Halloween Cootie Catcher Printable 2026: Fun Spooky Origami Game for Kids

Adding some spooky fun to Halloween is easy when kids can play with my printable Halloween Cootie Catcher!

When it comes to favorite holidays, I would say that Halloween is solidly in second place right behind Christmas. I’ve always been fascinated with all things spooky, so it’s only natural my kids have followed in my footsteps. Whether we’re getting our Halloween costumes ready for trick-or-treating, watching spooky movies from the comfort of our sofa, or sneaking candy from the supply that’s supposed to be for the trick-or-treaters (please tell me I’m not the only one! Snickers have a hold on me!), there really is no shortage of spooky Halloween spirit in our home.

As exciting as the Halloween season can be, making sure to incorporate our regular homeschooling lessons along with all the Halloween events throughout the month of October can be a little overwhelming, amiright?! I get it – we want to make the most out of every day, every holiday, with our kids and sometimes the task of finding all of those activities can be a little much.

Don’t worry – I gotchu!

I’m always adding more free, educational printables to the Printable Playground, making life easier for homeschooling families with kids of every age. There’s already enough to worry about, and teaching your kids at home shouldn’t add extra stress.

The Halloween Cootie Catcher is totally free, fun, and super easy to use. You only need a few minutes to print and prep it, so you and your kids can start having fun right away. It’s a simple way to make lasting Halloween memories together.

Getting your hands on the PDF is simple. In this post, you’ll find what a Cootie Catcher is, easy steps to fold and play with your Halloween version, and plenty of ideas for adding a little spooky fun to your day. I’ll also share the quick way to download and print your free Halloween Cootie Catcher.

Ready to jump in? Let’s make this Halloween special!

What’s a Cootie Catcher?

When I first saw cootie catchers all over social media, I had no clue what was going on. All I could think about was “cooties” from childhood, and germs were never on my list of things to play with. Gross, right?

But as it turns out, cootie catchers are those folded paper fortune tellers most of us made back in grade school. In South Jersey, in the ’90s, we called them “fortune tellers,” but maybe you knew them as something else where you grew up. I’d love to hear if your friends used another name, so let me know in the comments.

The name “cootie catcher” actually goes back to World War I. If you’re a little squeamish, you might want to skim this part.

Soldiers used the word “cootie” for lice, and they’d pinch them off with a motion that looks a lot like working one of these paper fortune tellers. Kind of gross, but interesting how the name stuck.

Now, these fortune tellers are just something fun for kids. They use their fingers, which helps with fine motor skills, and there’s a lot of counting, spelling, and silly “fortunes” to uncover.

My Halloween Cootie Catcher printable (and all my other cootie catchers!) works the same way. Kids get to move their hands, count, and spell as they work through eight fun Halloween-themed challenges. Each one only takes about a minute to complete, but, if your kids are anything like mine, they’ll play with the Halloween Cootie Catcher over and over again. It’s a quick and creative way to bring a little extra holiday fun to your day.

Curious enough to try it? Download the Halloween Cootie Catcher, print it out, and see what challenge you get! If your family had a different name for these, seriously, let’s swap stories in the comments.

Spooky Halloween Fun

Every October, our house bursts into Halloween fun. I love this time of year because it encourages the kids to get creative and use their imaginations! If you ask me, having our kids go trick-or-treating every year is one of the ways they can continue to be kids, instead of “grown-up” tweens & teens…they grow up so fast!

Anyways, while including my Halloween Cootie Catcher in your spooky season is a fabulous idea, I have a number of other ways you & the kids can enjoy some Halloween fun this October:

• Read Some Spooky Stories…and mark your places with my printable Halloween coloring bookmarks!
• Encourage creative writing & story telling with my spooky Halloween writing prompts & themed lined paper!
• Get the wheels turning while completing a fall-themed logic puzzle!
• Have lots of laughs while strengthening the noggins with my printable Halloween Memory Game!
• Celebrate one…or all…of the National Days to Celebrate in October!

Making a Halloween Cootie Catcher

Adding my Halloween Cootie Catcher to your spooky celebrations this year is simple. You’ll get a printable with clear instructions for folding and playing, so you won’t have to guess what to do. I always like knowing all the details before starting something fun. Having everything lined up makes things go smoother.

If you want to see how to fold and use your Halloween cootie catcher, keep reading. Or, head to the next section where you can grab the printable and have it sent right to your inbox.

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Assembling the Cootie Catcher

To make the Spooky Halloween Cootie Catcher, you’ll just need a printer capable of printing in color, standard printer paper (no need to use cardstock for this project!), and a pair of scissors.

• Print and Cut out the Cootie Catcher Square

• Fold in Half Diagonally (Both Ways):
  • Fold the square diagonally corner-to-corner, then unfold.
  • Repeat with the other diagonal. You should now have a square with two crease lines that cross in the center.

• Fold Each Corner to the Center:
  • Bring each corner of the square to the center point, creating a smaller square with four triangular flaps meeting in the middle.

• Flip the Paper Over:
  • Just like before, fold each of the four corners to the center. This creates an even smaller square.

• Fold Each Corner to the Center Again:
  • Just like before, fold each of the four corners to the center. This creates an even smaller square.

• Fold the Square in Half Horizontally and Vertically:
  • Fold the smaller square in half to make a rectangle, then unfold.
  • Rotate the paper and fold it in half the other way, then unfold again.

• Open the Pockets:
  • With the folded side facing up, gently slip your fingers under each of the four flaps on the underside of the cootie catcher.
  • Pinch the flaps together with your thumbs and forefingers, and your cootie catcher will pop up into shape.

Using the Cootie Catcher

• Hold the Cootie Catcher:
  • Place your thumbs and forefingers inside the four pockets of the cootie catcher.
  • Move your fingers to open and close it vertically and horizontally.
• Pick a Color:
  • Ask the person using the cootie catcher to pick one of the images on the top flaps (ghost, pumpkin, black cat, candy corn)
  • Open and close the cootie catcher once for each letter in the image they chose (e.g., G-H-O-S-T would be five movements).
• Pick a Number:
  • Show the inside of the cootie catcher where numbers are written on the flaps.
  • Ask them to pick one of these numbers.
  • Open and close the cootie catcher again for each count of the number chosen.
• Pick Another Number:
  • With the cootie catcher open, show the inside numbers again.
  • Ask them to pick one final number.
• Reveal the Challenge:
  • Lift the flap under the final number to reveal the Spooky Halloween Challenge hidden inside.

For example, a Halloween Cootie Catcher sequence might go like this:

• The person picks “Ghost.” You spell out “G-H-O-S-T” while moving the cootie catcher in and out for each letter
• They see the new numbers inside and pick “3.” You move the cootie catcher 3 times.
• Finally, they pick “2.” You open up the flap for “2” and reveal the Spooky Halloween Challenge inside

Get the Halloween Cootie Catcher Printable

The moment you’ve been waiting for! I’ve made it super easy to get access to all of my printables! To get the Spooky Halloween Cootie Catcher printable you can either:

1. Fill out the form below: Doing so will send the printable PDF straight to your inbox where you can save or print at your convenience.
2. Request Access to the Printable Playground: You’ll get access to my ever-growing collection of free printables (Halloween Cootie Catcher included) when you request the monthly password to the Printable Playground.

It’s totally up to you! Either way, I have a pretty good feeling you and the kids will really enjoy the Halloween Cootie Catcher!

Before you go, print out an extra copy of the Halloween Cootie Catcher for your friends or neighbors—it’s too much fun to keep to yourself. Little traditions like this make Halloween feel special. If you enjoyed this printable, stick around for even more surprises coming your way soon. Thanks for spending a little of your day with me!

Until next time, stay safe and enjoy quality time with your family,