Make Your Own Treasure Hunt

When I was younger my mom used to surprise my sister and me with treasure maps.  We would get so excited when she would pull them out and we would have to gallivant all over the yard to find the hidden treasure.  As we got older, my sister and I made maps for each other, our mom, and our friends.  It was just as much fun to make the maps as it was to follow them! 

Obviously this activity with your kids requires some planning ahead on your part.  You'll need to make the map and hide the treasure without your kids knowing. 

As far as the map goes, you can get as simple or as complicated as you want.  It somewhat depends on the age of your kids.  In the above map I made my girls walk, skip, run, or hop during different sections.  You could simply count the steps or combine counting with skipping and hopping...it's totally up to you!  Make it colored or just draw in pen.  It makes no difference.  As an added touch to your map, crinkle up the paper then burn the edges and some holes into it to make it look old.

The treasure you hide can be anything you want too.  I used a few "treasure coins" that my girls had gotten as a party favor.  I will say though, they were a bit disappointed with their "treasure" when they found it.  I think they were expecting some candy or a new toy.  Next time I make a map I'll hide something they will really like!  My mom never hid anything extremely special though.  We enjoyed following the map more than the treasures we found.  Must be the difference between kids these days and kids when I was growing up.

Once you've made a treasure map and hidden a treasure, surprise your kids with the map and watch them have fun running all over the place trying to find their precious treasure!

 Have you ever gone on a treasure hunt with your kids?  What did you hide?