Detective Day ideas for OSHC
30 DIY activities for a detective day at before and after school care or vacation care, usually run around Any time / Talk Like a Pirate Day (19 September) or Easter (March/April). Pick and mix, or build a balanced day in one click.
Box Periscope
Older children build a periscope from a milk carton and two small mirrors to peek over walls like a spy.
Escape Room Day · Big Kids Club · Puzzle Day +2Build-Your-Own Escape Room
Older children design and build a series of puzzles, then run their escape room for younger groups to solve.
Pirate Day · Treasure Hunters Day · Escape Room Day +2Buried Treasure Hunt
Teams follow riddle clues around the yard to dig up gold-painted rocks. A pirate adventure that combines problem-solving and teamwork.
Detective Day · Spy School · Escape Room Day +2Cipher Scavenger Hunt
Children decode pigpen cipher clues, each one leading to the next location in a treasure trail.
Easter · Treasure Hunters Day · Detective Day +1Clue Card Egg Hunt
Children follow clue cards around the outdoor space to find hidden plastic eggs, with a final clue leading to a shared surprise.
Detective Day · Spy School · Treasure Hunters Day +2Community Clue Trail
Children follow a walking trail of clues held by local businesses, finishing with a group barbecue.
Detective Day · Spy School · Science Week +1Crime Scene Investigation
Children examine footprints, hair samples and ink tests to work out which suspect is behind a mock crime, practising careful observation and logical reasoning.
Escape Room Day · Detective Day · Spy School +1DIY Escape Room
Children solve a chain of locks, codes and riddles to escape the room before time runs out.
Down on the Farm · Animal Theme · Detective DayFarm Animal Tracks Match
Children match footprint cards to the farm animals that made them, learning to look closely at shapes and patterns.
Slime Lab Day · Sensory Day · Detective Day +1Feely Bag Textures
Younger children reach into mystery bags and use only their sense of touch to describe and guess what is inside.
Budding Artists · Tiny Things Day · Detective Day +2Fingerprint Characters
Children press fingerprints onto paper and turn them into tiny characters and animals with fine-line markers.
Spy School · Detective Day · Science Week +1Fingerprint Detectives
Children lift their own fingerprints using pencil graphite and tape, then compare loops, whorls and arches like detectives.
Detective Day · Spy School · Science Week +1Fingerprint Dusting Lab
Children dust surfaces for fingerprints with cocoa powder, lift prints with tape and compare them to solve a mock case.
Block World Day · Gaming Day · Treasure Hunters Day +1Hidden Block Face Hunt
Children search the service for hidden pixel-art face cards, ticking them off a checklist as they find each one.
Book Week · Detective Day · Treasure Hunters Day +2Hidden Character Search
Small printed pictures of a stripy-shirted character are hidden around the room for children to find, sharpening observation skills.
Spy School · Detective Day · Science Week +1Invisible Ink Letters
Older children write secret messages in lemon juice, then an educator reveals them with gentle heat.
Spy School · Obstacle Course Day · Ninja Obstacle Day +2Laser Maze Spy Training
Children crawl under and step over wool laser lines and sneak past sleeping guards in a spy obstacle course.
Backwards Day · Opposites Day · Spy School +2Mirror Writing Messages
Older children write names and secret messages backwards, then use mirrors to read them, exploring reflection and letter shapes.
Detective Day · Everything's Duckie · Treasure Hunters Day +1Missing Ducks Photo Hunt
Teams follow clue cards to track down hidden toy ducks, photographing each find as evidence before moving on to the next clue.
Detective Day · Escape Room Day · Spy SchoolMissing Snack Whodunnit
Teams interview educator suspects and examine clues to work out who took the snacks, building teamwork and deduction skills.
Detective Day · Spy School · Coding Unplugged +1Morse Code Messages
Children learn Morse code and send secret messages to each other by tapping, buzzing or flashing torches.
Detective Day · Treasure Hunters Day · Spy School +1Mystery Clue Trail
Teams collect clues hidden around the site and piece them together to solve a case, combining movement with problem-solving.
Bonza Bottler Day · Treasure Hunters Day · Detective DayNumber of the Day Hunt
Younger children hunt the room for hidden cards showing the day's number, practising number recognition.
Detective Day · Spy School · Paper Crafts DayPocket Detective Notebooks
Children make a small stapled notebook with a home-made badge on the cover, ready to record clues throughout the day.
Spy School · Detective Day · Escape Room Day +2Secret Decoder Wheels
Older children make a two-layer cipher wheel and use it to encode and decode secret messages.
Detective Day · Dramatic Play Day · Spy SchoolSuspect Line-Up
Educators dress up as suspects and children question them, listen for inconsistencies and vote on who did it.
Spy School · Detective Day · Puzzle Day +1What's Missing Memory Game
Children study a tray of objects, close their eyes while one is removed, then try to spot what's gone.
Wild West Day · Detective Day · Country DayWild West Wanted Posters
Children make old-style wanted posters featuring their own photo or drawing, with a silly 'crime' and a reward.
Ancient Egypt · Time Travellers Day · Spy School +2Write Your Name in Hieroglyphs
Children use a picture-symbol alphabet chart to write their names the ancient Egyptian way, exploring how early writing systems worked.
Vikings Day · Spy School · Time Travellers Day +1Write Your Name in Runes
Children use a rune alphabet chart to write their names and secret messages, exploring how people wrote long ago.