Clues for a Halloween Treasure Hunt: How to Write Them

A hunt falls apart in one of three places. The clues are too hard for the youngest child. Two clues point to the same spot. Or a clue goes missing and the group stands still. The five steps below fix each one. They cover how to choose the spots and how to write clues for each age. You will also chain them, pick the prize and run the hunt. The same steps work for a treasure hunt, a scavenger hunt and a clue game.

The times are our own estimates for a house hunt with about 10 spots, and they will change with your space.

Step 1: Pick the hiding spots and the route

Walk through the rooms you will use and write down 8 to 12 spots a child can reach without a stool. Choose objects with a clear name: the fridge, the mailbox, the porch pumpkin, the shoe basket, the bathtub, the dog bed. Avoid spots that look alike, such as two bookshelves, because a clue for one will also send children to the other.

Put the spots in a loop, so that the last one is close to the finish. Keep the first spot easy and the last spot the most fun. A yard or a porch suits a dark or outdoor hunt. Mark the boundary clearly. A treasure hunt for the whole party can also be a neighborhood walk, but only when every child has a grown-up with them.

At a party the spots can be pictures instead of places. A list of finds such as a pumpkin, a bat, a ghost, a black cat, a spider web and something orange makes a quick scavenger hunt list. Ten to 16 items is plenty for ages 3 to 9.

Step 2: Write clues for a Halloween treasure hunt by age

Write each clue for the youngest reader in the group. A clue is a message from one spot to the next. It has one job. It must send the child to the right place. Here is the style that works at each age.

• Ages 3 to 5, pictures. Children who cannot read follow a drawing. Draw the next spot in black marker on an index card: a fridge, a shoe, a front door. One picture, no words.
• Ages 6 to 8, rhymes. Early readers like a rhyme because it tells them what the last word will be. Two lines are enough.
• Ages 9 to 11, riddles. Describe what the object does, in two or three lines, without saying its name.
• Ages 12 and up, riddle chains and photo tasks. Make them solve a riddle, then take a photo at the spot to prove it. Hide one clue in a surprising place.

The table gives one example for each age, so you can copy the pattern with your own spots.

Read each clue out loud once before the party. If you stumble, a child will stumble too. Rewrite it.

Step 3: Chain the clues so the hunt does not stall

A chain is a line of clues where each one is hidden at the spot the clue before it named. Number them. Clue 1 goes in the children's hand. Clue 2 is at spot 1, clue 3 is at spot 2, and the prize is at the last spot. A chain only works when every clue points at exactly one place.

Most hunts stall for one of three reasons. A clue points to two places, a clue is missing, or a child finds the clue early. Number each card on the back so you can tell at a glance which one is missing. Keep a short list of the route in your pocket, with the spot for each number. A host hiding log does the same job, and it also makes sure every clue comes back after the party.

Walk the route once before the party, clue in hand, and hide the real clues as you go. This is the only test that finds a missing card. With two teams, use two colors of card and two routes, so the teams do not follow each other.

Step 4: Choose the prize at the end

The last spot holds the treasure. A bucket of wrapped candy is the classic choice. In a 2021 survey, the National Confectioners Association found that 60 percent of Americans prefer chocolate to non-chocolate candy, with chocolate ranked first overall. Wrapped chocolate is an easy prize to hide and carry.

Check the wrappers for allergies. Food Allergy Research & Education says that the mini-size, fun-size or bite-size version of candy may contain different ingredients than the full-size one, and that you should read the label every time. Put a non-food prize in the bucket as well, such as stickers, glow sticks or a certificate. Then a child who cannot eat the candy still wins something.

Give every child a prize. A hunt that ends with one winner makes the youngest child cry. A prize per child, plus a bonus for the first team home, keeps everyone happy.

Step 5: Run the hunt with a hint rule

Hand out clue 1, say "go," and stay near the route. Set one rule before the start. A child may ask for one hint card per clue. The hint names the room only. Write the hint on the back of each clue, or keep a stack of cards in your pocket.

After dark, send the children out in pairs and give each pair a flashlight. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that a brightly colored costume and a flashlight or glow stick can help brighten the walkways. Say out loud where they may not go.

A good hunt is a story with a map hidden in it.

When a child finds the treasure, call them back to the start and let them tell the next group where they looked. That keeps the finished children busy while the others finish.

If you would rather skip the writing, Halloween Scavenger Hunt has 16 illustrated find-it cards, 16 optional rhyming clue cards and a host hiding log. It is made for ages 3 to 9. It is the wrong choice when the children are 10 or older. Its cards are made for younger children, so for tweens, write the riddles yourself with Step 2. Free printable hunts exist and can be good enough for one party. The paid file gives you a matching set in one design, both paper sizes, and nothing to redraw. It is a PDF that opens in any PDF reader, so you do not need any other app. The PDF comes by email after checkout, so you can print it the same day. Print at home at actual size, as often as you need for your own party.