Origami Paper Fortune Teller aka Cootie Catcher

Origami Paper Fortune Teller

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A fortune teller aka Cootie Catcher is easy to make and can be decorated to any theme or event that one chooses to use it for. Although generally a past time of children it is also used by adults to celebrate special occasions.

It is a simple game which can be easily themed to be played at a wedding or baby shower. As token wedding gifts or invitations or as a playful gesture from one lover to another the origami folds of this paper craft are a fun way to express the messages hidden within.

It is also the perfect little craft project for kids to celebrate the New Year, their birthday, or simply to occupy their mind when boredom sets in (which it seems it often has a tendency to do). As it is just a few days to New Years and I was about to seek out my new fortune I decided it might be a fun time to pass onto my grandchildren a way for them to tell theirs as well. So today I am making a simple fortune teller and sharing the directions with you as I do.

The Pattern is Simple and You Can Use Any Paper of Your Choosing

Origami Paper Fortune Teller aka Cootie Catcher

You can use the design above or you can use a blank sheet of paper. Print this Pattern or follow the directions below for folding instructions for any standard sheet of paper. Colored paper works as well as plain so go ahead and be creative. You can use felt pens, dabbers, or stickers to decorate your fortune teller once it is complete.

Now it is Time to Begin the Folds

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Your paper will need to be a square. If you are working with a regular sheet then these first 3 steps will get you to a square. If you have printed the above pattern then you get to start at #4 and will have your lines to guide you.

# 4

# 5

# 6

Place the printed side of your square paper facing downward. Now fold each corner into the center till your project looks like image #6.

# 7

# 8

# 9

Flip your square over and again fold each corner into the middle. It will look like image #9.

#10

# 11

For #10 fold your square in half. You will now see four openings which you will be able to puff open with your fingers to form the characteristic 4 peaks of your fortune teller. Pushing your finger into the upper corners will help to easily expand your project into the proper shape.

Now Comes the Fun Part - Decorating

If this paper craft project is for the kids then you can have them create their own theme and simple design. Dabbers, stickers, pasted pictures, drawings, or doodles all work great to decorate the paper with.

The outer edges are the areas that participants select from while the inner spaces are where the game rewards are. Numbers, colors, animals, foods, or seasonal items are great items to place along the outer edge of the fortune teller. Inside areas can contain positive messages, jokes, trivia, actions for participants to perform, questions, or tiny sticker surprises.

Ideas and Instructions for Setting up Your Cootie Catcher

You can decorate your game for a holiday or special occasion. Or choose a theme that suits a purpose ie: A selection of facts or trivia, health tips, exercises or other forms of participation by the participants, educational or learning questions, positive messages, or fortunes. Any theme will work.

1. The four outer squares will contain one set of themed items eg: Colors are used on mine.

2. The eight outer triangles will contain another separate theme. eg: Numbers are used on mine.

3. On the eight inner triangles you will put you messages, trivia, jokes, or fortunes. You will notice that these messages each line up with a number. When that number is selected the adjoining message corresponds to that choice. eg: I put health tips inside my fortune teller so the choice might read: It is true that coffee has antioxidants.

Instructions for Fortune Teller Game Play

1. This game can consist of any number of players with one person acting as the operator and the others as participants. Only 2 people will play per turn with the operator offering the participant the opportunity to make choices from the fortune teller. When one complete game is played then the operator can move on to the next participant.

2. Using 2 fingers of each hand the operator will easily be able to click the fortune teller open and closed. The operator holds out the fortune teller so it is visible to the participant. He or she then asks the participant to make a choice from the options displayed on the outside of the game.

3. On the outside of the paper there are 4 squares with a different choice on each square. This choice might be numbers, colors, animals, foods, or any other item the designer has chosen to use. I placed 4 color choices on mine. The participant picks one of these.

4. The fortune teller has two directions that it can open with each revealing a different set of inner choices. The operator clicks back and forth between the two choices by spelling out the participants choice. ie: If the participant chose the color green then G - R -E - E - N would each be separate clicks and the fortune teller would then open to display another 4 choices to the participant.

5. I have numbers inside my game so the participant would choose one of the 4 numbers now visible to them. The operator lifts the selected number to reveal the message written beneath it. Having read the message to that participant the operator can then move on to the next participant. When children are playing they will generally each create their own questions or sayings and then take turns quizzing each other.