your next sandwich will be the best ever.
- Someone is thinking about your hair right now.
- You will win your next game of rock paper scissors.
- A surprise is hiding in your pocket.
- You will say "banana" before bedtime.
- Your teacher will forget the homework.
- Tomorrow will be a pancake kind of day.
Kind Dares
- Give someone a compliment.
- Do your best animal impression.
- Sing the chorus of your favourite song.
- Do ten jumping jacks.
- Tell the group a joke.
- Talk like a robot until your next turn.
- High-five three people.
- Draw a picture of the person to your left.
- Say the alphabet backwards as far as you can.
- Make the funniest face you can for five seconds.
For many more, see truth or dare for kids.
Classroom Versions
- Name three words that rhyme with "cat".
- What is 7 x 8?
- Spell your favourite food.
- Name a country in Africa.
- Read the next sentence aloud.
- Tell us one fact about the moon.
- Count to 20 in another language.
- Name two animals that lay eggs.
- Use "because" in a sentence.
- Choose the next person to play.
Teachers use fortune tellers as review games: students fold one each, fill the flaps with questions from the lesson and quiz a partner. To choose who goes next in a whole-class game, a Random Name Picker keeps it fair. More ideas are in classroom games with a random picker.
Cootie Catcher, Chatterbox or Fortune Teller?
The same paper toy has many names. In the United States it is often called a cootie catcher, a name that comes from a playground game of pretending to catch "cooties" from someone. In Britain it is often a chatterbox, because it opens and closes like a talking mouth. Origami books also call the base shape a salt cellar, since it can stand up and hold small things. Whatever you call it, the game is the same.
FAQ
How do you make a paper fortune teller?
Fold a square of paper corner to corner both ways, fold all four corners to the centre, turn it over, fold the corners to the centre again, fold it in half both ways, then push the four flaps together on your fingers.
What do you write in a paper fortune teller?
Colours on the four outside squares, numbers 1 to 8 on the inside triangles, and eight fortunes under the number flaps, such as yes or no answers, funny fortunes or kind dares.
How do you play a paper fortune teller?
A friend picks a colour and you spell it, opening and closing once per letter. They pick a number and you move that many times. They pick another number and you read the fortune under that flap.
Why is it called a cootie catcher?
In the United States the toy is often used in a playground game of pretending to catch cooties, an imaginary germ, from other children.
Can you use a paper fortune teller in class?
Yes. Students write review questions under the flaps and quiz a partner, which turns revision into a game.