Holiday Boredom Busters for Kids | home
Make your own treasure hunt
Kids find treasure hunts great fun whether indoors or out.
Indoor Treasure Hunt.
This needs a little preparation but once the kids have tried it they will probably be keen to make up their own treasure hunts.
The treasure to be eventually found could be some sweets or a little present or even a way of deciding on a special treat for the following day, afternoon or whatever depending upon which treat they find written on the final piece of paper.
The treasure needs to be hidden somewhere in the house, preferably where it cannot be found by accident, and the clues hidden throughout the house, each one explaining in the form of a riddle where the next clue can be found - "in front of the ticker" would be a simple way of saying it's in front of the clock for example, or "lower than wiped shoes" could mean under the doormat. Get the idea?
Clues could be placed in books and with a little ingenuity could entail the reading of certain passages or poems within that book - finding the correct page and detail within the picture of that page could be a good exercise for the little ones.
One clue leads to the other until the final clue reveals the location of the prize.
Two treasure hunts could be run in tandem with a race for who finds the treasure first.
Beware of clues leading to valuable or delicate items or clues that could be misread as leading to such items or out of bounds places.
Outside Treasure Hunt.
This does not need a prize located at its final goal - a piece of information to return with in exchange for a prize is probably a better way of doing it.
The clues can be written on a sheet and refer to various places, objects, landmarks etc. in your neighbourhood and the kids have to find each one and jot down an answer to a specific request about each one. For example "how many chimneys on Number 14?", "Who is staying up late to give medicines this tea time?" (Ans name of local chemist), "Outside whose house can conkers be found?"
Take a note of what is on the local notice board or in the local shop window. Corner shop window ads are a good source, assuming they are respectable of course. Local architectural features are good for treasure hunting - for future reference try and make a (mental) note of them on the way back from the shops or dropping the kids off. Treasure hunts with these type of clues can be very interesting and educational for adults and kids alike. It's amazing the strange architectural features to be found above shop window height.
This type of treasure hunt is really suitable for doing on foot and could be dangerous if done on bikes - see our Bike Treasure Hunt page.
Treasure hunts are great fun both in the doing and in the devising - Kids will enjoy doing both