Scavenger Hunt

Posted by Mary Welling-Bonney Nov 28, 2006

All gifts to not need to be wrapped. While there is a certain amount of pleasure in ripping things open it, there are other ways to make it special. Why not have one gift for each child hidden somewhere in the house. You can do this with your spouse too.

When you create a scavenger hunt, you work in reverse. Example: First I decide where the final hiding spot will be. Say I want to hide a gift in the top of a closet. Put the gift there. Now decide the spot before the closet. I will use the dresser drawer. I will put a note in the dresser drawer that might say "You have been so good this year hanging up all of your clothes". Then I would move on to the linen closet. There I would put a note that would take them to the dresser. That note might say "You have really done a fine job keeping your socks organized this year". Next I would go to the laundry hamper. My note there might say "I sure appreciate you folding the towels for me every week". This note would lead them to the linen closet.

Continue all through the house. It is a great way to reward and acknowledge all the positives of the year and the kids love the search. The longer you make it the more involved they get. Don't make it too hard and if they get stuck, be available to give clues. Twenty years from now they will relate stories to you of how special that scavenger hunt was. You may even want to make it a new tradition.