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Treasure Scavenger Hunt Games

When planning a party or social gathering for adventurous children, create a few treasure hunt scavenger games to keep them entertained. Adapt the games to suit the party theme and the age level of the players. With a few inexpensive supplies and careful planning, you'll have all you need to plan a variety of treasure hunts. Keep the players interested in playing by awarding prizes to the players who find the most items.

Sand Treasure Hunt
- Fill a couple of small plastic swimming pools with play sand and random treasure items. Some items to hide in the sand include plastic gold coins, plastic toy skulls and bones, plastic gems and toy eye patches. Give each player a small plastic bag. When you say "Hunt," the players must run to the pools and dig through the sand to find the items. The player who finds the most items wins a prize. For added fun, mark a star on a couple of the items and the players who find these items win a prize, too.
Messy Treasure Hunt
- Cook several pounds on inexpensive pasta noodles and fill a small swimming pool with the noodles. Pour some water into the noodles so the noodles are not too sticky. Hide plastic spiders, bugs and snakes in the noodles. Have everyone sit around the outside of the pool. When you say "Spider," the first player to find a spider wins a prize. When you say "Snake," the first player to find a snake wins a prize. For a variation, use several small cups of inexpensive, premade gelatin instead of noodles.
Indoor Magazine Hunt
- Divide the players into teams of three or four. Give each team four or five magazines and a list of 25 random items. The items can include a red high heel show, a candy bar, money, a lamp and a purse. The teams must find and cut out 20 of the 25 items on their list. The first team to find and cut out the items wins the game. Another variation is to play the game individually by giving each player two magazines and a list of items. The first player to find all the items wins the game.
Holiday Treasure Hunt
- Incorporate holiday-themed items into a treasure hunt. For Halloween, hide several pieces of candy corn all over the play area. For Valentine's Day, hide conversation hearts or red hot cinnamon candies. Of course, for Easter you can hide plastic Easter eggs around the play area. For a fall-themed party or festival, hide miniature pumpkins and gourds. The player who finds the most items in a certain amount of time wins the game and a prize.

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