Your kid is the busiest person in this world!! No, it is not an exaggeration. They always need something to stay busy. Why not join them for some fun and thrill if you too are confined to the four-walled cage with them?
Heard about scavenger hunt or treasure hunt game? Both are classic and will get your kid going, at least for some time. To find an item or a location, you have to create a clue. Then create another and have it waiting at the chosen spot. It will give clues to the next spot and the self-directed activity will go on. Place a treat or a toy (considered a treasure) at the last destination. This will help your child become independent. He or she will learn to complete a task without anyone’s intervention or form a close-knit cooperation if there are other players. Simultaneously, the child will get to learn sequencing.
Give some attention space to a few example scavenger clues and riddles with answers. These are absolute fun but more than that. It will help your child create a scavenger hunt at an available space at home or any place he/she finds convenient.
Types of Scavenger Hunts
Treasure hunts are available in different forms and formats:
- Neighbourhood Hunts
- Backyard Hunts
- Photo-Based Hunts
- Indoor Hunts
It is possible to increase the scope of the search and level of complexity according to the player’s age. Figure out the type of hunt that will suit you and your kid. Creating or printing clues is easy and up to you.
Tips on Clues
You and your child will surely feel excited to get started. Hence, you should be aware of the ground rules listed below:
- If there is more than one participant, it is a team.
- All players should take turns when it comes to reading the clues.
Example Clues for Indoor Scavenger Hunts
How to create a scavenger hunt with clues for kids? Make sure to develop the hunt in such a way that it becomes a good exercise for your kid’s brain. It forces them to think and thus, enhances their problem-solving skills. Rhyming clues have all the makings to appeal to your kids. You have the liberty to develop a version for pre-schoolgoers who are yet to learn reading with pictures you print or draw with help of your computer.
Below, I will give you a ready-made list of great scavenger hunt clues about ordinary objects found at everyone’s home. I have also incorporated answer keys.
- My job is to put an end to sleep,
Which I do with music, a buzz, or a beep. - I have four legs, but I don’t have feet.
I come in handy when it’s time to eat. - For fast heating or cooking, I am tops.
And, oh, that good smell when my popcorn pops! - My job is to put an end to sleep,
Which I do with music, a buzz, or a beep. - Flour and sugar and coffee and tea,
I keep these handy but hard to see. - I’m packed really full of boxes and cans.
I may hold a broom or a mop or a dustpan. - I’m loaded and unloaded, but I’m not a truck.
Having a helper like me is a great piece of luck. - I can take you to places you’ve never seen,
But first, type your password in on my screen. - I make it possible to have fresh food.
Everyone agrees I’m one cool dude. - I rain on you when you need a scrub
I’m very much like my friend the tub. - It’s my job to give all your clothes a tumble,
Which I do while making a bit of a rumble. - Watching your favourites is lots of fun.
But don’t watch too much! Kids need to run. - I’m one part chair and one part bed.
Up with your feet and down with your head. - I have a round knob and also a lock.
Visitors and salesmen may give me a knock. - I’m filled with feathers or other soft fluff.
To sleep without me can be quite tough. - I take your clothes for quite a spin.
But first, they get wet. That’s how I begin. - A story, they say, can take you away,
But a book still needs a place to stay. - Turn me on, and I’ll give you a light.
I’m used some in the daytime but mostly at night. - I’m hungry! I’m hungry! Please feed me a slice.
I’ll spit it back out all brown and nice. - I have drawers and also a nice flat top.
For homework I’m helpful—keep working, don’t stop! - Adults go here when they first wake
And at other times when they need a break. - I’m not a selfie, but I do show faces.
Find me in bathrooms and a few other places. - I go round and round and get really hot.
In larger families, I’m used quite a lot. - Most every day, you step on me.
All I require is a bend of your knee. - I have hands but no arms and also a face.
And my hands always move at the same steady pace. - I’m paper, but I’m not used for writing a letter.
The spot by your potty suits me much better! - The more I dry, the wetter I get.
A little one can be used for soaking up sweat. - I may have eyes, but I really can’t see.
People love to make fries out of me. - I’m never wicked, but I do have a wick.
I come in all sizes, from skinny to thick. - I hold all the words you need to know.
Use me to make your vocabulary grow.
Answers: 1. Alarm clock, 2. Dining table or kitchen, 3. Pantry, 4. Microwave, 5. Computer, 6. Kitchen canisters, 7. Shower, 8. Dishwasher, 9. Television, 10. Refrigerator, 11. Clothes dryer, 12. Kitchen stove, 13. Recliner, 14. Front door, 15. Bed pillow, 16. Clothes washer, 17. Bookshelf, 18. Lamp, 19. Toaster, 20. Desk, 21. Coffee maker, 22. Mirror, 23. Clothes dryer, 24. Stairs, 25. Clock, 26. Toilet paper, 27. Towel, 28. Potato, 29. Candle, 30. Dictionary.
Create Your Own Scavenger Hunt
Edit the above example list to include your home-specific items and create your own game scavenger hunt. If there is more than one object at your home, your kid or the group of kids may have to leave more than one location before they can find the next clue. In case, clues are ambiguous, the game will last longer, your children will get more exercises and it will make the whole thing funnier and more thrilling.
You can make the hunt more exciting and challenging. Based on the degree of difficulty to find an item, assign it a point. This type of hunt is a big favourite with the tween children and grandchildren.
Tip
Create a branch on your own and write riddles specific to your clues. Below, I am sharing some easy tips to make it more enjoyable.
Play on Words: Confuse readers with anagrams, rhyming words or double meanings.
Get Trivial: Include petty questions and answers that will successfully help them find new clues.
Puzzle Them: Throw in acrostics, crosswords, cryptic ciphers or word searches.
Outdoor Scavenger Hunts
If weather is soothing, treat your kid or kids to an outdoor treasure hunt. It is similar to the indoor treasure hunt. Create clues that will lead you to the next items or spots outside of your house or in the yard.
If your child is old and can do a neighbourhood hunt, ensure that traffic does not become an impediment. Choose a safe location or an enclosed park.
Photo Scavenger Hunts
Some treasure hunts use cameras. It is a great way to welcome technology and make the entire thing more exciting. Children are fascinated by funny devices as these enhance their daily and funny experiences. It can be done in two ways. You can take pictures of odd corners of your home by using “photo clues”. Take hard copies of the images and use them as a pointer. These will give your kid the direction to the next spot.
Children, who are old enough to appreciate and use smartphones and digital cameras, might like a photo-only treasure hunt. The child will click photos. Prepare a list of items at your home or outside of your house premise and ask them to capture photos of those items. Assign them a time slot to find the items and click their photos. The child can do it on his/her own or work cohesively with a group.
Final Words
Children are drawn to challenges, thrills and fun. Treasure hunt is not just something to keep your child busy with photos or videos; rather it is designed to trigger the grey cells, boost up their problem-solving skills, encourages them to complete a task independently and develop a cooperative nature (if they are playing with others). Introduce your kid to this game; it will benefit them in multiple ways.