Hidden Object Games for 3 Year Olds

Hidden Coin Hunts

• Hide several gold coins outside and take the children outside for a hidden object hunt. Divide the children into teams of three or four. Tell each team they must collect as many gold coins as possible. Give each team a small bag to collect the coins. The team who finds the most coins in 10 minutes wins the game and small prizes. For a variation, have the children do the hidden coin hunt individually. The player who finds the most coins wins the game.

Hidden Animal Hunts

• Print several pictures of animals and hide them around the play area. Make a noise like "oink-oink." The children must find the picture of the pig. The first child who finds a picture of a pig wins the game. For another animal hunt, hide two pictures of each animal and the children must find matching animals. Award a small prize to each child who finds matching animals.

Prize Hunts

• Create a hidden object hunt that awards each child with a few prizes. Hide several toys, stickers and plush animals around the play area. Tell the children to hunt for their rewards. Make sure each child finds at least one prize to take home. For another prize hunt, place several plastic prizes hidden in a small bucket of sand. Give each child 30 seconds to dig through the sand to find prizes.

Hot or Cold Hidden Prizes

• Have the preschoolers close their eyes and hide a prize in the room. Select one child to go look for the item. If he is close to the item, tell him that he is hot. If he walks away from the item or is not close to the item, tell him that he is cold. Keep playing until he finds the prize. Hide one prize for each child and give him a chance to find it. For added fun, allow the child who finds the item the chance to hide the item for the next player. Keep playing until each child has a prize or two.