• Hunt for treasure at your next party.treasure island image by ab from Fotolia.com
  
  Treasure hunts can enforce sportsmanship, leadership and cooperative skills in children. In addition, treasure hunts are fun and allow children to set goals. There are a variety of ways to run a treasure hunt, depending on space and resources. There is no need to buy anything for a treasure hunt since it can be designed using common household objects.
  
  

Alphabet Treasure Hunt

• An alphabet treasure hunt is suitable for both indoor and outdoor games. Children work in pairs, looking for items that start with each letter of the alphabet. For example, an item starting with the letter A can be an apricot and an item starting with the letter B can be a balloon. Once pairs have found 26 objects starting with each letter, they must bring them all back to the instructor. The instructor can give the teams a letter with directions to the hidden treasure. The first team to reach the treasure wins.
  
  

Pasta Bowl Treasure Hunt

• A pasta bowl treasure hunt is directed toward younger children. It can be held indoors or outdoors since it can be messy. This activity requires spaghetti, a large plastic bowl and little treasures such as plastic animals and sealed candies. Cook and cool the pasta, then put it in the bowl and mix in a little oil so the pasta is less sticky. Mix the treasures into the pasta. Have children line up behind the bowl and close their eyes so they can imagine they are searching through a snake pit for the treasure. Each child can bring a few treasures to donate to the hunt.
  
  

Puzzle Treasure Hunt

• The puzzle treasure hunt is appropriate for upper elementary or middle school children. Donated puzzles and paper or envelopes will be needed for this activity. Split children into teams or pairs and delegate a color for each team. Put the puzzles together, and write the different treasure locations on the back of each puzzle. Each team can have different directions to the treasures. Break apart a puzzle, and put two to three puzzle pieces in the same-colored envelopes. Make sure that the puzzle pieces from one puzzle are all in the same-colored envelopes. If using paper, fold and tape the paper around two to three puzzle pieces. Hide the envelopes, and start the hunt. Children search for their colored envelopes until they have collected all of the puzzle pieces. Children can then race to their treasures with their teams to win the hunt.