How Do You Make a Thanksgiving Paper Fortune Teller?

Make a Thanksgiving paper fortune teller by folding a square sheet into four finger pockets, adding colors and numbers, and hiding eight playful prompts inside. This version is a folded-paper activity picker: each turn reveals a tiny Thanksgiving-themed idea rather than a prediction about anyone’s future.

Set it beside a basket of pencils for a quiet craft break, or let willing guests take turns operating it. Everyone can pass, choose again, or simply watch.

Gather your supplies

You need one square sheet of lightweight paper, a dark pen, and optional colored pencils. An 8-inch square gives beginners room to write. Start with square paper and you will need neither scissors nor glue. Avoid thick cardstock, which makes the small folds harder to flex.

Paper and pens are also the basic supplies in Austin Public Library’s Paku Paku activity. For this Thanksgiving version, decorate after folding so you can see exactly where each label belongs.

Fold the paper step by step

1. Find the center. Lay the square flat. Bring one corner to its opposite corner, crease the diagonal, then unfold completely. Repeat with the other pair of opposite corners. Open the paper again; the two creases make an X.
2. Bring four corners inward. Fold each corner to the intersection of the X. Press each crease. All four points should meet at the center, forming a smaller square.
3. Turn the whole square over. Keep those folds closed, with their meeting points now underneath. Fold all four new corners to the center again. You now have an even smaller square.
4. Flex the square both ways. Fold it in half edge to edge, crease, and unfold. Rotate it a quarter-turn and repeat. Open it back to the small square without undoing the corner folds.
5. Find the four pockets. Turn to the side with four small square flaps. Gently lift their loose edges. Put one thumb or index finger into each pocket, using both thumbs and both index fingers. Bring the four corners toward one another so the middle rises into a little tent. Practice opening it in alternating directions.

The Western Development Museum’s illustrated guide shows the two-stage corner-fold sequence and finger pockets. Miami University’s folding instructions, hosted by CASE, show the two half-folds before forming the pockets.

Add four colors and eight numbers

Flatten the folded toy gently for decorating. On the four square outer panels, write RED, GOLD, ORANGE, and BROWN, one word per panel. Add a matching colored border and a small leaf drawing, keeping the words dark and readable. These warm colors make an original autumn layout without a printed template.

Turn to the opposite side. The four larger triangular flaps each contain two smaller triangular sections. Write 1–8, one number in each small triangle. Lift each larger flap and write two separate prompts beneath it, one under each numbered half. Add matching tiny numbers beside the hidden text so the reader knows which prompt to reveal. Close all four flaps afterward.

Eight Thanksgiving prompts to hide inside

Use these short, optional prompts in numerical order:

1. Invent a turkey superhero name.
2. Draw a leaf with a smile.
3. Imagine a pumpkin parade float.
4. Name a squirrel’s autumn shop.
5. Imagine a turkey’s silly hat.
6. Invent a leaf-shaped spaceship.
7. Draw a tiny autumn moon.
8. Name a Thanksgiving cartoon band.

Players can answer aloud, sketch on spare paper, imagine an answer silently, or skip their turn. Keep the invitation light; nobody needs to perform or share something personal.

How to play

Slip your fingers back into the pockets and ask a player to choose an outer color. Spell its name, opening the toy once per letter and alternating the opening direction each time. For RED, that means three openings: R, E, D.

Hold the last opening still. Ask the player to choose one of the visible numbers. Count up to that number, again making one alternating opening per count. Stop, then ask for a final choice from the numbers now visible. Lift the flap containing that number and read only its matching hidden prompt.

If the pockets will not open

Check that you are lifting the four square flaps, not the numbered triangles on the other side. If everything feels flat, remake the two half-folds and gently ease the pockets outward. Ask a helper to hold one side while you shape the other. If the corners meet unevenly, reopen only the last corner-fold stage and line them up again before decorating further.