HT Games
Treasure Map
Draw a treasure map of the area directly surrounding the treasure&'s hidden location, keeping the map as vague as possible—with only shapes and no labels. For example, if the treasure is in a bedroom closet, include only two rectangles to symbolize a bed and a desk, a little circle for the nightstand and a small rectangle to represent the closet. Next, make a list of steps that will lead the kids to the general location, such as "Start at the front door. Walk three steps forward and then make a ninety-degree right turn."
Clue-by-Clue
Make a list of clues leading to different places in the house. Give the kids the first clue, and hide all of the others so that each clue leads to a subsequent one, and the last clue leads to the treasure. For example, your first clue could be, "Cluck, cluck, the chicken begs. Can you tell me where to find my—?" This clue would point the children to the egg carton in your refrigerator, where the next clue would be waiting.
If you would like to host a clue-by-clue hunt with teams, assign each team a different color and create color-coded envelopes in which to conceal the clues. Use the same set of clues for each team, but start the two teams in different locations and vary the order of their clues, so that they take different routes to get to the same treasure. The teams can only open the envelopes that correspond to their color.
String Treasure Hunt
Divide players into four teams and assign them each a color. Take four spools of yarn that correspond to the teams&' colors and unwind them all over the house, both inside and outside. Wrap the yarn around furniture, bring it up and down the stairs, loop it around a tree—anything to make it a challenge. Treasure hunt teams must wind up their yarns to find the treasure at the end of the roll.