Life in Stepping Stones

Last year, my son was obsessed with the Spy Kids movies. When it came time to plan his birthday, there was nothing he wanted more than a Secret Agent Birthday Party! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited. I’m a huge fan of spy TV shows and this was right up my alley. So how do you throw the most epic Spy Birthday Party? All it takes is an interactive script, some awesome secret agent decorations (time bomb piñata, anyone?), the best spy party activities on the planet, and willing adult participants. Luckily for you, I have made an entire breakdown of this party!

When it comes to birthday party planning, one could say I go completely crazy with ideas. I honestly start planning my kids next parties practically the day their current party finishes. When I forge ahead with a party idea, I’m looking to not just create a fun day, but a lifelong memory. This was by far the most time intensive party I’ve ever done. But believe me when I say, it was not only worth it, it was EPIC.

I’d be lying if I said this spy party didn’t completely spiral…but in a good way. What started as an idea for a simple “secret spy” mission scavenger hunt, somehow became a full on interactive theater performance, complete with a printed script, scavenger hunt for clues, fingerprint dusting, clue matching, a freeze tag race against time to stop the bad guy, laser maze, and a time bomb piñata.

I told you I was crazy. Now do you believe me?

Spy Birthday Party Mission

To plan the most epic secret agent party I could ever imagine, I had to come up with a good plot. One where the stakes are high and the kids can feel invested. Some ideas online suggested spy training, the case of the missing cake, etc.

After giving it some thought, and watching Spy Kids 4 for the 5,000th time with my son, I came up with the idea of frozen time.

The theme of the party is simple: Agent X has stolen the World Time Clock and frozen time to stop my son from turning 6!

The kids mission is to figure out who out of the adult spies is Agent X and unfreeze time, so my son could celebrate his birthday.

If you would like to purchase the script I wrote and have it customized for your own party, please contact me at Justine@lifeinsteppingstones.com. The running time, with the activities, is just under 1.5 hours.

None of the adults needed to memorize the script (we’re not professionals after all!). I put a copy of each script in a manila envelope for the adult agent’s to carry throughout the party.

Secret Agent Birthday Party Invitations

My son was absolutely thrilled to go around hand delivering his invitations. Each invitation came in the shape of a mini manila folder I had cut and printed using my Cricut. On the envelope, I had printed an OSS Logo and the words Top Secret above the invitees name.

If you are interested in custom invitations, please contact me at Justine@Lifeinsteppingstones.com. If you have already purchased and received your printable invitation, click here, for the cutting file for the Cricut.

Secret Agent Birthday Party Favor Spy Kit Boxes

To create the Secret Agent Party Favor Box Spy Kits for each kid, I used my Cricut (I’m a mega fan at this point)!

Supplies You Need:

• Party Favor Boxes
• Permanent Adhesive Vinyl (black, red, silver, and white)
• Cricut Machine
• These files for Cricut Design Space to create the Ultimate Spy Party Favor Box

Step By Step Instructions

1. Open the file in Cricut Design Space and cut each sheet using the Cricut
2. Transfer each SILVER layer on top of each black rectangular layer.
3. Transfer the black trapezoid layer on top of the silver layer for the top label on each side.
4. Transfer the white strip onto one of the black trapezoids. This is where the child’s name will go.
5. Transfer the TOP SECRET Logo onto the black rectangle space on the same side you added the label.
6. Transfer the design to the Party Favor Box.

What to Put in Your Secret Agent Party Favor Box to Make the Ultimate Spy Kit

• Secret Agent ID (Be sure to get some Badge ID card holders)
• Freeze Tag Waist Band
• Secret Writing Pens & Top Secret Notepads
• Plastic Gloves for Kids
• Fingerprint Dusting Cornstarch Powder in Small Container
• Fingerprint Dusting Brush
• Plastic Evidence Bag
• Fingerprint Dusting Slide
• Magnifying Glass

Secret Agent ID

I made the Secret Agent ID using Adobe Illustrator. I collected photos from the yearbook to make the ID’s for each of my son’s friends and left spots on each ID for fingerprints!

Freeze Tag Waist Band

I put my mom in charge of making the waist bands for the kids. To make simple waist bands, she cut pieces of wide black ribbon and glued a square of velcro onto each one. She then cut wide pieces of yellow and red ribbon, attaching the other side of the velcro to each. This way the ribbons could be ripped off the waist band during freeze tag!

Everything You Need to Dust for Fingerprints

To prepare for the dusting for fingerprints activity, I first put simple “Evidence” stickers on the small plastic sandwich bags I put in the party favor box.

The dusting powder was very simple to do. I ordered some small containers on Amazon and then printed sticker labels marking each as “fingerprint dusting powder”. I filled each container with a tablespoon of cornstarch.

Finally, I used the Cricut to cut small rectangles out of chipboard, as well as black vinyl rectangles in the same size. I attached the vinyl to the chipboard pieces. When the kids “transferred” the fingerprints using tape, they taped them onto these rectangles.

Spy Party Hand Made Decorations

I made a lot of decorations for this party. Some which were vital to the plot, and others which just helped create the atmosphere or were fun for the kids to play with. For the specific details on how I made some of these decorations, please click the links provided to jump to the page!

The World Time Clock & Batteries

There are two hand made decorations I crafted that were the most important because they were interactive and the entire party revolved around them. This is one of them.

At the climax of the mission, the kids were sent to search Agent X’s Lair (our backyard) for the clock batteries she stole! They had to collect them during a game of Freeze Tag (more on that later). After successfully collecting the batteries, they were eventually led to The World Time Clock. They had to “insert” the batteries in the back to unfreeze time.

How to make the World Time Clock and Batteries blog post coming soon.

Make a Pull String Time Bomb Piñata

This is the other decoration that was vital to the party theme. After the kids placed the “batteries” in the back of the clock, they discovered that they set off the timer on the time bomb! The kids had to disable the time bomb piñata before the timer would go off!

I designed this as a pull string piñata. After all, it wouldn’t make sense for them to defuse the bomb by hitting it with a stick!

I will be creating a post about how I made this piñata from scratch (I’ll update with the link!). In the meantime though, to make mine, I used this awesome one by One Creative Mommy as inspiration.

Spy Kids OSS Headquarters Sign

This was one of the simplest decorations to create. I created the logo for the OSS (Organization of Superspies) on Photoshop and cut it using my Cricut. I then glued the letters to a large black poster board.

Spy Computers

The spy computers were not a necessary decoration per say, but boy, did the kids LOVE them. I created two computers, one showing the fingerprint database being scanned, and the other showing the location of Agent X’s Lair. Even now, my son has these computers in his playhouse!

How to create pretend computers blog post coming soon.

Secret Agent Hand Print Scanner

The hand scanner was the first decoration I made for the party, months before I had fully started planning. It was a cute decoration to have waiting for the kids upon arrival. As they grabbed their Spy IDs and spy kits, they scanned their hands before entering the headquarters.

How to Create a Secret Agent Hand Scanner blog post coming soon.

“Who Is Agent X?” Mystery Board

What is a spy birthday party without a mystery board? The mystery board included pictures of each of the mystery agents, along with their motives and spy names.

I used a large foam poster board and taped down each blurb alongside a picture, with a picture of my son in the center. I then cut and taped small pieces of a red string to connect his picture to the other agents.

“Time Keepers Lair” Scavenger Hunt Puzzle

To make the Time Keepers Lair Puzzle, I designed a map of our backyard on Adobe Illustrator. Actually, I took the map I designed in the previous year for my son’s Aladdin birthday scavenger hunt, and made some changes for this party! I will tell you now, if you make a scavenger hunt map of your house for one party, it will be the best decision you ever made! Once you have a map, you can reuse it time and time again for future birthday scavenger hunts or even Easter egg hunts!

On the map, I placed magnifying glasses at the locations of each of the clues.

Once I finished designing the map, I printed it on printable adhesive vinyl. I placed it on a sheet of Cricut Chipboard. On Cricut design space, I purchased and used a pre-made puzzle pattern. Using the Cricut knife blade, I inserted the sheet of chipboard with the map, and cut the puzzle. Cutting with the knife blade is time consuming and can take a few hours, so don’t save this project for the last minute!

Secret Agent Party Decorations

Besides the many handcrafted decorations, we also had to set the scene!

OSS Headquarters

In our RV space, we set up the Secret Agent Headquarters. This party was during the COVID-19 pandemic and we were not using any indoor spaces at the time. However, the Headquarters could absolutely be set up inside if you wish!

In the headquarters, we covered our ping pong table with a black table cover and set chairs around it for each of the kids. We also covered the walls with the black plastic cover to set the atmosphere.

Inside the headquarters, we hung the OSS sign, The Who is Agent X Sign, and placed the pretend computers on the table.

The biggest hit was the fake computers I made! Each kid was lining up for a turn to pretend to play on them!

Agent X’s Lair

When the kids entered our backyard, we had decked it out for Agent X’s Lair. We hung black party curtains and used plenty of red and green streamers to make lasers, and a laser maze (check out activities below!).

Spy Party Activities

1. The Arrival

When the kids arrived at the party, they were directed to a table at the entrance. The table had their Spy Kit Party Favor boxes, the hand scanner, and an ink pad to get their fingerprints!

The kids took out their spy badges, and put their fingerprints on their spy cards. They then pretended to scan their hands before heading to the table and settling in.

2. Time Keeper’s Lair Puzzle Map Activity

What You Need: Puzzle Map

Once the kids were settled in and the mission was announced, one of the adult agent’s let the kids know that Agent X had left the first clue behind. A bag of puzzle pieces!

The puzzle was split in half and I had pre-packaged it into two separate plastic bags. Based on the number of kids you have, you can do the same or keep them all together. The kids split into two groups and each worked on the puzzle from their bag. Once it was finished, they combined both sides.

The puzzle revealed a map with magnifying glasses, showing the general location of each clue!

3. Secret Agent Scavenger Hunt for Clues Activity

What You Need: Clues, Plastic Gloves, Evidence Bags

Before the hunt began, the kids put on their plastic gloves and grabbed their evidence bags. The kids then headed off into Agent X’s Lair, searching for clues. They were split into two teams, led by two adult agents. There were enough clues for each kid and they were each able to collect one before returning back to the base.

I made each of the clues using Black Acrylic Circles and I used adhesive vinyl cut with the Cricut to make the messages. Using these, instead of paper, made it easier to do the next activity: dusting for fingerprints.

4. Solving the Case

Dusting for Fingerprints Activity for Kids

What the Kids Need: Dusting brush, dusting powder, tape for transfer, fingerprint slide

Once the kids arrived back with their clues, they settled in to dust for fingerprints! Ahead of time, we had our adult agent who was secretly Agent X put her fingerprint on each clue.

The kids took out their cornstarch dusting powder, dusting brush, and fingerprint slide ready to go.

Depending on the age of the kids, you can expect different results. I didn’t expect any 6 year olds to have the patience to successfully and slowly discover a fingerprint so this activity was more for the experience than the result! After the kids “dusted” and used tape to transfer the print to the fingerprint slide, we told them we were running the prints through our database.

Deciphering the Clues

While the fingerprints were “going through the database”, the kids gathered to put the 9 clues they collected in order. During this time, the adult agent playing Agent X snuck out and headed to her lair. While the kids were busy, Agent X put the clock “batteries” around the yard in specific locations based off a map I created.

When the kids put together the clues, it read: “I will freeze time forever to stop [my son’s name] from turning 6!”

After discovering the motive, we flipped over the clues to discover a signature on each one.

Match the Signature

What You Need: Printed Signature sheets

I handed out pieces of paper with computer made signatures from each of the secret agents. The kids compared the signature on their clue with the list to figure out who Agent X was.

The kids loved searching through the signatures and figuring out which one matched. At this age, they’re still learning to match so I kept it simple. To make it extremely simple, I even color coded them.

For older kids, I’d recommend using actual signatures instead of computer generated ones! I’m sure kids in the later elementary school years would have a blast with this challenge.

Who is Agent X?

Once the kids were done, we asked them who Agent X was. We pointed to the agent’s pictures on the “Who is Agent X” Board as we asked. The kids excitedly yelled out who it was but when they looked around, they realized Agent X was gone!

I spotted a final clue on the table that Agent X left behind. The clue read:

“You may know my secret plan now, but I dare you to try and stop me. 9 power devices are hidden around my lair. Each agent can only take one. Watch out. If I grab your red tag, you will be frozen! Let the games begin! Mwah ha ha.”

Re-Checking the Puzzle Map

What You Need: Puzzle Map and Invisible Ink Pens with Flashlight

Before the kids could go on their mission, we had to re-check the puzzle map for clues of where the power devices may be hidden.

Before the party, using the invisible ink pen, I had marked each location.

The kids pulled out their invisible ink pens (with a flashlight on the other side) and shined their flashlight to look for clues. The puzzle revealed the secret locations of the batteries!

On separate pieces of paper, I printed out a portion of the map, with a location of one battery. I handed them out to each kid, as their mission was to collect one battery each.

5. Freeze Tag with Agent X

What You Need: Freeze Tag Waist Band, Individual Cards with “Battery” Locations, Fake Batteries

Before entering the secret lair, I informed the kids of the Freeze Tag rules.

If Agent X removes your red tag, you will be frozen. But, I also provided the kids with yellow tags that would unfreeze them. Therefore, they could help their fellow frozen agent and no kid would stay frozen forever. Ahead of time, I had informed Agent X that she could only freeze a kid once, to avoid them getting frustrated. The kids of course didn’t know this so they were still running around to escape her even after they had been saved by a fellow agent.

The kids headed off into Agent X’s lair. They ran around collecting the batteries, trying to avoid being frozen, and they had a blast being chased by the “villain”.

Once the kids had collected all of the batteries and placed them in the bin, Agent X announced:

“You may have found the power devices but you will never stop me! The only way to unfreeze time is to find the clock. And I have hidden the clock behind a giant laser maze! So good luck. You will never be able to get through it and start time again.”

6. Laser Maze Challenge

What You Need: A whole lot of streamers!

The morning of the party, my husband and I painstakingly set up this laser trap in a corridor of our backyard. We thought through every single laser, making sure it was challenging enough, but still possible to get through. We even got trapped in it a couple of times setting it up.

When the kids arrived at the laser maze, they were so excited…and they plowed straight through it. Or at least some of them did! Some of them were more meticulous than the other kids, who would’ve clearly set off a million lasers if this was remotely real! Regardless though, they all had so much fun racing through it!

7. Deactivate the Time Bomb Pull String Piñata

What You Need: World Time Clock, Fake “Batteries”, Pull String Time Bomb Piñata

Once the kids got through the laser maze, we pointed out the giant clock and the kids had to place the batteries inside the back of it. After the batteries were dropped inside, an adult agent shouted out:

“Oh no! The clock is attached to a time bomb! Now that the clock is working, the time bomb is active. We must stop it together by pulling these strings! Everybody grab a string! When I count to three, pull!”

The kids gathered around the piñata in excitement and each grabbed a string. When they pulled it opened, candy dropped everywhere and they had successfully “defused” the time bomb.

Finally, I announced: “Congratulations Superspies! You did it! Thanks to all of you, time is no longer frozen and [my son’s name] can now turn 6!”

Time for Cake!

We headed back to the headquarters to sing happy birthday, cut the cake, and open presents before it was time for the kids to leave. I was thrilled that the party had been timed out perfectly. In total, the interactive experience took just under 1.5 hours and that left plenty of time to eat cake and open gifts.

My son’s birthday cake was extremely time consuming but worth every minute! This was my third time using gum paste, and my biggest challenge yet!

How to make a Secret Agent Birthday Cake blog coming soon.

My son had an amazing time at his party and some of his guests still talk about it when they see me – and it’s been nearly half a year. It’s a party I don’t think he (or I) will ever forget!

Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more birthday party tips! My son is expecting a Star Wars theme birthday party later this year and I plan to make it just as epic!