Photo Scavenger Hunts & Riddle Clues – Some Activities and Ideas

Planning – Treasure Hunt Ideas

As any parent will tell you, keeping your kids entertained can be quite challenging, let alone tiring. However, if you plan properly, you may be able to keep your kids entertained without working too hard. Treasure hunts are the one of the best ways to do so. They are perfect for any occasion, indoors and outside. Whether it is just an ordinary day or your child’s birthday, treasure hunts are one of the best ways to ensure that your child completely enjoys themselves, while exercising both their brain and their body.

Scavenger Hunt – Audience & Prizes

The first step to planning treasure hunts for kids is getting to know your audience. Kids get bored especially if the treasure hunt is not properly planned. Knowing the age and gender of the kids you are planning the treasure hunt for is one of the essential factors that you should keep in mind.

This will reflect in both the hunt style and the prizes that you should offer. Although money can be a keen motivator for all ages, having prizes that are ‘trendy’ amongst your audience can also make the whole event an extravaganza instead of just a fun activity. If you are unsure, ask some parents or teachers. Often it is surprising what will work in a treasure hunt for kids, as they do not need to always be expensive and should be small to be easily hidden. An example of this is popular card games (where kids compete and trade), or the recent spinning to battle game … both small, not too expensive and LOVED by kids.

Scavenger Hunt – Time

Another aspect that you will need to look at is the amount of time that the treasure hunt you are planning should take. Making a treasure hunt too long may take a toll on the children and they may get bored and even give up on the hunt altogether. Moreover, if it is too short, the kid’s may complain as the excitement would have just kicked in as the game is over. Instead, consider having a hunt that can be extended. By this, I mean have more clues and prizes than are actually required. Then, if they love your scavenger hunt, you can take a break before ‘part-2’ begins after lunch (how would they know that part-2 isn’t a part of the plan??).

Scavenger Hunt – Theme

You may also want to consider including the theme of the party if you are catering for a birthday or another similar event. For instance, making the treasure hunt revolve around different aspects of the birthday party through actions such as collecting photos or collecting toys is one of the best ideas for birthday-themed treasure hunts. These can then be combined with creating costumes (from old clothes and paper), art competitions and games to make an all day event.

Scavenger Hunt – Location

However, with all that covered, another critical consideration is the location. The location will be based on the number of children that you expect to cater for. The location will also depend on the age of the children who are players in the treasure hunt. If you have 2-4 children, then you might want to have the treasure hunt in a place that is familiar to them, or a special party area that caters to kids. If you are catering for a large party of kids, some of the best locations is either their school or the park closest to you. For teens however, you might want to expand the location of the hunt. For instance, you might want to choose the whole town, the beach, or a friendly farmer’s land to host the hunt.

There are plenty of websites which offer treasure hunt ideas. Such sites give plenty of information on what to use as ideas as well as appropriate treasure hunt clues to use for your hunt. However, you may have a talent of your own and be able to create your own interesting poems, riddles or clues for your hunts. What ever you do, just keep in mind your end audience and their interests and your day is sure to be a success!