How to Make a Paper Fortune Teller
Learn how to fold this classic paper fortune teller game and fill it with hidden messages for your friends. This fun origami is also sometimes called a cootie catcher.
If you enjoy this paper-folding project, try making an Origami X-Wing Fighter!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO FOLD A PAPER FORTUNE TELLER
- 8 ½-by-11-inch piece of construction paper cut into a square
- Markers
HOW TO CUT A PERFECT SQUARE
If you don’t have a square piece of paper, here’s an easy way to cut an 8 1/2-by-11-inch piece of paper into a square.
WHAT YOU’LL DO TO MAKE A PAPER FORTUNE TELLER
STEP 1: Crease a square piece of paper diagonally from each corner. Fold the top right corner to touch the bottom left corner. Crease the fold with your finger and then unfold it so your sheet is flat again. Then take the top left corner and fold it over to the bottom right corner.
STEP 2: Fold the paper in half from each side. Bring the top edge of the paper to the bottom edge and crease the fold.
Unfold the paper so it’s flat again and rotate it by 90 degrees. Fold the new top edge of the paper to the bottom to crease it and then flatten it out again. Your paper will have four lines intersecting in the middle.
STEP 3: Bring the corners to the center of the paper. Start with one of the bottom corners and fold it to the middle of the paper where the creases intersect.
Press down on the fold with a fingernail so it stays in place.
Turn your paper 90 degrees and fold the other bottom corner toward the center. Keep rotating and folding your paper until you’ve made a smaller square containing four triangles.
Flip the paper over and fold each corner to the center again.
STEP 4: Put numbers in ascending order on the triangles. Start with the No. 1 in the smaller top left triangle on the fortune teller. Write the numbers in ascending order clockwise around the triangles until you get to eight.
Then pick four colors to write on the front side of the fortune teller.
STEP 5: Write the fortunes underneath the flaps. Open up the triangles labeled 1 and 2, and write a short fortune underneath each number. Write small so it fits in the space. Repeat the process under the flap for each number so you have eight different fortunes in all. Close the flaps once you’ve written all the fortunes.
Fortunes you can write:
- “Something amazing is coming your way tomorrow.”
- “You will live a very long and happy life.”
- “Do a Good Turn today!”
STEP 6: Slide your fingers underneath the squares to operate the paper fortune teller. Ask a friend to choose a color and spell it out.
Then pick a number and count it out. As you do so, move your fingers with each letter and number called out.
Last, have them pick another number to reveal their fortune. Lift the flap for the number they picked. Read your friend’s fortune out loud.
I will try
Wow cooolllllll!!!!!!,! Works soooooooooo well!
I think step two is missing the part where you fold the rectangular shaped stage. fold paper in half again to form a small square then unfold giving the 4 intersecting lines.
the whole step 3 is hard
It wasn’t that hard I just got stuck once but it really helped thanks
its soooooooooo complicated???????
i did all the steps but it was not too hard for me to do that i love it it was amazing and and i did it it works thank you for making picture and how to make it
For all the people confused, find someone in their 30s and ask them to just make it for you, because we were making these as first graders for fun.
i suck at origami so it makes sense why this doesn’t work
It is way to hard😡
This is so confusing
It doesn’t work at all
This is so confusing, how am I supposed to do this???
I don’t understand step 3 you need to explain more
It’s easy and I loveeeee doing it I use it alllllll the time thnx this really helps me chose a bunch of stuff
Step 6 is impossible 😡😡😡
Uhhh I keep trying I think I might have the hang of it maybe.
It doesn’t work!!!😡
It does work. You must’ve done it wrong. I would unfold it and try again. It works!
yes I doesssssss
how to use
it works
amasinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng
Its real my friend and pridict games
so hard could not get it to work
Thanks for posting this. My kids love making this and it’s easy to follow; however, the most important step is to cut odd the bottom after making your first fold so you have an exact square or it will never work!! That’s probably why everyone is having a hard time.
I type one out for my Demonstrative Essay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it worked that’s cool
I love it soooooooooo!!! much i did it
WOW THIS IS SOOOO COOL!
I’m telling all my friends about this!
T h i s i s s o a m a z i n g ! ! !
I LOVED IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ME2!
This has been a thing since the 90s. Why are people amazed by this lol
I love it
These were around back in the early 60’s. We used to use them to find our future husbands and how many kids we were going to have. It didn’t work!
These are children in the comments, to them it’s new
COOL
MAN
Yes
I messed up one but it was fine.
Nice
Did it! Yay
I love it 💓💓💓 it amazing
I love it
How do you use it it doesn’t go on my brothers hand when he made it so I’d like to know
Thank you. I remembered this thing from elementary school, but had no clue how to make one. I’m doing it now.
I don’t understand at all
Nice
takes a little to get it right
I love it
I love it
I MES UP RAHHHHHH
I ALSO MESSED UP RAHHHHH
YIPPPEEE
Thank you for helping me!♡
It was super easy .
This is hard! But I figured it out. The first few steps were hard tho.
So hard
hello
no
how do you put it on???
no
My granddaughter just came home with this.. I was like no way we played this when I was a kid I forgot all about it!!
No clue
I really had fun
Cool
Hi this was cool o:-) (^3^)
It’s hard.
its so hard
Wow
It went from a flare square to a working fortune teller
We used to make these in grade school, had so much fun thinking up things to say. Hours and hours of play fun! My grand kids loved it- so easy the 4 yr.old made one!
Sorry I did it wrong 😑 it’s super easy 😌😉
i still don’t know 🙃
Am I the only one who couldn’t do this?
Hard time. I don’t know what is 90 degrees. Be more specific whoever made this.🥸😎🥸🥸🥸🥸🥸😎🤭
Thanks this really helped
7/10 parts didnt make sense
I dont know
All of the degrees got me confused 🤔 like who made this Elon Musk🤓🤓🤓
These are fun to make! 🙂
It so hard to do!!
Easy and nice
HOW DO YOU DO GOOOOO?!!!!!!
It dos’ent teach you anything
I don’t know how to do it
It’s fun to make
Is it supposed to?
It’s so easy and easy to do
This was kinda easy but… it was hard when i tried doing the ‘move your fingers a little as you go’ step
this is so confusing
These are challenging
It’s easy I did one on my own with no help its my own one.
It’s so hard
Thank you
I used this last minute
It’s a life saver
I don’t get it!
It’s so hard I don’t get it
I don’t get it!!
Bro this is hard I can’t do it
This was easy, just gotta look at the pics and read the directions! Great idea!
I don’t want to be rude,but this was hard
it was easy
it was easy
this is the worst i could not follow the instructions it is so hard
I rate this a 5 out of 10 because its easy and hard.
Yeah me too ! It’s so hard like the operating part like it doesn’t make sense!
its hard
I tried and it didn’t work out as I thought.
It’s a 10 out of 10
Bro this is so hard.
It super duper hard when you are a kid
It is?
hello! it did not work for me so can u give me a tip?
It was easy for me 😊😊👍
Way too hard I think you should do a video instructions are to complicated!
To hard for me 😭
i cant do it it’s imposible!
Terrible instructions
EZ I LOVE IT
this was a pretty easy thing to do.
How did you do that it’s so cool😃
I was fun and easy
thank you i loved it
Hi do you play roblox
yes
I loved making a fortune teller.
Yes
its really easy and i made some funny words inside the flap🤣
its sooo helpfull ty
These instructions make no sense 😭
I tried to make one and mine came out looking like a dinasoar that’s just eaten hotsause🤬😖😶🌫️
EZ
It is so hard how do you do it
Easy.
Follow the instructions, maybe go slower when you read it?
So easy with the instructions
🤭 it seems hard but its easy 😱
I tried making a puppet out of paper the other day, but I failed. I found this fortune teller and was like, BOOM!
I can’t do it
Nooooo a pooing puppet 😵😵😵
I dint get it
The fortune tellers are really hard to make for me.
This was very helpful
So easy my six year old did it. Thanks!
I loved it,it was amazing although,I couldn’t put my fingers in it.
Please tell me how to put them in.
But all in all it was amazing, keep up the good work 👍.
Amazing and fun to make!!!!!! Thanksssssss!!!
Thank you! So easy my 5 yr followed along without hesitation! Appreciate it!
It was really helpful and now I can trick my friends.
i cant make it oj oj
This ”helping” guide to make a fortune teller was horiable, I couldn’t make anything! To confusing.
Very easy to make, and fun! Love it.
I don’t why it took me so long I’m crying at these comments. Thanks for the memory refresh it’s been over 16 years since I’ve made one of these
I did it 😀 it was so easy
My mom had to help me on the last one but I did the rest it wus so hard broooooo
Thanks for this! It worked fine for me.
Dat was hard but I love it
I swear I did everything right but it still didn’t work. Massive disapontment😔
HELP ME
Did not work😤
did u use a square bit of paper?
try doing it slowly and carefully
I did everything right and at the end it did not work
Super easy and fun. Thanks for printing the 90s kid back out of me my son will enjoy playing with it
Pe0pLe DId NOtlikE IT.
I did everything right and it did not work!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love it
I like it so much.It was like one hour to make
awsomw
it was so esay i did it
🙂
It was easy
Was kinda hard but did it at 7:57 p.m.
that was fun
how to fold it at the end
I didn’t understand the bit with Ur fingers going under the Square? Or something?
yeah facts bc I don’t understand like slip ur under it
can’t get the ending. I’ll just gonna throw is away
Now i can pop a hole at the bottom and pretend its a flower. Yay.
it has a very good way of explaining how to do the procedure
what is thiS I DOUN’T UNDUSTAND AT ALL
It like math but harder
It’s great to play with your friends!
so easy
It was fun and easy.
I could not get
Ezzz
Yes same, I followed the instructions and it did not work. This is a failer.
Tried sliding my fingers, now i just named it the inoperable fortune teller
dat was hard
Very easy and amazing game for enjoy and fun
I can’t do this
its hard
I DONT UNDERSTAND IT AT ALL
i cant get the first step right
I love it
It took me 12 hours
I don’t get when you slide your fingers in I don’t know which side to put them in
me too
I can’t get the last step
What the heck
its so easy
Lizzy I same😩😩😩🙄🙄🙄
I got it on the first try it was good 👍
Wow that was easy
Wow that was easy
Bla bla bla
I treid it
it was easy
I could not figure it out
same
I don’t now how to do it
it not easy
IT WAS TO HARD!!!!!
Its good
I have trouble trying to slide my fingers in the squares 🤣
yes its good
Samesies
I love this site I use to make them all the time when I was younger. Now that I’m 31 I forgot exactly how to do it but wanted to show my 4 year old daughter.
It’s probably the best site 👍🏽😉
Can’t do last step
Soooooo easy
This website is the best how do they do this I mean I made a perfect fortune teller
Hi it is very good site because we can learn how to make games
easy as pie
it was easy for me 🙂
I could not get it so I threw mine away
Works perfectly!
Same as me
now i can prank my family
THIS IS SO GOOD!
This Was So Good!
Used to play this game with my friends back in the 1950s/60s. Simple entertainment.
Give me some examples of fortunes to include.
So fun and easy! I will be making many more of these! Thank you!
So cool
Hard but really fun my sis helped me
Ava
It was realy FUN
its so easey
You missed a step in it
it was easy
hARD
We did this in grade school.
Really fun and easy If forgot how to make it so I read the instructions so I could make 19 fortune tellers
i seriously dont understand it at all
i do
it works
This is helpful but can you add a video?
OMG I CANT GET THIS AAAAAAAA
verry cooll
origami fortune teller
It works ,thanks it is fun
hard
impossible to fold dude….. CURSES!!!
Good fun
fun i did it
cool
This does not help making a fortune teller is impossible!
It didn’t work
Its ok zebra at least you tryed 🙂
it was easy for me 🙂
It’s fun and it’s a great little game for when you need something to do.
IT DIDNT WORK
It works!
Tysm I forgot how to make it .
It worked 4 me
I forgot how to make but thank you for answering my calls on how to make the fortune teller and can you maybe do a paper boat just a suggestion
so easy and fun
I just cant figure out how to put it on your fingers.
So easy and fun
Just watch a video it will help
my daughter got an f in her arts and talented class 1 star review
Thank you, my granddaughter was having difficult time until I located your post.
I do not like this
it was fun i made my brother one and me one
Why do you not like it?
My grandson loved it so much
Thank you but I am 10 years old
I love the art that you made
How do you get your fingers in the “holes”.
Cool, thanks for this *peace out yo*
It works Great, it’s just that you had to tell to turn the paper to the other side to make the smaller triangles/flaps. Thank you.
i love imma prank my friends i put all not so good fortunes 10 stars!!
it is funh
hate it it does not help me
It does not work
I HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE
Cool
yeah how do you pick it up ugh
this did not work
But it worked for me
YEAH
it is so easy to make
wow how do you hold it though?
ok
great thank you for teaching me ……. ahahahahaah … i have learned this before tho but i forgot…. anyways helpful and informative once again thank you super duper much – Queen Cutie
am now learning but i hope for the best
it works!
This does not teach you anything!
how do you pick it up!!!!???? l dont like this
pick it up with the parts where you wrote or put a color on the teller, an push it together so it makes a square or a star
no
Pretty sure your missing the last step!!
This really didn’t help me. Im so confused.
you put your hands under the colors
this help me so much 10 stars bravo!!
This is so bad I don’t even know how to operate it!!
this help me so much
great
This was good help for me to do my homework.
wow this helpt me i love it ten stars
Tasty
Cool 😎
It is so hard
It’s not that hard once you get the gang of it
This is so good I did it
its so hard
oh yeah
it is
It won’t work for me
I love them!!! so much 😍👍
Thanks,I forgot how we played during school days. Your blog helped me play this again with my kids
We made these when I was a kid and I made them for my son, who is now am adult. He says they were a lot of fun. = )
So Cool🥳🤯😎
thank you :3 love the rules u guys gave!!!!!!!!
My fortune looks really weird.
guys, the instructions are correct. It’s just REALLY hard to get your fingers in.
guys, the instructions are correct. It’s just REALLY hard to get your fingers in.
It didn’t really help me, unfortunately this is a big flop!
I didn’t have any issues with this. . .
I don’t know how to get my fingers in and I’m pretty sure that i followed the directions correctly.
me too
Good awesome
Cool
awesome
this was no help
thank you
It worked I like it
How do you do the ending part it is a square how do you even fold it right!?!?!?
This was a great way to make it and the instructions were very detailed although I don’t now the last step
the memories
Cool!
confusing
Nice! I totally remember making these in grade school! Just made one following your instructions and it turned out great! Using it as a chore chart for my 5 year old. Instead of a fortune he gets a chore! Daaaanng.
I agree. Very confusing.
I try it tree time in my home how make papers work like a envelope it’s very easy and cool.
I tried it way too confusing
It really helped me !
Thanks
Horrible didn’t understand how to do it
really bad it doesn’t show the last part. How are you meant to do it?
It works!
well its mo my falt I cant fold things correctly so this was very hard for me
not useful and you cant do the last part
It was fun but hard to understand, could make it a bit more simple.
not helpful i do to get hows to fold the last part so it works
So fun!
It works and I would recommend using this
This is very good advice!
Awesome job