oshc activities
Theme days / Puzzle Day

Puzzle Day ideas for OSHC

23 DIY activities for a puzzle day at before and after school care or vacation care, usually run around 29 January (National Puzzle Day) or 17 July. Pick and mix, or build a balanced day in one click.

Build a Puzzle Day
Big Kids Club · Puzzle Day · Long Projects Day +1

3D Puzzle Projects

Older children work on complex 3D puzzles over several sessions, building patience and spatial skills. A great quiet project corner.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goYears 4 to 6Brick Building Day · Puzzle Day · Inventors Day +2

Brick Marble Maze

Children build a maze on a baseplate and tilt it to roll a marble through.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goYears 4 to 6Escape Room Day · Big Kids Club · Puzzle Day +2

Build-Your-Own Escape Room

Older children design and build a series of puzzles, then run their escape room for younger groups to solve.

IndoorModerateBig set-upYears 4 to 6Puzzle Day · Recycle Day · Craft Day +1

Cereal Box Jigsaws

Children cut old cereal boxes into jigsaw puzzles and swap them with friends. Recycling meets puzzling.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Detective Day · Spy School · Escape Room Day +2

Cipher Scavenger Hunt

Children decode pigpen cipher clues, each one leading to the next location in a treasure trail.

EitherModerateSome prepYears 4 to 6Escape Room Day · Detective Day · Spy School +1

DIY Escape Room

Children solve a chain of locks, codes and riddles to escape the room before time runs out.

IndoorModerateBig set-upYears 4 to 6Emoji Day · Puzzle Day · Escape Room Day +1

Emoji Story Decoder

Children decode titles of well-known stories, songs and sayings written only in emoji, then write their own puzzles.

IndoorCalmSome prepYears 4 to 6Movie Day · Film Club Day · Game Show Day +1

Film Trivia Quiz

Children play a team quiz about films, film-making and the cinema, answering general questions in a fun game-show format.

IndoorModerateSome prepYears 4 to 6Puzzle Day · Teamwork Day · Wet Weather Day +1

Giant Group Floor Puzzle

Children work together on a giant floor puzzle, sharing pieces and strategies. Builds teamwork and patience.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Coding Unplugged · Robot Day · Puzzle Day +1

Grid Coding Mazes

Children use arrow cards to code a path across a grid, guiding a classmate or toy to a goal.

IndoorModerateGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Book Week · Detective Day · Treasure Hunters Day +2

Hidden Character Search

Small printed pictures of a stripy-shirted character are hidden around the room for children to find, sharpening observation skills.

IndoorModerateSome prepPrep to Year 6Bug Day · Science Week · Science Day +1

Insect Body Parts Challenge

Children label the head, thorax and abdomen on insect diagrams and models, then test each other in a quick quiz.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goYears 4 to 6Escape Room Day · Puzzle Day · Teamwork Day +1

Jigsaw Race

Teams race to finish identical jigsaw puzzles, working together to sort edges and colours.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Puzzle Day · Before School Calm Start · Pi Day +1

Mini Sudoku

Children solve simple 4x4 sudoku puzzles using numbers, colours or pictures. A quiet logic challenge.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goYears 4 to 6Block World Day · Gaming Day · Coding Unplugged +3

Pixel Art on Grid Paper

Children colour squares on grid paper to create pixel pictures of animals, objects or characters of their own design.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Cooking Day · Pi Day · Puzzle Day +1

Pizza Fraction Game

Children divide paper pizzas into fractions and match slices, making maths hands-on.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goYears 4 to 6Before School Calm Start · Puzzle Day · Board Games Day +2

Quiet Puzzle Table

Jigsaws and logic puzzles are set out for early arrivals to enjoy quietly, alone or with a friend.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Long Projects Day · Mindfulness Day · Before School Calm Start +3

Quiet Relaxation Stations

Children choose between puzzles, colouring and cosy reading nooks for a calm break during a busy day.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Escape Room Day · Puzzle Day · Great Race Day +1

Riddle Relay

Teams race between stations to solve riddles, sending one runner at a time to collect the next riddle.

EitherHighSome prepPrep to Year 6Spy School · Detective Day · Escape Room Day +2

Secret Decoder Wheels

Older children make a two-layer cipher wheel and use it to encode and decode secret messages.

IndoorCalmSome prepYears 4 to 6Challenge Day · Teamwork Day · Puzzle Day +1

Silent Team Jigsaw

Teams complete a jigsaw without speaking, using only gestures to communicate and cooperate.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Puzzle Day · Before School Calm Start · Challenge Day +1

Tangram Challenges

Children arrange seven tangram pieces to make animals, people and shapes. A hands-on maths puzzle.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6Spy School · Detective Day · Puzzle Day +1

What's Missing Memory Game

Children study a tray of objects, close their eyes while one is removed, then try to spot what's gone.

IndoorCalmGrab-and-goPrep to Year 6