Skip to content
STEM Little Explorers
Origami Fortune Teller - develop math reasoning skills with origami

Origami Fortune Teller - develop math reasoning skills with origami

Vedran Leder
Vedran Leder
3 min read

Did you know that origami is a great way to develop your math reasoning skills and that some colleges even use it in extra curriculum activities? Not only that but practicing origami activates your whole brain and develops a wide range of skills, from hand-eye coordination to logical reasoning and problem-solving.

So why not let your child start right now with this simple origami fortune teller and we promise, he will have a lot of fun doing it.

What is an origami fortune teller and how to use it?

An origami fortune teller is a popular origami shape that can be used in children's games. Well, it’s not that popular anymore but every parent will probably still remember playing with this awesome toy. So why not revive good old game and introduce it to the new generation of kids?

But back to the fortune teller. In most origami fortune tellers, top four parts are labeled with colors and inside, we mark it usually with numbers. But any other shapes can serve as an alternative option. It is all about creativity. On the inside are eight flaps, and every flap contains a message and big fortune reveal.

The person who is predicting fortune is holding the fortune teller and follows instructions form person whose fortune is being told. These messages may contain some descriptive attribute, event, animal or ask a person to answer the questions. They can also be some activities that the player must perform (great way to distribute those house chores). As with the markings on lids, it’s all about creativity and imagination.

You will use index fingers and thumbs on both hands to use Origami fortune teller

Manipulation of origami fortune teller is done with index fingers and thumbs on both hands. The player chooses a color (or a number) and holder uses their fingers to switch between the two groups of colors and numbers inside the fortune teller. The holder switches the positions a number of times, which may be determined by the number of letters in the color selected, the number originally chosen, or the sum of both. You can repeat this process a couple of times. After that, the player chooses one of the flaps which is then revealed. These flaps often have colors or numbers on them. The holder then lifts the flap and reveals the fortune underneath.

Materials needed to make origami fortune teller:

  • Paper (squared, but plain A4 will also do the trick)
  • Pencil
  • 4 Coloring pencils (any color)

Instructions to make origami fortune teller:

On how to make an origami fortune teller, see the video on the beginning of the article or see the diagram below.

What will you learn?

  • Develop hand-eye coordination
  • Attention and concentration
  • Patience
  • Math concepts, geometry, proportions and fractions
  • Confidence and resistance to frustration
  • Logical reasoning and problem solving

Don’t forget to check out other easy origami activities and make your own boat, cute origami pig, and your origami dream house.

Share this article:
Vedran Leder
Vedran Leder

Psychologist

He always found classical learning a little dull — he would rather experiment and learn by doing. Young at heart, he blends in with children effortlessly, and believes games and play are the best way to learn, weaving them into everything he teaches. Every new gadget (read: toy) fascinates him, and he is convinced technology opens up endless opportunities for fun, hands-on learning.

More articles by this author →

Enjoyed this article?

Subscribe to get new posts straight to your inbox.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Related Posts