Printable party games for kids: How to adapt a treasure hunt to a specific age group?
Treasure Hunt is probably the most popular of printable party games for kids of the moment!
The treasure hunt is a group activity in which children must find a treasure previously hidden by parents or organizers. In order to complete the search and find the treasure they are looking for, children must go through a series of challenges, with clues to find and puzzles to solve to progress in the adventure and find the final hiding place.
This activity is in the form of a printable game and can be done both indoors and outdoors. It is a good way to keep the children busy on bad weather days, but it is also a very enjoyable activity to do outside in the garden, park, forest or even on the beach.
Discover our site dedicated to treasure hunts.
Summary :
- Printable games for kids
- Create a treasure hunt
- Printable treasure hunt game kit by age group
- Printable party games for kids aged 4 years
- Printable party games for kids aged 5 years
- Printable party games for kids aged 6 years
- Printable party games for kids aged 7 years
- Printable party games for kids aged 8 years
- Printable party games for kids aged 9 years
- Printable party games for kids aged 10 years
- Printable party games for kids aged 11 and 12 years
- Interest of the treasure hunt
1- Printable games for kids
The treasure hunt has become a very popular activity for children who are thrilled to become the hero of the adventure and go on a quest to solve mysteries to reach their goal of finding the treasure. This activity has become the children’s favourite game, and its collective spirit makes it the “star” game on birthdays where the comrades get together around a collective game.
The treasure hunt is a fun and above all intelligent activity that allows children to play differently and learn while having fun. Here are the best tips for organizing a treasure hunt.
2- Create a treasure hunt
The theme of your game to be printed
It is important to choose a theme for your treasure hunt. Of course, you will have to choose it according to your child’s interests. Indeed, you know better than anyone else what your child loves… All themes can be considered. You have no limits.
Here are a few ideas of possible themes:
- Pirate
- Princess
- Fairy
- Indian
- Circus
- Egypt
- Knight
- Cowboy
- animals
- Prehistory…
Discover all the themes that we offer in order to download “turnkey” treasure hunt game kits.
Prepare clues
It is important to prepare several clues that the children will have to find… These clues should be hidden in your play area. It seems to me that about ten clues is the ideal number to organize a treasure hunt that will last about an hour to an hour and a half.
Once the theme is chosen, you must think of the story line…
You have your starting story and immediately think about the arrival, i.e. the location of the treasure.
Once you have these different data, make a written list of 10 riddles that will allow the children to reach the end of the story and thus the hiding place.
These 10 clues will each have a riddle, a code, a challenge to solve and once validated, this will allow them to get to the next clue .
The last clue will allow the children to know the hiding place where the treasure is.
Riddle ideas
- Rebus
- Charade
- Mirror sentence
- Code
- Points to connect
- Color by number
- Riddle
To learn more about the different secret codes for children, I invite you to discover this page with a very complete list of the different possible codes. It will give you many ideas to set up your treasure hunt.
The last riddle
The last Puzzle allows children to find the final hiding place for the treasure.
It can be in the form of a sentence, a riddle, a puzzle to be reconstituted or a map… It’s up to you to choose the option that suits you best to set up your treasure hunt.
Treasure and small gifts
Once you have completed your game plan, plan the treasure in advance. Indeed, the goal here is that the children find the treasure that you will have prepared… You must therefore plan for it.
For gifts, plan for each child the traditional candy bag. You are sure to please… Of course, you can opt for small gifts if you prefer.
On D-Day
All you have to do is hide the 10 clues you have prepared in the garden or in your house. Of course, make sure you do it as discreetly as possible so you won’t be seen. Hide the treasure you’ve prepared, of course.
Once everything is in place, gather the children together and read them the story to begin the adventure.
Direct them to the first clue. This one will have to be solved to get to the second clue and so on until the final clue.
3- Printable treasure hunt game kit by age group
Our treasure hunts are in the form of printable game kits. You will receive a complete PDF file including everything you need to live a “turnkey” adventure. In only 20 minutes of preparation, children will be able to play for about 1h30 on the game theme of their choice. We pay great attention to the creation of our games both pedagogically and playfully. Our kits to be printed are entirely designed by a professional early childhood educator, a state-qualified educator of young children. They are therefore classified by age group in order to correspond as closely as possible to the expectations and abilities of your children.
4- Printable party games for kids aged 4 years
The 4-year-old child begins to assert himself and marks his tastes and interests more. He begins to know what he wants and develops his personality more and more. He needs to assert himself and position himself and this is done through his activities and games. The child is proud of his achievements but needs the adult’s eyes to value him and put him in confidence. This is why playing a treasure hunt game is also adapted for younger children. This is the moment when he develops his sociability. He has a particular interest in imaginary games in which he can take himself for a knight, a pirate or a superhero. The treasure hunt adapted to the 4-year-old child allows the development of all these points making at the same time work the imaginary of the child, also playing in team to favor socialization and highlight his success for a better self-esteem.
For example, here is our pirate treasure hunt or the superhero treasure hunt. It is adapted to the youngest children and will allow them to live an incredible adventure where the child will be able to experiment while having fun with all the notions mentioned above.
5- Printable party games for kids aged 5 years
At the age of 5, the child understands much better the rules that govern his or her family life, school and daily life. He enjoys the company of his peers and likes to have common projects to carry out in groups. The child understands more and more his abilities in relation to his friends: what he does best but also what he does less well. He now knows that he has to wait his turn, especially in group games, and is now able to anticipate … He controls his emotions better even if he can still be impatient in front of situations that may seem too complicated or too long, hence the interest of adapting the different games and therefore the treasure hunts for 5 year olds to the children’s aptitude according to their development.
The child understands the explanations better and is even able to follow double instructions. Proposing a treasure hunt game is therefore a complete activity that will allow the child to evolve and put into practice through play all the acquisitions he makes at this age.
Discover our princess treasure hunt or our knights treasure hunt adapted to children aged 5 years old.
6- Printable party games for kids aged 6 years
The 6-year-old is much more mature intellectually and physically. This is the moment when he will start elementary school and will start learning to read. The 6-year-old is able to better manage his emotions. He still doesn’t like to wait too long, but now he is able to play alone. He still needs adult approval. In groups of children, he respects the rules. He is now able to cooperate even though it is always better to have an adult present to manage a group at this age because conflicts still come up quickly. The treasure hunt adapted to 6-year-olds is a group activity that will allow the child to continue to perfect this social know-how.
Discover our mermaids treasure hunt or our pirates and Cowboy treasure hunt. Games specially designed for children in this age group.
7- Printable party games for kids aged 7 years
It is said that 7 years is the age of reason and it is not for nothing. Indeed, the 7-year-old child masters and expresses his emotions. His self-esteem is still fragile and he can quickly become discouraged. The 7-year-old child reads well and understands the logic of events in a text. He is able to solve the first mathematical problems. Treasure hunt games must then be adapted. The text will be a little longer and the puzzles to be solved will be adapted to their knowledge of numbers and letters, but also to their knowledge of the world around them. At this age, they like to work in a team, which is a key element of the treasure hunt. This is an age where the child is actively involved in group games and enjoys playing group games while being aware of each other’s difference. The treasure hunt for 7-year-olds remains a way to promote their social development and to put into practice all their school and family acquisitions through play.
Discover our unicorn treasure hunt or our Indian treasure hunt for a great adventure that will allow children to have fun and play in groups and to gain a better self-esteem in the face of their common success.
8- Printable party games for kids aged 8 years
The 8-year-old child likes to identify in a group and starts to have best friends. This is an age where we like to share… Children also grow up comparing themselves to others or by identifying with them. They are able to collaborate and help each other on a daily basis. This is the time when they can start to take on some small responsibilities. It is an age when they develop their sense of justice. They become very good at reading and develops their sense of humor.
Treasure hunts help the child to build himself, to define himself within a group, to interact adequately with his peers, to develop his vocabulary and to reinforce his self-esteem. He anticipates events with joy and is therefore able to count the days and become aware of the course of events such as his birthday or Christmas.
He is more responsible and celebrating his birthday with his peers, at this age, is of real importance to him, hence the interest to organize a big treasure hunt adapted to his age for his 8 years.
For example, your child will be delighted to take part in a great adventure on the Adventure Island, a treasure hunt game full of riddles and challenges.
9- Printable party games for kids aged 9 years
At the age of 9, the child is in the middle of childhood… There is a certain lull. The child is more composed… Learning mathematics is more complex and he considerably enriches his vocabulary. The child loves to play but with the activities he has chosen. If he doesn’t like an activity, he will let you know right away. He needs to let off steam, but it is also at this age that his creativity explodes. He is very curious, asks a lot of questions and has a great thirst for knowledge. The treasure hunts for 9-year-olds can therefore focus on specific themes that are specific to his interests. This is why our treasure hunt in Egypt is very suitable for children of this age. Games on an enigmatic theme, full of mystery, which in addition to having fun will allow him to answer many of his questions.
10- Printable party games for kids aged 10 years
The 10-year-old child multiplies not only his learning, but also his friends and activities. Group life takes on considerable importance. He seeks both the security of the family nucleus but at the same time he needs to detach himself and becomes even more independent. This is an age when the child often identifies with another person, be it a hero, an actor or a movie star. He has an ideal and would like to be like it. He is looking for himself…
In terms of games, the child is looking for team games. “The more the merrier” could be the slogan for children in this age group.
So a treasure hunt activity to 10-year-olds is just what they’re looking for. It is quite conducive to their expectations. They will find everything they need: a game that meets their needs for adventure, their thirst for knowledge and to play as a team with his friends.
So for this age, our treasure hunt in the Cursed Fort will be able to meet all these needs.
11- Printable party games for kids aged 11 and 12 years
Children 11 and 12 years old are attracted by great adventures, incredible discoveries and thrills. The child is then at the end of childhood and gradually progresses towards pre-adolescence; it is therefore an age of the in-between, an age where he is still turned towards the family cocoon but also increasingly attracted by the outside world and the unknown. The treasure hunt is once again a sure value as an activity to be set up with children aged 11 and 12 years. Thus, our treasure hunt in the United States inspired by a true story will meet their requirements.
The treasure hunt is therefore an ideal game because it adapts and evolves according to the different age groups of children to best meet their needs, abilities and development.
The child grows and experiments through play. The treasure hunt is an excellent way to put into practice all the intellectual but also emotional notions he has acquired.
Please note that everything that concerns the development of children by age group is indicated for information only and serves as benchmarks from general concepts. Of course, each child is individual and has his or her own personality and development may vary from one child to another. Some will be more comfortable in one skill area and more advanced in one type of development rather than another.
Discover our printable police investigation kits to become a real detective.
12- Interest of the treasure hunt
The treasure hunt remains a key activity for children of all ages. It has great advantages:
– quick implementation
– complete kits of games at a lower cost
– Can be played outdoors as well as indoors
– and above all it appeals to children who are looking for great adventures…
Every child of any age will find something to suit them. The treasure hunt is a fun and educational activity that allows children to have fun by taking up challenges and solving riddles, but also to learn about a specific theme and to experiment through play with different notions learned.
All this is presented in a playful form because children retain and learn much better when the concepts are placed in concrete situations. Playing helps to avoid putting the child in a stressful situation, as can sometimes be the case at school. The child is not afraid to do something wrong, because by definition it is a game.
Then no more hesitation. Try, you too, the experience of living a real treasure hunt adventure at home!
Discover all our other game ideas to liven up a children’s birthday party!
