www.parents.comTreasure Hunt
Whether it’s a big birthday or an everyday afternoon, anyone can play our instant Treasure Hunt game. Just print out the Parents.com Clues and Treasure Chest pages, grab a pen, and take a few minutes to hide the clues from your kids. If you’ve got more time and imagination, try using Blank Clues instead.
PRINTABLES (You’ll need Adobe Acrobat version 6 or better)
HOW TO PLAY1. On each clue sheet, write in the words of where you are hiding the next clue.
Using the Parents.com Clues for Little KidsFor instance, for clue #1, you’d write “Keep your eyes open near the __________” and fill in “tree,” “swings,” “couch” or wherever. Help them read the words as they find the clues; you can also draw a picture of the location.
Using the Parents.com Clues for Big KidsWrite in a place that they have to puzzle out. For instance, “tree” might be “place where birds make their nests,” “swings” might be “place where you pump your legs,” or “couch” might be “place that has arms but isn’t a person.”
Using Blank CluesWrite in your own description of where the seekers should look next. Make rhymes, or customize using family lore or language (like, “Now look where Daddy takes off his slippers”). Print out as many copies of the Blank Clues as you need.
2. Put the clues in their places. Hint: It sometimes helps to keep a list for yourself of where you put the clues.
Little KidsAppeal to their sense of adventure by making them really hunt for and solve the clues, both mentally and physically.
3. Let your kids find the clues, one at a time. Sometimes with many kids playing it’s fun to have a small prize or treat at each clue, too, or use our >Award Winner coloring page. Once a child has found and read the clue, she should put it back where she found it so others can find it, too.
4. More ways to make it fun: With a larger group, you can have players return to a central location when a clue is found?so everyone knows when that is, have the player(s) finding the clue shout out. This way everyone can hear the clue being read aloud, and go off in search of the next one at the same time.
5. Another variation: Create two sets of clues, one for each team. (Or as many teams as you want.) Mark the clues with the team’s name. Each team has to find its clues only, but there’s one treasure at the end.
6. At the end, the player or team that finds the Treasure Chest printable first wins! You can have a small prize or treat at the finish, too, or use our Award Winner coloring page. To make it fair for a larger party, have everyone come back to a central location after they find the Treasure Chest; the team that comes in first wins, but make sure there are enough prizes or awards for everyone who played.
Looking to entertain your kids? Why not send them on a scavenger hunt! Wherever you are, you probably have most of these items on hand, and you’ll just need to print out our lists or some blank templates of your own.
PRINTABLES
(You’ll need Adobe Acrobat version 6 or better)
HOW TO PLAY
1. Set boundaries for the game, such as only Grandma’s living room, or just the backyard.
2. Use our Parents.com Lists to get inspired as to what items to use, or print our Blank Lists and fill in your own things to hunt.
3. Then hide the items, or choose things that will be easy enough to find in your setting (but not too easy!), such as a round rock in a backyard, or a TV remote in a living room.
4. Set a timer, and let your players (or teams) find all of the items on the list. For little kids, use just five items (one list); for bigger kids, use more than one list or give each player/team a different list.
5. The first ones to find everything when time’s up win an award (you can use our Award Winner coloring page) or a small prize or treat.
Stick Pony Rodeo 