Paper Fortune Teller
Fold the playground favourite, the paper fortune teller (or cootie catcher), and fill it with silly fortunes and kind messages.
Did you make these at school? I made hundreds! They’re a brilliant family make because grown-ups can fold while kids dream up the fortunes.
How to play: Ask a friend to pick a colour and spell it out, opening and closing the fortune teller with each letter. Then they pick a number and you count it out. Finally they pick a number, you lift the flap and read their fortune!
Safety notes for grown-ups
- Paper edges can be sharp, so fold slowly.
What you'll need
- One square of paper (or our free printable template)
- Felt tips or colouring pencils
- Free fortune teller template (below)
Free printable template
Print it on A4 paper or card. It's free for personal and classroom use.
Let's make it!
Start with a square
Print the template, or fold an A4 sheet corner to corner and cut off the extra strip to make a square.
Fold the corners in
Fold the square in half both ways diagonally and open it again. Fold all four corners into the middle so they meet.
Turn over and repeat
Flip it over and fold the four new corners into the middle again. It's getting smaller!
Write your fortunes
On the triangles, write numbers. Under each flap, write a fortune like "You'll find treasure today" or "Do your best dance move". On the outside squares, colour four different colours.
Pop it open
Fold it in half, then slide your thumbs and first fingers under the four outside flaps and push them together into a point. Now you're ready to play!
Kimberley's top tips
- Make a "kindness" version full of compliments to cheer up a friend.
- Use it for spelling practice or times tables, with the answers under the flaps.
