Today we’re going to share some tips for creating a spring treasure hunt. Do you remember the fun of a good treasure hunt? There’s something wonderful about a mystery or a search that appeals to human nature. Kids are no exception to that intrigue. Age doesn’t matter in this game. Toddlers to seniors can enjoy the hunt! Here are seven ideas to get you thinking:
7 Tips for Your Spring Treasure Hunt
Choose a theme – Are you doing a botany hunt in the backyard or a park? Or perhaps a bug hunt in the garden? Pick a theme that works well for your age group and will provide enough items to make a good hunt.
Make clues a challenge – Challenges are good for growing minds. Make the hunters think and reason with the clues you give them. You don’t have to have multiple treasures if the clues are challenging. Can you incorporate spelling words, math problems, or science? What about family history? Can you bring in names, dates, and family lore into the challenge of finding clues? What about a connect the dots clue? Maybe a poem that leads to a clue?
Incorporate physical challenges into the hunt. For example, “After you run the tire obstacle course, ask Mom to point the way to the next clue.”
If you have a group of different ages children participating, color-coordinate clues for each age group. The older Grands can help the younger without losing the opportunity to have their own treasure hunt.
Get teenage Grands to help you build the hunt. They’ll like being on the planning side of the game for a change. Reward them for a job well done by taking them on an age-appropriate outing later.
If there are multiple Grands, create teams, have them hunt for separate treasures, and have a prize for the first treasure found. Competition is good and drives us to think outside the box and get creative.
Create a safe hunt – Gone are the days when it’s safe to send young people out into the neighborhood knocking on doors on a scavenger hunt. Choose a treasure hunt location that is safe for the age of your grandchildren, allows good adult supervision, keeps hunters within a visible range, and still has fun, intrigue, and mystery.
We hope you have the opportunity to create a spring treasure hunt for your grand treasures. It’s a great way to get outside, stretch your muscles and creativity, and have a few laughs with the Grands.
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