Search it, find it, solve the clue, a mystery party with a surprise or two
A kid mystery party is one of my favourite party themes. The kids just love the element of surprise and of being super sleuths. What's more it is great for kids right up to teens, boys and girls.
Buy Costumes (US site)
For detective hats and accessories, wigs, beards and moustaches, crime scene tape. Birthday in a Box (US site)
For fingerprint kits and favors GameFest (US site)
For reduced priced boxed murder mystery games. Some are only suitable for older teenagers so do check the instructions.
Treasure Hunt Party Planner
Everybody loves a treasure hunt, big kids, little kids, mums and dads, neighbours, friends....Nikki Wilson has created a superb treasure hunt pary planner that is so easy to use and yet will give you the best treasure hunt ever.
Kid mystery party detective pack
For a truly comprehensive DOWNLOADABLE detective party pack. A "Murder-Mystery" appropriate for kids age 8-10. Warm them up with the "Who Am I?" game, then dive into the real mystery with poetic clues and riddles sending them around your house to solve the mystery of the "ghost" among them so he or she can return to life in time for cake and ice cream. Everything needed for both games is included. Highly recommended
You should also take a look at Freeform games below who have a super selection of games for adults and teenagers.
*Kid Mystery party Invitations
Write the kid mystery party invitations on stiff card. Cut into pieces and place in an envelope. The kids have to pieces the bits together to find the party directions
Prepare the party invitations and cut up into sections. Send out sections over a period of days so that the kids have to keep on guessing. For example: Day 1: The date, Day 2: The time, Day 3: The place, Day 4: The party child's name.
Write the kid mystery party invites in code. Place in an envelope marked "Top Secret". Let the kids try and crack the code and then send out the code breaker a few days later.
Make a large template of a magnifying glass. Make copies on strong craft paper and write the party instructions on the glass.
Cut out letters and words from old newspaper and magazines. Use these to create the party invites.
Make an extra large magnifying glass from some strong card and hang it on your gate or door to welcome the kid mystery party guests.
Make large footprints out of black card and leave a trail from your gate to your front door.
Make the room a bit dark and eerie. Dim the lights, put wanted posters around the room and cut-outs of handcuffs, magnifying glasses and messages in secret codes.
Make a jail in one corner using an old chair surrounded on a wooden platform. You can use this for the Polaroid shots (see party activities section below).
Get some Crime scene tape (US supplier) and tie it across the doorway to the party room. Put up a sign saying, "Only Mystery Personnel may enter".
Decorate the table with a large disposable paper cloth and write on it mystery messages with big question marks.
Mystery Cake Make a cake in the shape of a question mark or alternatively make a magnifying glass cake. This is quite simple if you follow my cake recipe and make one 7" round cake and one oblong cake which can be placed together and then iced in black and white.
Code cupcakes Make cupcakes and ice them with words in Morse code.
Riddle cookies Make cookies and insert a riddle.
Footprint cookies Make cookies using a foot template
Mystery juice Make a fruit cocktail using a blender/juicer and get the kids to guess what is in it.
Treasure Hunt Everybody loves a treasure hunt, big kids, little kids, mums and dads, neighbours, friends....Nikki Wilson has created a superb treasure hunt pary planner that is so easy to use and yet will give you the best treasure hunt ever.
Guilty shots
Using a Polaroid camera, sit the kids on the jail chair that you made in the corner of the party room. Give them a large numbered sign to hold up and take pictures of them. Let them take them home as party favors.
Disguise
Dig out all your old makeup and let the kids disguise each other with bushy eyebrows, moles, spots…. Have lots of makeup remover to hand!
Police at the door
Invite a real policeman to the party as a surprise and get him/her to talk about his police work or methods that they use to solve crimes such as fingerprinting.
Murder most suspicious DOWNLOADABLE detective party package for 8 - 10 year olds with detective games all set out for you including clues and scenarios.
Who am I?
Tape a picture or the name of a famous detective or villain to each child's back so that everyone can see it apart from himself. The kids have to figure out who they are by asking question to the other guests who are only allowed to answer "Yes" or "No".
Piñata
Having a piñata is always a great success at a kid party. Instead of using a plain stick to bash the piñata, colour it black and make it a truncheon. Need a pinata quickly? Try....
Memory act
Lay up a tray with about 20 various household items. Sit the kids in a circle and allow them about 5 minutes to study and memorise what is on the tray. Remove the tray and see who can remember the most items by writing them on a piece of paper.
Spot the clue
Pick a child to be the detective. Before leaving the room he must study what all the other children are wearing, accessories, hair and so on. After exiting the room, one child is chosen as the criminal and has to either put on or remove an item of clothing, jewellery, disguise piece etc. The detective returns and has to see if he can spot who is the criminal and what was changed.
Crime solver
In advance write down a scenario of a crime such as a murder or a robbery. Then prepare two sets of clues (about 10 will be enough). Divide the kids into two teams and give them their first clue that will lead them to an object that will help them solve the crime. Attached to the object will also be the next clue and so on. It might be an idea for the teams to solve their clues in a different order so they aren't following each other. Once a team has all the objects, they then have to decide on the scenario that led to the crime. The closest to your version wins.
Super sleuth vision
In advance take close up photos of everyday objects or enlarge the images on your computer. Have the kids guess what they are.
Code deciphering books Codes, Ciphers and Secret Writing (UK) Click on the Amazon link to the right to buy in the US. This inexpensive book is well worth a look if you need to brush up on your code skills and makes a great kid mystery party favor.
*Kid Mystery party Invitations