Fortune Teller

Gather a group of players and explain that today you will be making a paper tool, a fortune teller, to help remember ways to calm down when feeling unwell.

Distribute an A4 paper to each player. Show them the printed instructions so everyone can make their own fortune teller. Support them if they need help. As they prepare, discuss things we can do to calm ourselves down when we feel sad, angry, frustrated, stressed, or overwhelmed (see suggestions in additional game information).

Once the fortune teller is ready, have the players place their fingers (thumbs and index fingers) into the four corners at the bottom of the paper tool. Explain the movements: close the tool by bringing thumbs and index fingers together, then open it by moving thumbs away from index fingers or by softly pulling your left and right hand away from each other. 

The fortune teller has three layers: outer part (4 squares), middle part (eight triangles), and inner part (underneath the triangles).

Now, it's time to decorate our fortune tellers! On the outer part (four squares), put your four favorite numbers from 1 to 9, one number in each square. 

Choose eight colors and use them to draw the eight triangles in the middle section, one color per triangle.

Finally, in the inner section, think of and write eight ways to calm yourself when you feel tough emotions (see suggestions in additional game information). 

Now that the tool is ready, it can help you find a reaction to tough emotions. Place your fingers at the bottom and close the tool.

Choose a number from the four you wrote on the top section and move the tool as many times as the chosen number, using the movements explained earlier.

When you finish moving, you will see four colors. Choose one and look under it to find your "happiness response," a way to deal with the emotion.

Now you have a handy tool to "consult" whenever you need help calming down.