Write a Secret Code With Our Printable Cipher Wheel

Do you want to learn how to write a secret code? The cipher wheel is perfect for that! The same tool that has intrigued minds from Julius Caesar to Thomas Jefferson is here to be downloaded and printed at home, right at this moment! Keep scrolling to read the step-by-step instructions to write your first coded letter. 

Download here –> Cipher Wheel printable pdf

What is the Cipher Wheel?

From the Caesar cipher wheel to the Enigma machine, cryptography (the art of writing or solving codes) has played an important role in shaping history. But beyond that, cipher wheels offer a unique blend of education and entertainment for kids.

By creating their own secret codes, children can develop problem solving skills while having a blast with friends and family members. It’s not just a game: it’s a different way of thinking and a chance to craft their own secret language!

How to Use Your Cipher Wheel

1. Start by printing the cipher wheel templates provided in the button below on thick paper or by pasting them onto thin cardboard. Cut out both wheels carefully, ensuring the smaller wheel keeps its black triangle marker.
2. Using a sharp point, make a small hole in the center of each wheel. Join the wheels together with the smaller one on top of the larger one, using a split pin.

Now for the fun part! 

How to Encrypt a Message and Decrypt

Here’s how to use your new cipher wheel with your friends: 

Encryption Steps:

1. Turn the smaller wheel so that each letter on it lines up with a different letter on the larger wheel.
2. This cipher wheel contains only 24 characters. For a “J” put in a “Y”, and for a “Q” put in an “O”. Select the first character from your message and write down the letter on the smaller circle that appears directly beneath it on the larger wheel. 
3. Rotate the upper wheel until the black triangle points to the character you have just selected. This is called the “Key”, you’ll need both the cipher and the key to be able to decrypt the message.
4. Now, for each letter of your message, find that character on the outer wheel, and write down the letter that is exactly beneath it on the inner wheel. This will be your encrypted message.
5. Give your coded message to your friend and let them solve it using the cipher wheel!

Decryption Steps:

1. Identify Key: Look at the first character of the secret message. This character acts as your key for decryption. Rotate the upper wheel of your cipher until the black triangle points to that character. 
2. Decrypt Message: For each letter of your message, find that character on the inner wheel and write down the corresponding letter that is exactly above it on the outer wheel. Continue this process until the entire message is decrypted.

Here’s an example:

FDKP

Decryption Process:

• Key Character: F
• Rotate the upper wheel until the triangle points to F.
• Decrypt each letter:

The encrypted message is “love”.

And voila, that’s all! Wasn’t that fun and exciting to do?

DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE Cipher wheel PDF FILE

Download here –> Cipher Wheel printable pdf

More fun Secret code printables & brain teasers from Kids Activities Blog

What message did you encrypt using the cipher wheel? Did you have fun decoding the messages your friends wrote?