How to Plan a Treasure Hunt

Nothing is more thrilling to young minds than the promise of treasure. A treasure hunt is the perfect event for a pirate-themed party or any gathering where the kids might otherwise get bored. The trick to crafting a good treasure hunt is making them challenging enough to be fun but not so challenging that the kids give up. A good presentation will go a long way toward making your hunt successful.

Things You'll Need

• Paper Pen Treasure Cardboard Box or bags Electrical tape

Instructions

1. Draw the landmarks of the area for the treasure hunt. Don't worry about everything being to scale, just get the basic locations right. Give the landmarks cool names, such as "Greystone Manor" for your house, or "Twisted Oak" for the tree in your back yard.

2. Decide where to hide the treasure and mark an X on the map at that spot. Make it as far from the starting point as possible.

3. Draw a dotted line around the map to mark the path the treasure seekers must take.

4. Tear or cut the map into two, three or four separate pieces. On the back of the pieces, write the order in which the participants will earn them: The starting point will be #1, the one with the X will be the last number.

5. Fill a box or bag with treasure. Treasure can be small toys, pennies, candy, or anything else you want to use. Bury the bag or box where your X is marked, or cover it with a piece of cardboard. Mark an X over it with electrical tape.

6. Hand out the first part of the map to the participants. When they get to the end of that part, make them earn the next part: Either hide it or have them answer a riddle to win it. Continue in this way until they have all the pieces of the map and can find the treasure.

Tips & Warnings

• Set up obstacles on the treasure trail. For example, make the kids play a party game, like egg rolling, before getting the next section of map. Make the treasure the party favors. Each child can be given a bag to scoop treasure into. Soak the map paper in tea for a few minutes to stain it and make it look old. Let it dry completely.

References

• Creative Kids At Home