10 Epic Secret Codes For Kids With Printables

Does your child love to solve puzzles? Do they have a fascination with the world of spies? These 10 secret codes for kids are super impressive and very covert! Each code has a simple solution once you know the secret! Have fun writing coded messages! They are so much fun!

I loved secret codes when I was a kid. My friend and I worked out elaborate codes and sent notes back and forth. It was thrilling to send and receive a coded message we could understand. I felt very covert!

Do you live with wannabe secret agents who need to send critical top-secret messages to each other? Would you like a unique communication method between you and your kids?

I have 10 different codes for you to try out. Secret codes are an effective way to encourage writing and help build your children’s problem-solving skills. And as a bonus, it’s a fun way to build that parent/child relationship. YES!

Looking for more fun ideas to keep kids entertained? Head over to our Kids Activities page where you’ll find hundreds of fun ideas all in one place.

What Are Some Easy Secret Codes?

Let’s take a look at some easy secret codes for kids.

Book Cipher

This code uses a book as the key. The sender writes down the location of the code words to help the recipients find specific words. The sender and recipient both have a copy of precisely the same book.

How to code with a book cipher

The message is transmitted in groups of 3 figures. For example (11,4,2). These letters are the coordinates that point to a specific word in the book. For example, (11,2,2) means that you open the book and

• Turn to page 11
• Count down the page until you reach the second row from the top
• Then count the 2nd word in that line.

As you continue to find word after word, you can string together whole sentences!

Choosing the key

If this secret code is to work, you must have two IDENTICAL copies of the same book. If you have a different version of the same title, the words, and lines may be on different pages! You’ll also need a book that holds all the words you need for your messages.

Tip: You will need a book with a wide variety of words. Why not use two identical copies of a pocket dictionary. That’s a really easy way to ensure you have all the words you need!

Here’s a fun read for kids that love to solve puzzles. Adventure, ciphers and hidden treasure. 

Emily and James uncover a series of encrypted messages, each one linked to a mysterious fire. As they race to crack the ultimate puzzle—the Unbreakable Code—they must figure out if their suspect is a genius codebreaker or a dangerous arsonist.

Pig Pen Cipher

Pigpen is a simple substitution cipher. The 26 letters of the alphabet are placed in two grids or “pigpens.” Each letter is represented by the part of the “pigpen” that surrounds it.

Fun Facts

Pigpen is thought to be an ancient code that was used in ancient times. It is most known as the cipher of choice for the Freemasons. A secret society that used it to keep their records private. History also tells us that it was used by Union prisoners.

If you want to try the Pigpen cipher, download my free pigpen grid pdf file from the library. It is in with the family activity printables.

For even more fun, upgrade to my Secret Codes Activity kit. It includes some information about Pigpen and a fun activity page to help your kids practice using it. In addition, I will tell you where to download a pigpen font and point you to a website that encrypts any message into Pigpen.

Secret Decoder Wheel

Get ready for a memorable adventure with these secret decoder wheels! Somehow these devices help kids feel like real spies! They are not just toys but tools for sparking creativity and imagination. This handy device lets kids send and receive secret messages with friends and family. Prepare to be transported to a world of espionage and covert operations with a secret decoder wheel!

A secret decoder wheel is a simple gadget used for sending and receiving secret messages. It consists of two disks. The larger wheel has letters of the alphabet around the edges. The smaller wheel has numbers or symbols around the edge.

To send and receive messages, you need to create a key. You pick a number/symbol on the inner wheel as your crucial letter. Rotate the outer wheel, so the A lines up with the key number/symbol. Don’t let it move!

Tip: If you use a decoder wheel made from cardstock, you can secure the wheels with a paperclip, so they don’t move.

Locate the first letter of your message on the outer wheel. Look at the number or symbol below it on the inner wheel. Write this down. Repeat until you have coded all the letters of your message. Remember to give the key to the person receiving the letter!

My Secret Codes Activity kit includes a printable secret decoder cipher wheel. You will need some card stock and brad fasteners.

If you don’t want to make a decoder, try this one. It has two metal discs and is small enough to fit in the palm of a child’s hand. Suitable for children aged 6 and up.

A simple code maker and breaker

Crayola has a straightforward code maker and decoder that you can try. This might be easier for younger learners than the wheels and is an excellent way to introduce them to secret codes and ciphers.

Zig Zag Cypher

I was intrigued by this zig-zag cipher. It is easy to use and a great way to introduce secret codes to younger children. All you need is a zig-zag line.

Invisible Ink

Have you ever seen kids trying invisible ink? I love watching their face light up when the words suddenly appear! It’s just like magic! It is perfect for young children. Although invisible ink isn’t a secret code, it is still fun to use! All you need is lemon juice and paper. Why not give it a try today? Here are the instructions.

You can also buy a pack of invisible ink markers with an ultraviolet light! How cool is that?

Morse Code

Morse code is a system of communication using a series of dots and dashes to represent letters, numbers, and punctuation. It was invented in the early 1800s for use in telegraphs but is still used today in some forms of communication. This code is still used in aviation, shipping, and amateur radio areas.

Each letter, number, or punctuation mark is represented by a unique combination of dots and dashes. The dot is a short sound or flash, and the dash is a longer sound or flash. Once you have memorized the code, you can send and receive messages.

Try turning Morse code into a game. You can have your children race to see who can decode a message the fastest. Props such as flashes of light, hand taps, or beeps from a smartphone app make it even more fun. I’ve created a Morse Code cheat sheet you can download and use with your kids.

Another fun activity is to type words into this Morse Code Translator. The words are translated into Morse Code, and you can even play them to see how they sound.

Fun Fact

Samuel Morse, the inventor of Morse code, was a successful portrait painter before he turned his attention to inventing the telegraph and Morse code. He was inspired to develop the telegraph after losing his wife to illness while he was away from home.

Morse did not receive the message of his wife’s illness in time to make it home before she died. It is believed that this experience inspired Morse to invent the Morse code system so that urgent messages could be sent quickly using the telegraph.

Code Square (Grid Code)

Code squares are a straightforward code you can share with your child! The Ancient Greeks invented this secret code, so it is ancient! It couldn’t be easier to set up. Draw a 5×5 grid on a sheet of paper and write the numbers 1-5 on the left and top of the table. Now fill in the letters of the alphabet, putting Q and R in the same space.

Instead of the letters, you write the two numbers showing where to find the letter in the grid. For example, the letter S is in the fourth row and the third column, so it is written as 43.

My Secret Code Book For Kids has a code square all printed out and a fun puzzle for practice. Check it out here.

Caesar Shift Cipher

Take a journey back in time with Julius Caesar’s Cipher. He used this legendary code to send secret messages to his famed generals. This encryption technique is simple once you understand how it works. It is basically a substitution cipher.

The way this cipher works is that each letter of the alphabet is shifted down by a specific number. This shift is called a rotation or ROT. For example, ROT3 means that every letter is shifted by three spaces in the alphabet. This means that a D becomes an A. While the letter A is an X.

If you send a message using the Caesar Shift cipher, the person decoding it must know the value of the ROT.

Want to send messages to your kids using a Caesar shift? Click here for an online Caesar Shift Cypher encoder and decoder. It will save you loads of time and give your kids some fun logic puzzles to figure out.

My Secret Code Book For Kids has full instructions for the Caesar Shift cipher and grids that your children can use to figure out the different shifts and make their own encryption tool.

Making Your Own Secret Code

Creating your own secret codes can be a fun and educational activity for families. They are also loads of fun.

Start by playing with some of the codes in this post so your kids understand how secret codes work.

Download our free create your own code printable and invite kids to create their own codes. All they need to do is come up with unique symbols, numbers, or letters to represent each letter of the alphabet. Keep this simple, as anything too complicated will be hard to decipher.

Tip: Look at some of the symbol fonts for inspiration. One example would be Wingdings. This website has a free printable version you can download.

A Brief History of Cryptology

Cryptology is considered a science. It studies data storage and communication in a secure or secret form.

The art of concealing information has been around for thousands of years. The oldest cipher was found carved into the walls of an Egyptian tomb and dates to about 1900 BCE. Archeologists also found some clay tablets from Mesopotamia with an encrypted recipe for a pottery glaze.

The Greek writer Polybius invented the famous Polybius square. While Julius Caesar is credited with the creation of the Caesar shift. This is a system of shifting alphabet letters.

By the Middle Ages, most European rulers started using codes or ciphers in one form or another. Ciphers were more famous for military communications because of the risk that a codebook could be captured or stolen.

The inventions of the telegraph and the radio pushed forward the development of cryptography. The increased traffic volume was vulnerable to interception and had to be protected.

The great wars advanced the science forward. All information about military engagements was encrypted. Keeping the data secure was vital. Breaking the other side’s code would give you a strategic advantage. There is no doubt that cryptology changed the course of the war many times over.

Naturally, the rise of computers has created a demand for more sophisticated forms of encryption.

Looking for more information? Britannica offers an in-depth look at the fascinating history of cryptology.

What is the Difference Between a Code and a Cipher?

We talked about codes and ciphers in this post. So, what is the difference? In a nutshell, a code concerns the words, while a cipher is focused on the individual letters.

A code is something that changes words or phrases into something else. For example, the phrase, ‘We are going for coffee” could be code for “I need to talk to you immediately.” You often see examples of these kinds of codes being used in movies. The scenes when the president and/or family are being moved by the FBI involve codes. Sometimes they are even written into a code book. Obviously, both parties must learn these substitutions to be able to use and understand them.

On the other hand, a cipher is a way of writing a secret message by changing or rearranging the letters in a message. So, the Pigpen is a cipher because it transforms the letters into symbols. These letters correspond to the position on a grid. The sender and the receiver must understand the system to decrypt the cipher.

We don’t use a codebook with a cipher. Instead, we follow a series of instructions (also known as an algorithm). It often involves the use of a shared key. Two parties must use this shared key to code (encrypt) and decode (decrypt) messages. An example of this is the decoder wheel. The key directs both parties on how to line up the wheels.

Having said all this, the terms codes and ciphers are often used interchangeably. You will notice that this post is titled “10 Secret Codes Your Kids Will Enjoy.” However, all the codes listed are actually ciphers. I used the word code because more people are familiar with the term code and would understand what it meant.

Some Ideas for Using Secret Codes

• Try leaving secret code notes for your kids in unexpected places –Write them on sticky notes and leave them on a drinking glass, water bottle, under a pillow, in a book, or on a swing.
• Invite kids to use one of these codes to create their own messages.
• Use them to announce surprises, unexpected fun trips, or ice cream runs.
• If you have more time, you could set up a scavenger hunt. Write the clues in your code of choice. Have the last clue lead to a fantastic summer treat, a book full of puzzles and codes like The Maze of Bones, or a secret agent movie.
• Use a secret code in a special notebook with your child. Write coded notes of encouragement, tell jokes, or ask/answer questions!
• Using secret codes could be one of the spy challenges at a spy-themed party.

Your kids will be excited to try these secret codes and ciphers! They’ll love feeling like they’re part of a special club with their secret language. And you’ll love seeing the joy on their faces when they crack the code. If you want to make things even easier, get our printable Secret Codes For Kids. It introduces 5 fun codes. Each code has an instruction sheet and a fun activity page. There are also tips for parents to make things really easy.

Stuck inside and need more ideas? Our Indoor Activities page is packed with crafts, games, science experiments and more to keep kids happily busy.