{"id":2435,"date":"2023-01-10T11:42:02","date_gmt":"2023-01-10T11:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dadstuffsite.com\/?p=2435"},"modified":"2023-02-19T13:26:29","modified_gmt":"2023-02-19T13:26:29","slug":"a1z26-cipher-what-it-is-and-how-to-teach-your-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dadstuffsite.com\/a1z26-cipher-what-it-is-and-how-to-teach-your-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"A1Z26 Cipher (What it is and How to Teach Your Kids)"},"content":{"rendered":"
I love teaching my kids how to do different secret codes and ciphers. I love that I get to feed their imagination and help take their play to the next level. Who doesn\u2019t remember the intrigue of handing your best friend a secret message that no one else can read? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re looking to introduce your kiddos into the world of ciphers, you can\u2019t go wrong starting with an A1Z26 cipher. It\u2019s super easy to encode and decode, and a great cipher to teach a young child. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
An A1Z26 cipher (also called a Number Code or Letter-to-Number Cipher) is a basic substitution cipher. Each letter of the alphabet is replaced by its numbered position in the alphabet. For example, A=1, B=1, etc.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In a substitution cipher, the order of letters in the original message (or plaintext) remains the same. In the case of an A1Z26 cipher, each letter is substituted by a number into a coded message (or ciphertext).<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a great code to introduce kids to secret codes and ciphers. Encoding and decoding an A1Z26 message is simple and straightforward. It takes only a little bit of explanation if any. Simply hand your child an encoded message with either a chart or decoder and they should be able to decode the message themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to try another simpler for younger kids, check out The Scytale Cipher (What It Is and How to Teach Your Kids)<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The basic premise of an A1Z26 cipher is to take the alphabet and assign it a number corresponding to it\u2019s place in the alphabet. <\/p>\n\n\n To encode\u2014that is, to convert the plaintext message into ciphertext\u2014take the letters of your message from the top row (plaintext) and replace them with the number on the bottom (ciphertext). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Using the diagram, we can encode the following message:<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, find the letter D in the top row and replace it with the number 4 in the second row. The second letter O will be replaced with 15, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dad Tip: Make sure you have enough space between letters. If the ciphertext for A and B are together, it will look like the number 12, which can be confused with L. <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n To decode a message, simply work the other way. Take the corresponding numbers of your coded message from the bottom row (ciphertext) and replace them with the letters of the top (plaintext)<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to make things look a little fancier than a chart, you can also hand your kid a cipher wheel. Here\u2019s a free downloadable cipher wheel with corresponding numbers. If you want to add some mystery, age the paper with some old coffee or tea (check out how to age paper here<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Encode and Decode Messages Using an A1Z26 Cipher<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
Don't trust atoms. They make up everything.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Plaintext: Don't trust atoms. They make up everything.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Ciphertext: 4 15 14 20 20 18 21 19 20 1 20 15 13 19 20 8 5 25 13 1 11 5 21 16 5 22 5 18 25 20 8 9 14 7<\/pre>\n\n\n\n