Planning a successful treasure hunt for younger kids

April 20, 2009

Most children, and some adults, are enthralled by the notion of treasure and, like most things in life, the most exciting aspect can be the hunt that precedes it.

But planning a treasure hunt has to be done right, otherwise children get upset and treasure becomes wasted.

The first step is to determine where the hunt will take place. Ideally, it should take place outside, allowing the children to run from one clue to the next, but it doesn't have to. A large house with various closets and hiding spaces can work as well.

When placing the clues, start from the end and work backwards, meaning place the treasure at the final spot and work the clues that way. Be mindful of the age of the participants too, so don't make the clues too difficult or too obvious. Part of the fun is using one's mind to get them there.

If you have a large group of kids, you may need to split them up into two groups and either have two different treasure hunts or have a race to the same one. Just be sure you use different clues for each team.

And above all, make sure everyone goes home with some treasure!