Printable game, on Etsy
Kids Detective Mystery Game Printable, Muddy Footprints Case
A printable detective kit for kids aged 6 to 9. Print it at home, cut out the cards and play on a rainy afternoon, at a party, in class or with the whole family.
4.90 €
Two printable PDF files: A4 and US Letter, 15 pages each. A digital download from Etsy: nothing is shipped.
Buy on Etsy, 4.90 €Etsy handles the payment and the instant download. Etsy may show the price in your currency and add tax for your country; it shows the final total before you pay.
Muddy footprints lead across the clean library floor at Acorn Hill School, and The Big Book of Pond Life is gone from the shelf. Four friends had break at the same time. Only one of them was in the library at 10:40. Can your young detectives work out who it was?
Pictures
A closer look before you buy.
These are the pictures from the Etsy listing, in the same order. Click or tap a picture to open it larger.
Story, drawings and puzzle by ARLing s. r. o., made with the help of AI tools. The drawings are simple shapes drawn in code.
AI was used to create the background scene of the listing images.
What you get
Two PDF files in A4 and US Letter.
Two PDF files: A4 (British spelling) and US Letter (American words: sweater, sandbox, recess). 15 pages each.
- 1. Start here: 3 steps for grown-ups, what to print for a group and what you need
- 2. Case file to read aloud, with a map of the school and a simple timeline
- 3. Four friend cards (Pip the Mouse, Bruno the Bear, Daisy the Duck, Toby the Tortoise)
- 4. A witness card, an evidence table sign, a footprint guide (match 4 footprints to 4 friends) and a book label
- 5 and 6. Six evidence cards with big pictures and big print, and 2 picture code keys with 3 warm-up codes
- 7. The detective chart: 4 friends and 4 places, big squares for small hands
- 8. Detective reports for the teams
- 9. 8 detective ID cards, the size of a bank card
- 10. 4 certificates, signed by Mrs Mole the librarian
- 11 and 12. A no scissors version: all 6 clues, the code key and the warm-up codes on two pages
- 13. Game plan for grown-ups, with 3 hints, a hard mode for 8 and 9, a 45 minute plan at a glance and a checklist
- 14. A top secret letter from the friend who was in the library
- 15. Full solution for grown-ups, step by step, with the finished chart
- Paper sizes: A4 and US Letter.
- File type: PDF, printed at home or at a print shop.
- Digital download: nothing is shipped by post. The files are in Purchases and reviews on Etsy.com after payment.
Details
How it plays
The detectives hunt for 6 evidence cards and compare each picture with the friend cards and the footprint guide: whose feet are webbed? who is too big for the sticky door? who wears yellow? They crack a note in a little rabbit's picture code and cross out places in the chart until only one friend is left in the library. Then you read the secret letter aloud, and everyone goes to find the book. You tape the book label onto any book at home and hide it before you play.
Players: 2 to 8 (or 1 child with a grown-up). With 5 or more children, play in teams of 2 to 4. For children of 6 and 7, put one child who can read in each team, or read the cards aloud. For 8 and 9 year olds there is an optional hard mode: you cover the Detective tips on the cards before you hide them. To be honest, this is a first mystery: a 9 year old who already likes logic puzzles may find the chart easy even in hard mode.
Time: 30 to 45 minutes with the evidence hunt, about 20 minutes without it (no scissors version, or 1 child with a grown-up). Plus about 20 minutes to print, cut and hide (about 10 minutes with the no scissors version).
You need: a printer, pencils, an envelope for the secret letter, any book and a bit of tape. Scissors are optional: with no scissors you play from pages 11 and 12, keep pages 3 and 4 whole, and fold and tear out the book label.
A gentle mystery
Nobody is hurt and nothing is stolen for keeps. The friend who took the book had a kind reason (a lost little frog), forgot to write it in the borrowing book, and says sorry in the letter.
One answer, checked
The detective chart was checked by a computer solver: it has exactly one answer, it can be solved step by step without guessing, and every one of the 6 evidence cards is needed to fill in the whole chart. This kit has not yet been tested with a group of children.
Printing
Printer friendly: white background, thin lines and a few light colours. Works in black and white too, because every colour that matters is also written on the cards.
Good to know
This is a digital download. Nothing will be shipped. You get the two PDF files right after Etsy confirms your payment.
Personal use: print as many copies as you need for your own family, party, classroom or club. Please do not share or resell the files.
Questions
Before you buy.
How do I get the files?
Nothing is shipped: it is a digital download. After Etsy confirms payment, download your files from Purchases and reviews on Etsy.com in a web browser; downloads are unavailable in the Etsy app. Guest buyers can use the download link in their Etsy receipt email.
Which files do I get?
Two files: detective-kit-muddy-footprints-A4.pdf and detective-kit-muddy-footprints-US-Letter.pdf. The same pages in A4 and US Letter, so you print the one that matches your paper.
What if a file does not open or print?
Send us an Etsy Message with your order number and the file name, and we will help. Please never send card or payment details.
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Content and support: ARLing s. r. o., Company ID 56583486, Bratislava, Slovakia. For a file or printing problem, send an Etsy Message with your order number and the file name.