Treasure hunts fill us with nostalgia of happy days, dressed up in pirate hats, exploring the nooks and crannies of our grandparent’s garden. A treasure hunt is a great way to keep the kids entertained in the garden or around your local area.
Add extra fun to your treasure hunt by drawing a map of your garden or local greenspace and pinpoint where the treasure is hidden. This provides a great opportunity to introduce maps to younger children and have the older ones brush up on their map reading skills. Understanding how places relate to each other is a vital skill and our article map reading skills for children is a great place to begin.
Start off with a simple map of your garden, or if you don't have a garden, head to your local park. Think about drawing objects from a child’s view. Include things like a shed, a bench or a flower bed.
Mark the treasure with an X to identify where it is hidden. For older children you could even include a grid and list coordinates of where X marks the spot.
If your child is already familiar with maps, why not add contour lines if the treasure is located up high, like in a tree? The map can be combined with clues too, for an extra challenge!
With so many ideas to get started, it’s now time for you to hide your treasure (which is all part of the challenge!) and draw your own map for your little ones to follow. Hide multiple items to extend the fun for longer! We’d love to see how creative you can get.
Share your photos on social media using #GetOutside and tell us who’s the best treasure-hunting pirate in your family!
For more ideas on how to keep the kids entertained and connected with the outdoors, visit the GetOutside Hub.
Published 21/04/2020. Edited: 05.03.2021
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