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    Home » Crafts » Fortune Tellers » Christmas Joke Teller (Fortune Teller) for Kids

    Christmas Joke Teller (Fortune Teller) for Kids

    Published: Nov 26, 2018 · Modified: Apr 13, 2021 by Bren

    This Christmas joke teller (or fortune teller) is full of silly Christmas jokes that are perfect for elementary school students. Grab the free printable for a fun Christmas party or a simple class activity!

    Christmas Joke Teller fortune teller Closed

    This post uses affiliate links. They don’t cost you a thing and help us bring you creative projects. Read more in Policies & Disclosures.

    The History of the Fortune Teller

    Did you ever play with a paper fortune teller when you were in school? They are a simple paper game made by folding a square of paper into a moveable device with 8 flaps that are filled with messages or “fortunes.”

    Never heard of fortune tellers? You may have called them cootie catchers, salt cellars, or chatterboxes depending on where you lived as a child.

    The exact origin of the cootie catcher is unknown (some claim they came from 17th century Europe while others believe they are a Japanese origami invention) but it’s safe to say that they were popular with children all over the world by the early 20th century.

    Christmas Joke Teller fortune teller numbers

    From Fortune Teller to Christmas Joke Teller

    When I was an elementary school student my friends and I would make each other fortune tellers that “predicted” the number of children we would have, who we would marry, and what our jobs would be as adults.

    I wanted to share the craft with my kiddos so I turned the fortune tellers I loved as a kid into Christmas joke tellers by replacing the fortunes with seasonal, kid appropriate jokes. (They are the same shape as the fortune tellers we used as kids but each flap contains a silly joke that elementary school kids love.)

    Paper joke tellers are perfect for classroom parties, a silly activity at home, or even a special lunch box treat.

    Get the Christmas Joke Teller HERE!

    How to Make a Paper Fortune Teller

    Fortune tellers are made by folding a square of paper into 8 movable flaps that you label with messages, fortunes, or jokes. Download and print the folding instructions with the joke teller.

    How to Make Christmas Joke Tellers

    My premade Christmas joke teller craft is as easy peasy!

    1. Grab the free printable joke teller and save it to your computer
    2. Print the file on matte photo paper for extra bright colors (it is also extra sturdy).
    3. Fold and start your own tradition of silly holiday jokes!

    How to Use a Fortune Teller (Joke Teller)

    To use: The person holding the joke teller asks a friend to choose from each layer of the joke teller. The choices determine which flaps are opened and which joke is told.

    The Christmas Joke Teller gives students the choices of a Christmas item (Santa, tree, gifts, or deer) and the number of the joke they want to hear. The inside flaps are filled with cute Christmas pictures and the answers to the jokes.

    Black & White and Full Color Versions

    The joke tellers come in 2 versions: full color and  black and white.

    This project is popular with teachers who don’t always have the budget for color copies. The black and white version is perfect for kids to color and fold.

    Christmas Joke Teller fortune teller jokes

    Silly Christmas Jokes for Kids

    Grab the joke teller and folding instructions here and share these 8 silly Christmas jokes with your favorite kids.

    1. What do elves do after school? Their gnome work!
    2. What does a gingerbread man use to make the bed? A cookie sheet!
    3. Why is Santa good at karate? He has a black belt!
    4. What do you call an elf who sings? A wrapper!
    5. What’s different about the Christmas alphabet? It has has no L (noel)
    6. What do you call a reindeer with bad manners? RUDE-olph.
    7. Why are Christmas trees bad at sewing? They always drop their needles!
    8. What’s the best thing to put into Christmas cookies? Your teeth!
    Coloring Christmas Joke Teller

    More Free Fortune Tellers

    I’ve designed lots of fun holiday cootie catchers for kids. Check out these fun versions:

    • Valentine’s Day Joke Tellers are a great non-candy classroom treat or lunchbox surprise.
    valentine joke teller in hands
    • Father’s  Day Joke Tellers make a perfect gift for Dad.
    FB Free printable Father's Day Joke Teller
    • Halloween Joke Tellers are full of silly jokes perfect for classroom parties or non-candy Halloween treats.
    Halloween Joke Tellers for Kids - Make easy Halloween cootie catchers with your kids for a delightful Halloween treat that focuses on fun not sugar or candy. Free printable Halloween craft for kids. Halloween fortune Tellers. Healthy Halloween treat for kids.
    • Saint Patrick’s Day Joke Tellers are a great non-candy classroom treat or lunchbox surprise.
    A joke teller is a great St. Patrick’s Day treat for kids. The free printable project (with easy folding instructions) takes less than 5 minutes to complete. The joke teller (sometimes called a cootie catcher or fortune teller) contains 8 fun St. Patrick’s Day jokes for kids and fun Saint Patrick’s Day designs. It’s the perfect non-candy treat for all ages.

    Like my free printable joke teller and other paper crafts? Sign up for my free newsletter below and never miss a thing!

    BrenDId
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sue

      February 01, 2021 at 6:31 pm

      Love these. I do make them by hand for my grandchildren, but these will be great for them to colour in and the different jokes will save my brain of thinking of new ones. I would appreciate it if you could email these for me please. Do you print them double sided or glue them together. Thanks for your inspiration. Sue

      Reply
      • Bren

        February 02, 2021 at 11:50 am

        Sure, I have a bunch of versions on my free printables page, just scroll down to “Free Cootie Catchers” section and click “download” under the joke teller you want to print. They are single-sided so no need to print front to back or glue.

        Reply
    2. Jody

      December 18, 2020 at 6:15 am

      Love this, I’m going to have our elf leave these on morning for the kids! Thank you!

      Reply
    3. Connie Russell

      November 07, 2020 at 6:14 pm

      I use to play with these things in school 50 years ago. Thanks for taking the time to add all the art work. My younger grandchildren will enjoy them.

      Reply
    4. Julie

      December 26, 2019 at 4:15 pm

      My grandkids LOVED your Christmas cootie catchers! Looking forward to printing some of the other ones. Thank you so much for sharing!

      Reply
      • Bren

        January 17, 2020 at 3:15 pm

        Thanks Julie!

        Reply
    5. Tanya

      December 01, 2019 at 12:32 pm

      How can I receive and download the Christmas joke teller?

      Reply
      • Bren

        December 03, 2019 at 11:20 am

        Tanya, the joke tellers are all on the free printables page! 🙂

        Reply
    6. jessica white

      December 19, 2018 at 8:09 am

      Just an FYI, in the directions, Step 5 says that the questions will be facing up, but it is actually the answers that are (and should) be facing up. Thanks for this activity! Using it for a class party today in Mississippi!

      Reply
      • Bren

        December 19, 2018 at 8:19 am

        Hope you have fun!

        Reply
    7. Crystal Leatherberry

      December 10, 2018 at 3:49 pm

      Still awaiting an email for the down load

      Reply
      • Bren

        December 10, 2018 at 6:45 pm

        Hi Crystal! We’ve emailed it to you multiple times but it keeps getting bounced back by your server. Perhaps your workplace has a block set up. Can you please try a new email address?

        Reply
    8. Vanessa

      November 27, 2018 at 12:59 pm

      Hi. I linked onto many different printable pictures on Pinterest that all lead to your free printable sign up but it actually does not work?

      Reply
      • Bren

        November 27, 2018 at 4:36 pm

        Vanessa, you can sign up using the form above or here and the joke teller will be emailed to you.

        Reply
    9. Teri

      November 02, 2018 at 1:49 pm

      I see you say you have two versions to print out, color or black and white. I downloaded the only version you have and it’s the color version. How do I get the black and white version so my granddaughter can color the images. When I printed the project I chose black and white and received a black and white colored version, fields filled in not blank.

      Reply
      • Bren

        November 02, 2018 at 2:29 pm

        Hi Teri! If you scroll through the PDF you received via email there is a full color version, a black and white version, and folding instructions. 🙂 Bren

        Reply
    10. Genna

      March 06, 2018 at 3:49 pm

      I work as an occupational therapist in a small school for kids with special needs. We are in love with all of your fortune tellers!! We just downloaded them all so we have them for the upcoming year!! We hope you continue to make them for other events like 4th of July etc.

      Thanks for a great free printable and some great laughs too :]

      Reply
      • Bren

        March 07, 2018 at 2:17 pm

        Thanks Genna! I’m planning a 4th of July one now! 😉

        Reply
    11. Lin

      December 20, 2017 at 9:35 am

      Cute take on cootie catcher. Fun jokes

      Reply
      • Bren

        December 20, 2017 at 3:03 pm

        Thanks, Lin!

        Reply

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