27 Fun Mystery Unit Activities for a Detective Room Transformation or Anytime!

27 detective activities! Kids love fingerprinting, invisible ink, logic puzzles, observation games, and secret codes. You can use them in your mystery unit, for a detective room transformation, as a theme day, or anytime!

Open the previews to take a closer look. The mystery activities can be used over time or all in one day as stations. Signs, décor, and badges can turn your room into a detective training center.

Think Like a Detective Activities:

• Fingerprinting – A three-page set teaches kids about fingerprints and lets them record their own. A set of twelve cards lets them try their hand at matching.
• Invisible Ink – Students learn about the history and types of invisible ink. Then they try three kid-friendly types and determine which is most effective.
• Logic Puzzles – Kids use deductive reasoning to solve five brainteasers. For more challenge, use the blank template to have kids design their own!
• Observation – Seven activities help students pay attention to details and become more observant.
• Secret Codes – After reading a two-page history of ciphers, kids crack five codes. They can also create their own Alberti cipher disk.

Detective activities can be used in many ways. For example, you can:

• Use them as a room transformation.
• Add them to your mystery unit.
• Enrich your mystery novel study.
• Include them in your homeschool curricula.
• Use them in the library, at an after-school or summer program.
• Work on the Girl Scouts Junior Detective Badge.
• Set them up as stations for Grandparents’ Day.
• Treat kids to some fun projects anytime.

Simple materials make set-up and clean-up easy.

Fingerprinting

• "The History of Fingerprinting"
• Fingerprint patterns reading passage and analysis
• Fingerprinting recording sheet
• Fingerprint matching cards
• Ink pad or pencils

Invisible Ink

• "Types of Invisible Ink"
• "History of Invisible Ink"
• Invisible ink directions or worksheet
• White crayons
• Baking soda-water mixture (or ingredients for kids to make their own)
• Q-tips
• Paper and pencils
• Grape or cranberry juice

Logic Puzzles

• 5 logic puzzles 1-5
• Optional: directions and pages to make your own logic puzzle

Observation

Pick and choose - or do them all!

• Objects on a tray - 30 small objects on a tray, recording sheet
• Objects in a picture - worksheet
• Teacher features - recording sheet
• Objects moved - recording sheet or worksheet with pictures
• Sense of smell - common scented items like bubble gum, a lemon, chocolate, and an orange; blindfold
• Sensory box - box, common items (like a banana and an apple) to feel

Observation – Optional

Feeling adventurous? Let kids make their own observation bottles or jars.

• Observation bottle directions
• Clean, empty water bottles (one per student)
• Small objects (at least ten per student)
• Sand

Secret Codes

• "The History of Secret Codes"
• Secret Codes 1-5

Secret Codes – Optional

• Directions for Alberti cypher disk
• Paper plates
• Scissors
• Pens or pencils

In the bonus file, you will also find detective’s badges, a themed poster and station signs (black and white, as well as color).

Your third, fourth, or fifth grade students will love it – and so will you!

• Detective activities are fun!
• They engage kids in critical thinking and deductive reasoning.
• The activities make an awesome room transformation or addition to your mystery unit.

Listen to what other educators are saying about these reading resources and passages.

• This is one of the best resources I have ever purchased. It was so easy to use and the kids absolutely loved it! – Nicole H.
• My struggling readers enjoyed this soooooo much! And....what was amazing was that the lowest readers figured many of these things out and were able to help more experienced readers. They felt like “a big man on campus!" – Tanya G.

Enjoy teaching!

Brenda Kovich