How to Create a Christmas Treasure Hunt for Children

You can always depend on Santa to deliver presents under the tree each Christmas Eve. To get to every child's house across the world, however, takes quite a toll on the jolly old man, and he appreciates all the assistance he can get to please all those who rely on him. You can help make Christmas morning even more exciting for the children in your house by creating a Christmas treasure hunt. A sense of humor and a few supplies are all that is needed to begin this amusing tradition.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Pencil or pen

Instructions

1. Select the present that will be the "treasure." Often, the "treasure" can be the most-desired gift of the year: a musical instrument, computer game, hockey stick, special article of clothing, popular doll, or whatever your child desires the most.

2. Wrap the gift and hide it in an unusual place--in the parents' closet, in the dryer or dishwasher, or even in the backseat of the van.

3. Write the first clue on a card or piece of paper and place it on the Christmas tree. You may write it in rhyming couplets if you are a poet at heart (for example, "Merry Christmas, child/With eyes so blue./Check under your bed./Look in your shoe!")

4. Compose a second clue and hide it in the place indicated in the first clue. Continue writing and hiding the clues until you come to the final clue that will lead the child to the gift. Make sure the gift is hidden in the place you indicated it would be in the final clue.

5. Review your clues and make sure they are placed where they are supposed to be. Allow the children to read and follow the clues to find their "treasure" after all the gifts have been unwrapped.

Tips & Warnings

• Decorate the first clue with glitter and use a spring-loaded clothespin or paper clip to attach the clue to the Christmas tree.

• If the "treasure" is for more than one child to share, ensure that each child gets a turn at finding and following the clues.