How to set up a treasure hunt

Treasure hunt or scavenger hunt?

A scavenger hunt is a list of things to find or photograph, in any order. A treasure hunt is a chain of clues followed in order. Our maker makes the second, but the tips below suit both.

Setting up

1. Choose the treasure and its hiding place first.
2. Pick 6 to 12 hiding places. Inside, think fridge, under a pillow, the bath, the shoe rack; outside, a plant pot, the letterbox, under the slide.
3. Write the clues in order. Each clue describes the next hiding place without naming it.
4. Print the clue cards and the host sheet, which lists where each card goes.
5. Hide the cards using the host sheet. Clue 1 isn't hidden: you hand it to the players.
6. Walk the route once. Check that every card is where the sheet says, and nothing is out of reach.

Clues by age

• Ages 3–5: picture clues, or read the clue aloud for them. Five or six clues, all in one or two rooms.
• Ages 6–8: short rhyming clues. Six to eight clues in the house or garden.
• Ages 9 and up, and adults: riddles, a coded word or a clue that needs a little knowledge. Ten to twelve clues.

On the day

• For a group, give each team its own colour of cards and a different order, so they don't just follow each other.
• Keep a spare treasure for the team that finishes second, or one treasure everyone shares.
• Outside, set clear limits on where children may go, and keep away from roads and water.