This is a very simplified version of the mystery dinners you can buy, and my kids all loved it! To do a mystery dinner with kids, they just need something simple and straight forward with a few mysteries and puzzles to figure out.
Here's how I created our own Rapunzel Mystery Dinner.
{Invitation} Give everyone an invitation with an assigned role of who they will be at dinner that night (like the maid, queen, king, princess, prince, butler, etc.). Leave the invitation in a place where each person will find it. I put the invitations in plain sight on everyone's beds. The invitation should also include the date and time of the dinner and any other mystery dinner instructions (like if they should dress-up, etc.).
{Click here to print your own Mystery Dinner invitations.}
{Rapunzel Mystery Plot} The princess, Rapunzel, has been taken from the castle. She needs to be found....HURRY!!
{To start it off} Just before dinner a "mysterious" person rings the door bell and leaves a clue. The kids run to the door to answer it and find the clue on the door step. Everyone gathers around to read the clue together.
{Clue #1} If you ever want to see your Rapunzel again, you will need to do something for me first! To find the next clue go to the Snuggly Duckling.
Signed, Lady Gothel
{Sunggly Duckling} Before you start the mystery, hang a sign for the Snuggly Duckling in the dining area and decorate it like the thieves hideout. After reading the first clue, go to the "Snuggly Duckling" (or the dining room). Everyone's dinner should be served and ready to eat. Sit down and start eating dinner together. In the center of the table there is a yellow flower (real or fake) with another clue next to it, only slightly hidden so that the kids will find it while eating dinner. Read the clue #2 together.
{Clue #2} Bring me back what once was mine! It must go back to where it came from. When you return it, you will find the third clue.
But first you must sing the healing song like an opera singer:
"Flower gleam and glow
Let your power shine
Let the clock reverse
Bring back what once was mine
What once was mine."
Once you do this, I will begin to feel stronger. Now go and follow ALL of the instructions!
Signed, Lady Gothel
{Healing Song} Follow the instructions and sing the healing song in opera-style. This is sure to include a lot of giggling and silliness if your family is like mine!
{Puzzle} Along with clue #2, include a puzzle of where you need to return the flower. I took a picture of our flower garden and then cut into puzzle pieces. Put the puzzle pieces back together to learn where Rapunzel's flower (sitting in the middle of the table) needs to be returned to.
* To add more "mystery," have the power go out and finish eating dinner by lantern light. Also, it is fun to include magnifying glasses, flashlights, etc. so that everyone can feel like they are doing real detective work while figuring out where the princess could be and what to do with clue #2.
{Flower garden} When you finish with dinner, remember that part of the clue was to, "Bring back what once was mine." Take the yellow flower from the table and plant it in the flower garden. Then look for clue #3 and read it together.
{Clue #3} This is where you will find your Rapunzel!
Signed, Lady Gothel
{Close-up Pictures} With clue #3, include two different close-up pictures of where Rapunzel is hiding.
We have a swing set, so I decorated it to look like "Rapunzel's tower" with a few vines and flowers and took close-up pictures of that. The kids have to figure out what location the pictures are from and then go there to look for Rapunzel.
{Find Rapunzel} When the kids have figured out the close-up pictures, that is where they need to go to find Rapunzel. You can use a doll to represent Rapunzel, or print a coloring page from Tangled.
If you use a swing set, have the kids climb the ladder to find the Princess Rapunzel. Once they have found Rapunzel they need to hurry to safety (by sliding down the slide) and carrying the princess all the way back to the "castle" (or the house).
{Celebration} Now that the princess has been safely returned home, you can all celebrate by sharing a yummy dessert together! :)
You may also want to end the night by watching a movie together, like Tangled, of course!
Here's how I created our own Rapunzel Mystery Dinner.
{Invitation} Give everyone an invitation with an assigned role of who they will be at dinner that night (like the maid, queen, king, princess, prince, butler, etc.). Leave the invitation in a place where each person will find it. I put the invitations in plain sight on everyone's beds. The invitation should also include the date and time of the dinner and any other mystery dinner instructions (like if they should dress-up, etc.).
{Click here to print your own Mystery Dinner invitations.}
{Rapunzel Mystery Plot} The princess, Rapunzel, has been taken from the castle. She needs to be found....HURRY!!
{To start it off} Just before dinner a "mysterious" person rings the door bell and leaves a clue. The kids run to the door to answer it and find the clue on the door step. Everyone gathers around to read the clue together.
{Clue #1} If you ever want to see your Rapunzel again, you will need to do something for me first! To find the next clue go to the Snuggly Duckling.
Signed, Lady Gothel
 |
| {The Snuggly Duckling} |
{Sunggly Duckling} Before you start the mystery, hang a sign for the Snuggly Duckling in the dining area and decorate it like the thieves hideout. After reading the first clue, go to the "Snuggly Duckling" (or the dining room). Everyone's dinner should be served and ready to eat. Sit down and start eating dinner together. In the center of the table there is a yellow flower (real or fake) with another clue next to it, only slightly hidden so that the kids will find it while eating dinner. Read the clue #2 together.
{Clue #2} Bring me back what once was mine! It must go back to where it came from. When you return it, you will find the third clue.
But first you must sing the healing song like an opera singer:
"Flower gleam and glow
Let your power shine
Let the clock reverse
Bring back what once was mine
What once was mine."
Once you do this, I will begin to feel stronger. Now go and follow ALL of the instructions!
Signed, Lady Gothel
 |
| {Clue #2 & flower garden puzzle} |
{Healing Song} Follow the instructions and sing the healing song in opera-style. This is sure to include a lot of giggling and silliness if your family is like mine!
{Puzzle} Along with clue #2, include a puzzle of where you need to return the flower. I took a picture of our flower garden and then cut into puzzle pieces. Put the puzzle pieces back together to learn where Rapunzel's flower (sitting in the middle of the table) needs to be returned to.
* To add more "mystery," have the power go out and finish eating dinner by lantern light. Also, it is fun to include magnifying glasses, flashlights, etc. so that everyone can feel like they are doing real detective work while figuring out where the princess could be and what to do with clue #2.
{Flower garden} When you finish with dinner, remember that part of the clue was to, "Bring back what once was mine." Take the yellow flower from the table and plant it in the flower garden. Then look for clue #3 and read it together.
{Clue #3} This is where you will find your Rapunzel!
Signed, Lady Gothel
 |
| {Clue #3 & close-up picture puzzles} |
{Close-up Pictures} With clue #3, include two different close-up pictures of where Rapunzel is hiding.
 |
| {Rapunzel's tower} |
We have a swing set, so I decorated it to look like "Rapunzel's tower" with a few vines and flowers and took close-up pictures of that. The kids have to figure out what location the pictures are from and then go there to look for Rapunzel.
{Find Rapunzel} When the kids have figured out the close-up pictures, that is where they need to go to find Rapunzel. You can use a doll to represent Rapunzel, or print a coloring page from Tangled.
If you use a swing set, have the kids climb the ladder to find the Princess Rapunzel. Once they have found Rapunzel they need to hurry to safety (by sliding down the slide) and carrying the princess all the way back to the "castle" (or the house).
{Celebration} Now that the princess has been safely returned home, you can all celebrate by sharing a yummy dessert together! :)
You may also want to end the night by watching a movie together, like Tangled, of course!
* If you decide to host your own Rapunzel Mystery Dinner, please leave a comment and let us know!! We would love your feedback and to hear your own great ideas. Also, we recently added the invitation as a printable. If there is anything else we can include that would make this activity easier for you, please let us know!
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