Short answer
Print the eight rhyming clues further down, cut them apart and hide them in the places in the answer key – each note leads to the next. Give the children the first clue, and they will find their way to the treasure by the front door. The treasure hunt takes 20–30 minutes, works indoors and suits children from age four. Read the rhymes aloud for the youngest.
Answer key for the adults – where the cards are hidden
| Card | The clue points to | Hide the card there |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The bathroom sink | Given straight to the children – the hunt starts here |
| 2 | The washing machine | Card 2 goes by the bathroom tap |
| 3 | The fridge door | Card 3 is taped to the washing machine |
| 4 | The pillow on the bed | Card 4 goes in the fridge door |
| 5 | Under the kitchen table | Card 5 goes under the pillow |
| 6 | The boot in the hall | Card 6 is taped under the kitchen table |
| 7 | Behind the sofa | Card 7 goes in a boot |
| 8 | The front door – the treasure | Card 8 goes behind the sofa; the treasure waits outside the front door |
Feel free to swap a hiding place you do not have – the rhymes can be changed with a word or two.
A treasure hunt is the best Halloween game for children who are too small to go door to door for sweets – or who want something fun to do while they wait for it to get dark. The children run around the house with a clue in their hand, read rhymes, guess and search, and at the very end a treasure is waiting. It is exciting without being scary, and it works just as well on a rainy autumn-break day as on Halloween night.
This treasure hunt is ready to use. The answer key above shows where each card should be hidden, and at the bottom there are eight rhyming clues for you to print and cut apart. It takes five minutes to prepare.
How to prepare the treasure hunt
- Print the clues at the bottom with the Print button – then only the cards end up on the paper. Cut them apart along the dashed edges.
- Hide the cards according to the answer key. You give card 1 to the children, put card 2 by the sink, and so on – each card sits in the place the previous card describes.
- Put the treasure outside the front door, ideally in a carved pumpkin or next to a ghost lantern.
- Give the children card 1 and let the hunt begin.
Walk the round yourself once before the children arrive, so that no card has fallen down or been moved.
Adapt by age
- Ages 4–5: read the rhymes aloud and let the children guess. Draw a small picture on the back of each card – a sink, a washing machine, a pillow – and they can solve them on their own.
- Ages 6–9: the children read the rhymes themselves. Make it a little harder by folding the cards and taping them shut, so they have to open them like little letters.
- Ages 10–12: write the clues in mirror writing (read with the help of a mirror) or with a simple code where A = 1, B = 2 and so on. Hide a code key at the first hiding place.
If you have siblings of different ages, the older ones can read aloud for the younger ones – then the hunt becomes teamwork instead of a competition.
What can the treasure be?
The treasure does not have to be big. Children remember the hunt more than what was at the end. A few ideas:
- A pumpkin bucket with a few sweets or some fruit to share.
- Materials for a craft to make together afterwards – for example pine cone ghosts or paper plate masks.
- A note saying that dinner will be sausage mummies and ghost bananas.
- A Halloween film and popcorn for the evening.
A hunt in the dark in the garden
If you want a slightly spookier version, the treasure hunt can be done outside at dusk. Hide the cards in the garden – by the letterbox, in the sandpit, under a flowerpot, by the bike rack – and let the children search with headlamps. Put the cards in plastic sleeves if it is damp.
Out in the dark everyone should wear reflectors, and the hiding places should be inside the garden, never by a road. More about staying safe outdoors on Halloween night can be found in Halloween with kids. You will find more ideas for being outdoors with children among child-friendly activities in nature.
Hiding places to avoid
Choose places the children can reach and open themselves. Never hide cards in the oven, the hob or the microwave, near sockets or behind the radiator, high up where children have to climb, in medicine or cleaning cupboards, or outside near a road. The fridge in the answer key works well – but if you have small children, an adult can open the door together with them.
The clues – print and cut apart
Give the children card 1. Hide the others according to the answer key for the adults further up the page – each card points to the next hiding place.
- Sixten the ghost dropped his note – look where we wash our hands, by the tap, I wrote!
- Where clothes spin round and come out clean – check the washing machine, it's never mean!
- Where milk stays cold and cheese stays too – open the fridge, the door has a clue!
- When the moon is bright and the night is long – look under your pillow where you sleep all night long!
- Four legs but it can't walk away – look under the table where we eat every day!
- Where the shoes all stand in a long, long row – look in a boot, then off you go!
- Ghosts love dark and dusty nooks – look behind the sofa, take a look!
- Where the pumpkin glows and the ghosts all hide – open the front door, the treasure's outside!
Frequently asked questions
How do you make a treasure hunt for kids?
Write clues that each point to a hiding place, and put the next clue in that place. Give the children the first note. The last clue leads to the treasure. Eight clues take about 20–30 minutes.
From what age does a treasure hunt work?
From about four years old, if an adult reads the clues aloud. From six or seven, children can read them themselves, and for children from ten the clues can be made harder with mirror writing or a simple code.
Where should you not hide the clues?
Not in the oven, on the hob, near sockets, high up where children have to climb, or outside by a road. Choose places the children can reach and open themselves.
What can the treasure be?
A pumpkin bucket with a few sweets, a Halloween craft to make together, a film for the evening or a note saying that it will be pizza for dinner. What matters is the hunt, not the size of the treasure.
Can you do the treasure hunt outdoors?
Yes, in the garden or the yard. Do it at dusk with headlamps and reflectors on everyone, and put the clues in plastic sleeves if it is damp.
