Learn how to make a paper fortune teller and use the free printables to create your own! The prompts are great for getting kids up and moving!
The weather’s nice and warm, the kids are out of school, let the summer activities begin! Remember those folded paper fortune tellers you and your friends used to make in grade school? Well, apparently they’re back in a big way and my kindergartener is obsessed.
I love seeing these little paper toys because they bring me right back to my own school days and the OT in me is in love with them too!
Folding paper is an awesome fine motor, visual motor, and bilateral coordination activity. And then actually using the fortune tellers to choose an activity is a great fine motor coordination activity too!
Free Printable Summer Activities Fortune Tellers
I thought it would be fun to create some free printable summer activities fortune tellers that could help you choose something fun to do on those looooong summer days!
And once I got started, I thought – why not make a handful of them with different themes? If you find yourself with a free day this summer, follow the instructions below and kids can use the fortune tellers to pick a fun activity to try!
Looking for more summer fun? Try some activities from this summer family bucket list!
And don’t miss this solar system cootie catcher activity!
What You’ll Need:
-Printable summer activities fortune tellers. Scroll down and fill out the form!
-Scissors
What to Do:
To fold your fortune teller…
Print out the fortune teller and have your child cut off the bottom strip with the instructions and cut around the outside dark gray line. Help your child follow the directions at the bottom to fold it properly. It can be a little tricky, but my kindergartener was able to get it after a few tries.
To use your fortune teller…
Have your child grip the fortune teller using his index fingers and thumbs placed under each of the corners with shapes on them.
Choose one of the shapes that is visible on the four corners. Help your child spell out the name of the shape as the child pinches the fortune teller in and out, one time for each letter.
On the final letter, leave the fortune teller open, revealing the numbers printed on the inside. Choose one of the visible numbers. Again, the child holding the fortune teller pinches it in and out, counting out the chosen number and leaving it open on the final number.
Choose another number and have the child count it out, moving his fingers in and out the correct number of times and leaving it open on the last number.
Finally, choose one more of the visible numbers. Have the child lift up the flap with that number on it, revealing the words underneath. This will tell you which activity you should do!
Check out the how-to video if you need a visual on folding and/or using your fortune teller.
How to change it up:
-Print the blank fortune teller and fill in the spaces with: book titles to help them choose a goodnight story, sight words, math facts, gross motor skills (jumping, hopping, skipping) – get creative!
