Nancy Ellen Hird

Mystery Cakewalk (without the cake--maybe)

 

You will need:

• A package of 3x 5 cards

• Tape

• A chair for each guest

• Music

• Prizes

 

On 3 x 5 cards neatly write words or terms that often appear in mystery novels such as: detective, crime scene, thief, investigate, red herrings, alibi, clue, suspect, witness, disguise, secret door, police, puzzle, notebook, solve the case. You need enough for the number of party guests. Make a second set of cards with the same words/terms. Put enough chairs in a circle for the number of your guests. (The chairs face inward.) Tape a card from the first set of 3 X 5 cards to the seat or back of each chair. Put the cards from the second set of mystery novel words and terms in a container.

 

While some music plays (and because this is on my website and I love Scotland, I’m suggesting bagpipes), guests walk in a circle inside the circle of chairs. Pause the music. Each player sits on the nearest chair. From the container draw out a card and read the mystery term aloud. The person sitting on the chair with the card that has that same word or term, wins a prize.

 

For an extra bit of fun, wrap the prizes and put them in a large bag. Each winner draws a wrapped prize and unwraps it. (Adds to the suspense and the surprise.)

​

Return the card you drew to the container. Swish around. Resume the music and play another round. Play the game until all the prizes are gone. I think four prizes should do it.

 

Note: I called this game a cakewalk because a cakewalk is familiar to many people. No cake is necessarily involved, but if you wish, prizes for this mystery game could be small baggies of cookies, brownies, etc. In that case, I would skip the wrapping except for a ribbon around the top of the baggie.

 

Another suggestion: Make drawing the card out of the container theatrical. Add a little drama, a little suspense. Do that at least once.