X Marks the Fun: Treasure Hunts and Scavenger Hunts

Few things get children racing round as eagerly as a trail of clues with a prize at the end. A treasure hunt can be set up in ten minutes with a pencil and some scraps of paper, and it works at home, in the garden, at the park or on a walk.

This guide explains how to write clues that suit your child's age, how to set up hunts indoors and out, how to make a nature scavenger list, and how to draw a proper treasure map. Once children have tried a few hunts, encourage them to set one for you. Writing clues is just as much fun as solving them.

Getting clued up: clues for every age

The best clue is just hard enough that children have to think, but not so hard that they give up. Match the clue style to the youngest solver, or write different coloured clues for different ages.

• Ages 4 to 5: picture clues. Draw the fridge, the bath or the shoe rack, and hide the next clue there.
• Ages 6 to 8: simple rhymes and riddles, such as "I keep your milk cold all day long, open my door and you won't go wrong."
• Ages 9 to 11: codes, anagrams and puzzles, such as numbers for letters (A=1, B=2) or words written backwards.
• Any age: a jigsaw clue, where a picture is cut into pieces and each piece is hidden along the trail.

Number each clue on the back so you can check the order and spot one that's gone missing.

There's no place like home: indoor hunts

Five to eight clues is about right for most children. Write the clues first, then walk the route, hiding each clue in the place the one before it describes. Keep the first clue in your hand to give out at the start.

With siblings of different ages, give each child their own colour of clue so the older one doesn't race ahead and find everything. Good hiding places include under a cushion, inside a welly, in the bread bin, behind a picture frame or tucked into a book on the shelf.

Hunting high and low outdoors

Outdoor hunts give you more space and more surprises. In the garden, hide clues under plant pots, in the watering can or pegged to the washing line. At the park or on a walk, a scavenger hunt works better than hidden clues: give each child a list of things to spot and tick off.

Make the rule "look, don't pick". Children can collect fallen leaves, feathers and pine cones, but flowers, plants and creatures stay where they are.

• Nature list ideas: a feather, a smooth stone, something red, a leaf bigger than your hand, a pine cone, a snail shell, a bird singing, a cloud shaped like an animal, something soft, a seed

Map quest: drawing your own treasure map

A map turns a hunt into an expedition. Show children how to draw the room or garden from above, like a bird looking down. Add the main landmarks, such as the sofa, the shed or the big tree, a dotted path and a big red X. A key in the corner and a compass arrow make it look official.

For an aged pirate look, crumple the paper, smooth it out and dab it with cold, used tea bags, then leave it to dry flat. Older children can add grid squares and give the treasure a coordinate, like B4.

Chest-ing times: what makes good treasure

The treasure doesn't need to be expensive or sugary. A handwritten voucher to choose tea, stay up ten minutes later or pick the bedtime story often goes down better than sweets. Shiny stones, a homemade medal, a new book from the library or a riddle to solve at dinner all work well. If you do use food treats, check for allergies first.

Ideas to try

Questions parents ask

Handy sources

• National Trust: 50 things to do before you're 11¾