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DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Origami Fortune Teller

I'm sure we've all made these at some point in time (it used to be a sleepover favorite).  Kaitlyn, my 9 year old, loves to make them.  She does them with riddles on the inside (Q on the second layer, A on the third layer), with "boyfriend" questions and with "future career" questions.  It seems that every time she makes one, she comes up with something different to write on them!

If you have trouble with the instructions, try reading through the basic origami instructions section.

Materials:

bulletsquare of paper - click here for instructions to make a rectangle of paper (typical 8.5x11 sheet) into a square
  
bulletpen or pencil

Instructions:

 

bulletValley fold paper from corner to corner, making a triangle.
bulletValley fold the triangle from corner to corner, making a smaller triangle.
bulletUnfold everything -- you'll have a square of paper with an X crease.
bulletFold the corner to the center of the square (where the X crosses)
bulletRepeat with the other three corners.
bulletAnd you end up with a smaller square!
bulletFlip your paper over             
bulletFold the corner to the center of the square (where the X crosses)
bulletRepeat with the other three corners and you'll end up with an even smaller square
bulletFold and unfold the bottom edge of the square up to the top
bulletFold and unfold the left edge of the square over to the right 
bulletso that the creases look like an astrix across your small square 
bulletThis bit is easier to do than it is to explain -- basically, you want to push the four corners of the square together in the center and then slide 4 fingers into the flaps of your fortune teller, creasing the folds back so your fingers fit in nicely.  You'll be able to move the flaps with your fingers like little puppets. 
bulletAt this point, carefully print 4 things on the outside flaps (the standard are blue, red, green and yellow).  Print 8 things on the inside flaps (the standard are the numbers 1 thru 8).  And print 4 things underneath the inside flaps (the standard are "fortunes" like:
bulletYou'll be rich
bulletYou'll be famous
bulletYou'll fall in love
bulletYou'll be happy 

You can color in some of the sections if you like or add stickers.

bulletTo play the standard version, Kaitlyn will
  
bulletask your favorite color and then flap the fortune teller open one way, then the other spelling out the color (ex:  B  L  U  E)
  
bulletask how many children (boyfriends) you'll have and then count out the number, again flapping the fortune teller back and forth
  
bulletthen ask your lucky number, lift that flap and read the person's fortune.

Templates:

bulletClose the template window after printing to return to this screen. 
   
bulletSet page margins to zero if you have trouble fitting the template on one page (FILE, PAGE SETUP or FILE, PRINTER SETUP in most browsers).

Fortune Teller Template   (color)   or   (B&W)

 

 

Printable version of these instructions