Thanksgiving joke fortune tellers
A Thanksgiving joke fortune teller folds from one printed square: 28 kid-safe joke pairs, fold steps for every crease, and a round between dinner courses.
Print the teller squares28 Jokes, 8 Flaps, 1 Folded Square
Every flap hides a written setup and punchline, so the reader performs instead of improvising.
Thanksgiving joke fortune tellers: The Punchline Is the Prize
Three guesses before the flap gives it up keeps every player in the round.
How to play
- Print the teller squares on 90 gsm paper, cut them out, and fold one master while photographing each fold position.
- Copy one joke set onto the flaps of a teller — setup and punchline pair per flap — and write the four outside words on the pockets.
- Play: pick a word, spell it while opening, pick a number, count it out, lift the flap, and read the setup.
- Give the player three guesses at the punchline before you land it; wrong guesses earn a replay.
- Swap readers every four flaps and refill the basket between rounds.
- Between courses, run the dinner-table round — six minutes while the turkey rests, one teller per two kids.
Draw one when the room is ready
What did the gravy boat say when it reached the kids' table? - All aboard.
Set 1 — dinner-table jokes
Eight flaps about the food and the seats, best played before anyone is served.
- What did the gravy boat say when it reached the kids' table? - All aboard.
- Why did the dinner roll go to the doctor? - It was feeling crumby.
- Why did the cranberry sauce blush at dinner? - It saw the turkey dressing.
- What do you call a sad cranberry? - A blueberry.
- Why did the napkin win an award? - It always came clean.
- What did the candle say when dinner started? - This meal is lit.
- Why does everyone thank their chair on Thanksgiving? - For all the support.
- Why did the corn lose cards to the green beans? - It got creamed.
Set 2 — turkey jokes
Eight flaps for the bird, from parade day to carving time.
- Why did the turkey cross the road twice? - To prove it was no chicken.
- What did the turkey bring to the parade band? - Its own drumsticks.
- What is a turkey's favorite dessert? - Peach gobbler.
- Which side of the turkey has the most feathers? - The outside.
- Why do turkeys lose at hide-and-seek? - The gobble gives them away.
- What do you call a sprinting turkey? - Fast food.
- Which dance wins every turkey talent show? - The turkey trot.
- How do turkeys answer the phone? - Wing, wing?
Set 3 — pie jokes
Eight flaps to read while dessert is being cut.
- Why did the pumpkin pie visit the dentist? - It needed a filling.
- What did the apple pie say to the pecan pie? - You're nuts.
- What do you get when you drop a pumpkin? - Squash.
- Why does the family thank the pie crust? - It held everything together.
- Why does whipped cream collect all the compliments? - It lands on top every time.
- What did one pie slice say to the other? - Stick with me and we go a la mode.
- Why did the pie win the talent show? - It had all the right fillings.
- How does pie say goodbye at the end of dinner? - Piece out.
Bonus set — harvest and parade
Four extra flaps for the rematch on the same teller.
- Why did the scarecrow take a bow at the parade? - It was outstanding in its field.
- What did the acorn say when it grew up? - Gee, I'm a tree.
- What did the November leaf say to the tree? - I'm falling for you.
- What did the parade balloon say to the turkey float? - You're so down to earth.
The Punchline Is the Prize
Three guesses before the flap gives it up keeps every player in the round.
The Punchline Is the Prize
Three guesses before the flap gives it up keeps every player in the round.
Print and cut spec
One sheet and a pair of scissors turn out two teller squares in two minutes.
- Print two teller squares per 8.5-by-11 sheet at 5.9 inches, printer borders off, on 90 gsm paper so the folds stay crisp
- Cut along each square outline with scissors — one straight cut per teller, no trimmer needed
- Write the joke key on one unfolded square so the host holds every punchline before the flaps close
- Fold the master yourself and photograph each of the five fold positions for a photo strip at the kids' table
- One teller serves two players; print one per pair plus a spare for every six guests
Folding steps, crease by crease
Five positions take the square from flat to teller.
- Lay the square printed-side down and fold corner to opposite corner into a triangle, then open; repeat with the other pair for two diagonal creases
- Fold each corner into the center where the creases cross and press flat — this is the blintz base
- Flip the square over and fold the four new corners into the center the same way
- Fold the square in half so the flap pockets face out, open it, and fold in half the other way
- Slip two thumbs and two fingers under the four pockets and work them open into the teller shape
How to read a joke fortune
The rules keep one reader from owning the game.
- Player one picks an outside word — turkey, pie, parade, or wishbone — and the reader opens the teller once per letter while spelling it
- Next comes a number from the open flaps, counted out the same way
- The final pick chooses a flap; the reader lifts it and delivers the setup line
- The player gets three guesses at the punchline before it lands, and a wrong guess earns the flap a second reading
- Swap readers every four flaps so the fastest reader does not run the whole set
Thanksgiving dinner-table variant
The round fits the gap between courses.
- Time the round to the resting turkey: six minutes, one teller per two kids, dessert negotiations paused until every flap is read
- Park the tellers and the joke key in a basket by the place cards so players fetch their own without leaving the table
- Run lap play under the table edge when the china leaves no room — tellers fold and work in a lap
- Assign one head reader per teller and hand the title to a new player after every four flaps
- Grown-ups take the wishbone word: they answer one setup with a straight face while the table watches
Notes
A Thanksgiving joke fortune teller gives the kids’ table its own show: fold one printed square, work the pockets open, and every flap hides a setup line waiting for its punchline. The kit writes out 28 joke pairs so the reader never improvises, and every fold gets a name so a first-timer folds it right on the first try.
What comes in the joke teller kit
Three complete themed sets — dinner-table jokes, turkey jokes, and pie jokes — fill eight flaps each, and a bonus harvest set of four covers the rematch. Every one of the 28 joke pairs is written as setup plus punchline, flap by flap in the deck above, so the kit is ready to print instead of invented at the table. The four outside pockets carry the words turkey, pie, parade, and wishbone, which lets non-readers play by color and lets you swap sets without refolding. Keep one unfolded square as the joke key so the host holds every punchline before the flaps close.
Fold a Thanksgiving joke fortune teller, crease by crease
The directions name every crease: start with two diagonal folds, corner to opposite corner, then open them flat. Fold all four corners into the center crossing to make the blintz base, flip the square, and fold the four new corners in the same way. One halving fold each way loosens the pockets; slide two thumbs and two fingers under them and work the teller open. Print on 90 gsm paper rather than card stock — heavy stock fights the fold — and one 8.5-by-11 sheet carries two teller squares at 5.9 inches with borders off. Fold the master yourself and photograph each fold position; the photo strip taped to the kids’ table lets early finishers check their own creases without asking for help.
How to read joke fortunes at the table
Player one picks an outside word, and the reader opens the teller once per letter while spelling it. Next comes a number from the open flaps, counted out the same way. The final pick chooses a flap, and the reader lifts it and delivers the setup line. The player gets three guesses at the punchline before it lands, and a wrong guess earns the flap a second reading. Swap readers every four flaps so the fastest reader does not own the game.
The Thanksgiving dinner-table round
Time the round to the resting turkey: six minutes, one teller per two kids, dessert negotiations paused until every flap is read. Park the tellers and the joke key in a basket by the place cards so players fetch their own without leaving the table, and run lap play under the table edge when the china leaves no room. Assign one head reader per teller and hand the title to a new player after every four flaps.
More Thanksgiving games for the same table
Rotate the tellers with one louder game and one seated round:
When to Fold the Joke Tellers
Fold the master early and let the kids fold their own the night before.
Print, Fold, and Stage the Tellers
Four jobs put a teller at every pair of seats.
More Thanksgiving Print-and-Fold Games
Pair the tellers with one seated round and one craft to cover the whole afternoon.
Thanksgiving Joke Fortune Teller Questions
How do you fold a Thanksgiving joke fortune teller?
Fold two diagonal creases corner to corner, fold all four corners into the center, flip and repeat, then halve both ways and work the pockets open. Print on 90 gsm paper so the creases stay crisp.
What goes on the outside flaps?
Four Thanksgiving words — turkey, pie, parade, and wishbone — one per pocket. Non-readers pick by color, and the words survive gravy-covered fingers.
How many tellers do I print for eight kids?
Print five: one per pair of players plus a spare. Load each joke set onto its own teller so the punchlines stay a surprise.
Can a four-year-old play?
Pair them with a reading buddy who spells and reads while the little player picks words and numbers. The three-guess punchline rule keeps them in every round.
When does the dinner-table round fit?
While the turkey rests before carving — six minutes covers one full set. Park a teller at every second place setting and dessert waits for the last flap.