Kids Detective Game for Birthday Party, Missing Cake Mystery, Ages 8 to 12, Printable Classroom Activity (PDF)

The Case of the Missing Birthday Cake is a printable detective party game for children aged 8 to 12. Granny Badger's honey cake has vanished from the kitchen windowsill just before her birthday tea. Five garden helpers were nearby, and only one of them was at the kitchen window at ten past three. Your detectives hunt for eight clue cards, crack a secret note with a code wheel and fill in a logic grid until only one name is left.

A gentle mystery: nobody is hurt and nothing is stolen for keeps. The helper who moved the cake had a kind reason and says sorry in the secret letter.

WHAT YOU GET
Two PDF files with the same 15 pages, one A4 and one US Letter. Print at home, cut out the cards and play at a birthday party, a sleepover, in class or on a rainy afternoon. Print as many copies as your family, party or class needs.

WHAT IS IN THE KIT
Page 1: start here, a 3 step guide for grown-ups, what to print and what you need
Page 2: the case file with the story and a map of the garden
Pages 3 and 4: five suspect cards, a witness card, an evidence table sign and 4 hint tickets
Pages 5 and 6: eight evidence cards to hide around the room
Page 7: the detective grid (a logic grid) with a summary table
Page 8: a code wheel to cut out, with 3 warm-up codes
Page 9: detective reports for the teams
Page 10: 8 detective ID cards, the size of a bank card
Page 11: 4 certificates, signed by Granny Badger
Page 12: the no scissors version, all 8 clues on one page and a decoder table
Page 13: party plan, hints, a one hour plan and a party day checklist
Page 14: a top secret letter that reveals what really happened
Page 15: the full solution for grown-ups, step by step

WHO IT IS FOR
Ages 8 to 12; younger brothers and sisters can join a team with an older child or a grown-up. 2 to 12 players, or 1 child with a grown-up; with 5 or more children, play in teams of 2 to 4. About 45 to 60 minutes of play, plus about 20 minutes to print and cut.

ONE ANSWER, CHECKED BY A PROGRAM
A computer solver confirmed that the logic grid has exactly one solution, that it can be solved without guessing, and that every one of the 8 clues is needed.

PRINTER FRIENDLY
White background, thin lines and a few light colours. It works in black and white too, because every colour that matters is also written on the cards.

HOW IT WAS MADE
Designed by ARLing, a small studio in Slovakia. The story, puzzles and drawings were made with the help of software, including AI tools. Every drawing is drawn in code; a solver program checked the case, and a layout check program checked every page.

Digital download only; no physical item will be shipped. For EU consumers, the statutory right of withdrawal is lost when the supply of digital content begins only if you have expressly consented to immediate supply, acknowledged the loss of that right, and the legally required confirmation has been provided. This does not affect your statutory rights if the files are faulty or not as described, or any applicable Etsy Purchase Protection. If you have trouble accessing or using your purchased files, please send us an Etsy Message with your order number, file name and a description of the problem. We will help you resolve it. Please do not send card or payment details.