How to organize a treasure hunt at home
Playing is the favorite pastime of every little one in the house and when it is possible to do it with a group of friends it is even more fun! The game of treasure hunt is perfect to play in company: it is adventurous, stimulating and it is a great way to spend some fun-filled afternoons. Find out in this video how the game brings great benefits to children of all ages, the expert Silvia Felis speaks.
Prepare the home treasure hunt
There are some times of the year when the time spent at home is a lot, and it is easy for children to get bored. This is why we need to invent something new, possibly fun and that also engages them with the mind, to be able to make them happy.
Organizing a treasure hunt within the walls of your home is easier than you might think; you can involve the child in the preparation by asking him, for example, how many friends he will want to invite and what will be the final prize for the winners!
It begins by identifying the home environment where the treasure hunt will take place. Being a group game to be played indoors, it is very likely that earthquakes tend to devastate your home; we advise you to limit the children's range of action to one or a few rooms.
It is not necessary that a treasure hunt has to be only physical, you can organize riddles and puzzles that after each solved puzzle lead to the next game, up to the treasure.
If you opt for a home treasure hunt, with hidden objects around, you also choose whether to have the children collaborate or compete with each other. The collaborative option is more suitable for a few children (a single group of 5 or 6) as it involves only one team that works to find the clues; the competitive variant applies to a greater number of participants and the tests are usually timed, which is why we prefer it for children aged 7-8 and up, as they know how to better manage the time they have available.
See also
Treasure hunt: map and final prize
When you have decided on your type of treasure hunt you need to consider two things before you start playing: the treasure map and the prize.
You can choose between two game modes, one is the classic variant that provides a map of the game area (in your case the living room, the children's bedroom, the kitchen or even the covered terrace) where the exact position is shown of the coveted treasure.
The other version is the one that applies more to a home context because it is more convenient and quick to prepare, but we leave the decision to you: you can choose not to use a physical map and organize on some sheets a series of puzzles that they will be distributed in the game space. If the participants manage to solve them all, they are entitled to receive one last clue that will lead them to discover the location of the treasure.
We come to what children really care about when they play a treasure hunt: the prize!
The final treasure can actually be anything; the little ones don't care what it is, as long as they have the satisfaction of having received it, after having overcome countless challenges ...
Our treasure ideas worth fighting for: bags full of candy, chocolate coins and small toys that guests will keep as a memento of the afternoon spent together. You can embellish the treasure hiding place with a DIY chest, starting with a shoe box and some gold adhesive or ribbon.
Other items to consider when organizing a home treasure hunt
Home treasure hunts are one of the most popular games for children's birthday parties, but as we said, they can be a great diversion for rainy days too.
There are a few last things to keep in mind when planning a treasure hunt; structure your adventurous expedition without forgetting these points and rest assured that your prize hunt will be loved and successful too!
1) Age of the participants
Who can participate in a home treasure hunt?
Everyone can play a treasure hunt, even adults, who can join as helpers to dispense valuable advice or remain to check that the rules of the game are respected.
It is also true that your treasure hunt must necessarily be based on the average age of the children. The little ones, under the age of 6, still cannot read and have a concentration capacity that does not exceed 40 minutes. In this case you will have to structure well the ways and times of resolution of each clue. If your guests are children aged 7-8, then you can opt for longer treasure hunts, of about an hour.
2) Difficulty
This point is linked to the previous one, as the difficulty of the riddles goes hand in hand with the age of the participants. Adapt the paths and puzzles to the predominant age group: they must not be too easy or too complex. We believe this is the really crucial point in organizing a successful treasure hunt. Try to find the right balance and alternate the easy clues (to start the hunt) with the more complex ones, perhaps based on the lessons they have learned in school or on the activities they like to do at home. You can also think of placing the clues according to the degree of difficulty… it will still be an interesting challenge and one that will make them have fun.
3) The Theme
Last but not least, the theme of the house party. The game must be based on a theme particularly loved by young participants, and here too it can differ according to age or gender. Little ones will surely love animal-themed hunts, fairy tales or favorite cartoon characters, while with elementary school children you can organize a pirate or princess home treasure hunt.
Ideas for treasure hunt at home: riddles
Here are some examples of clues that you can use in your game. Simple and cheerful, have fun!
It looks a bit magical, it's dark and big,
find programs where they ask questions.
It has many images, it emits sounds ...
Do you choose a good movie or cartoons?
What's this?
(TELEVISION)
Search well, search everywhere ...
Search now constantly ...
It's not high up on the ceiling
but it lights up a room.
What's this?
(LAMP)
With clothes, foam and bubbles she sometimes turns and goes,
but after an hour or maybe two she will stop!
(WASHING MACHINE)
It's cold there, it looks like polo, but you won't find penguins.
There are no scarves and gloves, no socks or caps.
What's this?
(FRIDGE)
I often remain closed ... I am rarely open.
I have no fire, but I am as hot as the desert sun.
What are?
(OVEN)
When you watch TV,
with the remote control in hand,
you relax more and more
between the cushions of ...
(SOFA)
You have to be well composed,
go back to your seat immediately ...
You don't have to swing ...
You must sit there!
Where is it?
(CHAIR)
He collected your dreams tonight, until morning.
There is a ticket right there, well hidden under the ...
(CUSHION)
On its threads, this time, there is not the shadow of a sock,
but today, fluttering, there is only one note.
What's this?
(HANGER)
THE LAST TICKET:
The treasure is now near ...
Look out in the garden.
If you get the right answer,
you'll get to the treasure!
