While the CSI crime people probably use some sort of fancy chemical-based powder to life prints, you can do it with a little baby powder and scotch tape! Just sprinkle a little powder on the surface where the print should be, lightly brush, then lift it with the tape. Have other adults be “suspects” and help guide the children in asking the right questions. Depending on the age group, you could go with something as silly as “who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?” Write up clues and hide them around the house. While older kids may enjoy a murder mystery, younger children will likely prefer something a little less creepy.
For example, if your area is filled with lady bugs, your clue could be “I’m quite the lady with my fancy polka-dot outfit!” Make up a batch of butterfly bait from our outdoor crafts post to help attract some of the beautiful winged bugs if your little detective tires of searching for them on his own. Make it a little harder for older kids by giving them clues about the different life forms. Play nature detective! Give kids a list of the different types of bugs, plants and trees in your area, then help them check them off the list.It’s as easy as grabbing a lemon from the grocery store and scribbling out a message! This is by far one of the easiest detective activities for kids! Invisible Ink Writing: Good detectives always protect their sources! Let kids make their own invisible ink messages, then send them to friends and family to try to decode.
Encourage that desire to explore with these fun activities that will have them acting like detectives in no time! Sticking with the theme of our Scooby-Doo week, I thought it would be fun to come up with some detective ideas for kids! Children are naturally curious and love solving mysteries, which is probably what makes Scooby and the gang so appealing.