How to Make a Folded Paper Game

If you have ever been sitting next to a child in a dull meeting or church service, you know how hard it is for them to sit still. Boredom is hard to deal with at any age. Knowing how to make this folded paper game is a way to pique a child's curiosity and also to keep him occupied for several minutes. There is no need to talk while you show him how to make this game and then how to play.

Fold a square piece of paper in half. It must be square or it will not fold properly. Fold it in half again so that you now have a piece of paper folded into fourths. The paper cannot be too thin or it will not hold up to the folding, but neither can it be too thick or it will be too bulky to play with.

Open the paper and turn it upside down so the folds are facing away from you. Fold one corner and place the tip right in the center of the paper, now marked by the previous folds. Carefully fold in each corner exactly to the center and smooth out the seams tightly.

Turn the folded paper over so the folds are facing downward. Bring the corners in again exactly to the center. Smooth out each crease carefully, pressing them firmly. Each of the outside corners should be square and even, not lopsided.

Fold the paper again in half, then in quarters, pressing the creases firmly. Then unfold the last four corners. Hold the paper so that the single layer folds are up and write a number on each.

Unfold the flaps again so now the paper is back to Step 3. Now write a number on each of the eight outer-corner halves. Turn the paper over and write a little action on the back of each of the eight outer halves you just numbered. They can be anything, like "smile" to "you are cute" to "give me a kiss" -- whatever the occasion calls for.

Now fold the whole thing back so that you are back at Step 4 before the writing. Slide four fingers under the loose flaps and bring the corners in to the center. You should be able to press two fingers together while pulling two away, and so on. The person gets to pick a number from the four flaps, press and pull the number and then open all four fingers to reveal the inner numbers. Press and pull that number and then they pick a number from the inside once again and you lift the flap to see what they won.