Kids love adventures and these treasure hunt clues for kids are the perfect way to have an adventure at home. You can never have too many activities for kids on hand and these printable clues are super fun!
Treasure hunts are great as birthday party activities, but they’re also a lot of fun any time you want to surprise the kids or keep them busy for a little while.
WHAT IS A TREASURE HUNT?
A treasure hunt is an opportunity for kids to search for something special. Treasure hunts are popular on television, but with a little creativity parents can bring the hunt home!
A treasure hunt can be done for someone’s birthday, on holidays or just for fun.
The basis of the treasure hunt is that kids will have clues leading them from place to place and clue to clue. Eventually the clues will lead to the “treasure” at the end of the hunt.
The clues should take into account the ages of the kids participating in the hunt. For younger kids, the clues need to be easy enough for them to figure out.
Older kids will want more of a challenge, so the clues should require a little more thinking and deductive reasoning.
WHAT KIND OF PRIZE SHOULD BE AT THE END?
A treasure hunt is similar to a scavenger hunt in some ways. I have seen a birthday scavenger hunt that lead to a birthday gift at the end.
The prize at the end of the hunt really depends on what kind of treasure hunt you are having. It’s the little something that adds to the fun of decoding the clues.
I love to surprise my kids with something FUN for no reason at all. When I do a surprise treasure hunt I will typically make the prize something simple.
The fun is really the process of figuring out each clue and completing the challenge.
Here are some easy treasure hunt prize ideas:
- Game the whole family can enjoy such as: 5 Second Rule
, Spoons
or Pictionary
- Movie tickets to see an upcoming family movie
- Craft or Activity Kits
- Coupon Book
TREASURE HUNT CLUES FOR KIDS
I put my thinking cap on and wrote some easy treasure hunt clues for kids that will work for almost any family.
These clues are all fairly generic and lead to places that most homes will have. You’ll choose the starting point where you’ll hand them the card that leads them to the first “clue” that will, in turn, lead them to the next one.
If you have more than one child seeking the treasure, encourage them to take turns reading the clues. For a lot of kids, reading the clues is one of the best parts!
Here are the clues and where they each lead:
- Getting the first clue will be a joy. Look for it where you would put your toy. LOCATION: Toy box
- Now that you are playing the game look in the place where we keep your picture in a frame. LOCATION: picture of the child
- If you want to find more clues look in the place you put your shoes. LOCATION: where child keeps their shoes
- Get up and walk on your feet, you will find the next clue under your favorite seat. LOCATION: where child typically sits
- You are finding clues and feeling bold, now go to the place you keep foods really cold. LOCATION: refrigerator or freezer
- The next clue is easily seen if you go to the place you go to get clean. LOCATION: bathtub or shower
- This isn’t a wild goose chase if you go to the place where you can see your own face. LOCATION: bathroom mirror
- While you are up walking around go to the place where you go to lay down. LOCATION: child’s bed
- When you look for the next clue you might want to plug your nose because its hiding where you store your dirty clothes. LOCATION: laundry hamper
- You have worked so hard to get every clue, to find out the last one go where the coffee does brew. LOCATION: coffee pot
Of course, this is just one treasure hunt idea. You can always create a themed treasure hunt if you prefer!
For example, you could create a treasure hunt based on a color, letter, room, or category. For a themed treasure hunt, you would hide the clues in/on/under objects and spaces that fit the theme.
Theme hunts make it a little easier for the kids to find the clues since it narrows down the possibilities of where they might be hidden.
More Ideas for Family Fun
If you need some more ideas for family fun be sure to check these out:
- What to Do in Summer: Family Fun Kit
- Would You Rather Questions for Kids
- Printable Bingo Cards
- Indoor Games for Kids
- The Best Staycation Ideas for Families
Don’t forget to PIN this post so you can come back and find it again!
PRINTABLE TREASURE HUNT CLUES FOR KIDS
I made these treasure hunt clues for kids into a printable to share with you and your family. This is easy to download, print off and use at home for some family fun!
Just fill in the form below to get immediate access.
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Kate says
I just used this scavenger hunt in a pinch when I needed some unexpected tooth fairy cash……our tooth fairy usually gives $2, but we had a lost tooth surprise us at the end of the day and my wallet had no singles!!! I shook my purse for loose change, found 8 quarters, and taped one to each clue. Tomorrow morning will be fun. 😊😊
Jenny says
Thanks for the quick easy scavenger hunt!
Jen Carlin says
Thanks. This takes the work out of party planning
Lc says
Printing, thanks!
Raquel says
Awesome for my sons birthday!
Cheryl Fort says
looks cool
Mindy Taylor says
Thank you
Danielle says
We did this yesterday for my 8 and 10 years old boys and they LOVED it ! They keep begging for more . Thank you so much for
Lindsey says
My kids loved this treasure hunt and are begging me to do some more! They’re 6 and 8 years old and these clues were perfect for them! Thank you:)
Michele Morin says
These are so great! Pinning them for future fun with the grands!
Create With Joy says
LOVE this post Jamie – congrats for being one of our Featured Guests at Inspire Me Monday at Create With Joy!
Janine at ThriveOnOneIncome.com says
I’m so glad I took the time to do lots of treasure hunts with my boy when he was younger! I hope lots of people download your cute clues!