By Helen Bertelli, Clued In Kids

For Aunties who will be entertaining lively nieces and nephews this holiday season, here’s an idea that both the kids and you will LOVE: Treasure Hunts!

At Clued In Kids, we have spent months developing and testing our products on our own kids, their friends, and many other kids (as word spread, we became a popular house!). In this article you will find our best trade secrets for putting on a fantastic treasure hunt, so read on…

What is a Treasure Hunt?

Treasure hunts are different than scavenger hunts, where kids find and collect objects (which can be a tad messy and not academically challenging).  

Instead, a treasure hunt is a sequence of “clues” hidden around any home. Each clue contains an activity or academic puzzle (math, history, science, etc.) that, when solved, reveals the location of the next clue and the next until hidden treasure is found.

Why Treasure Hunts Rock

With all the challenge and adventure found in video games, treasure hunts keep kids captivated, but also keep them moving and healthy (with 1 in 3 kids now overweight or obese, movement is more important than ever).

After you set up a treasure hunt, you’ll get an hour or so of kid-free time as many kids will roam the home, solving clues relatively independently. Thus it’s as much a gift for you as it is for the kids.

One treasure hunt can be played by one child or as many as twelve, and hunts are the perfect solution for keeping the kids engaged during a holiday party, play-date, or simply for indoor entertainment on a chilly day.

Plus, treasure hunting is a powerful way to teach your nieces and nephews anything you are passionate about – math, ballet, science, cooking, you name it. These two clues, for example, from Clued In Kids’ ballet-themed hunt, teach ballet phrases as well as how to tell the time:



Secrets of a Great Treasure Hunt

Here are tips for creating an awesome treasure hunt, illustrated by two clues from the new Clued In Kids winter treasure hunt:



Add one or two activity clues into the mix for giggles and to keep kids moving, and assign them to “everyone.” Activities will vary depending on the theme or holiday, but here are some ideas:

1. Do a funny dance in your PJs.
2. Sing “Here Comes Santa Claus!”  
3. Stand on your front doorstep, hold your belly and shout “Ho! Ho! Ho!” like Santa.
4. For the next 3 minutes, say “Happy Holidays!” after every sentence you speak.
5. Hold a holiday stocking decorating competition.

How Many Clues?

How many clues you create for a treasure hunt is up to you. We’ve found that a 10-15 clue hunt will take kids about one hour. If hunters are preschool aged, fewer clues (5-8) fit their attention span (or lack thereof).

Finally, when you are done creating clues, don’t forget to write yourself an answer key listing the solution to each clue. Keep this answer key with you in case the kids need help solving any puzzle.

Treasure

One of the questions I’m asked most is “What can I use for the treasure at the end of the hunt?”  The answer is… It doesn’t matter.  

We’ve seen prizes ranging from big things (Christmas gifts, Broadway or baseball tickets) to small things, such as candy or stickers (our Clued In Kids holiday card uses tattoos as treasure, for example).

Your nieces and nephews will have so much fun doing the hunt that the prize at the end is almost incidental. The true gift is the treasure hunt itself and the memories it will create; memories they will cherish forever.

Making Memories

Since I began this business 18 months ago, I’ve received many emails from grown-ups along these lines:

“My dad did a treasure hunt for us every Christmas and we loved it!”

“My Auntie did a treasure hunt for my 9th birthday and it was the best party I ever had!”

With treasure hunts, as with life, the true treasure lies in the journey. I think that’s why we love them so much. For more ideas, visit www.cluedinkids.com, and for a free one-clue wintery treasure hunt, go to: http://cluedinkids.com/?p=707.

Happy Hunting!

Helen grew up in England and treasure hunting was a big part of her childhood. She remembers thinking once during a treasure hunt, in her 7-year-old brain, "I would like to do this for a living." Thirty years and two babies later, she began putting on treasure hunts for her girls, and found hunts a powerful way to teach academic and social skills. Before long she was being commissioned to create hunts for friends and neighbors, and during a visit last year over tea, her mum said "you should do this for a living." On flicked the light bulb and she was 7 years old again; since that moment she hasn’t stopped smiling. Email Helen at: helen@cluedinkids.com

Photo: stockimages
Published: December 10, 2013