Treasure Hunts Kids can learn letters, numbers and more with this fun and simply activity that's part art, part exercise, part learning and all fun!


Take a blank sheet of white paper, some scissors, glue and a pile of old magazines. Help the kids go through the magazines and cut out pictures of things you could find on a walk through your neighborhood. Some examples of good clippings are:

• large letters
• numbers
• colors
• trees
• birds
• lawn furniture
• BBQ grill
• flower pot
• cat
• ladybug
• ball
• tricycle
• mailbox
• tire swing
• sand box
• bird house
• etc.

Younger children are better suited for large, simple goals. They can find anything red, for instance, or the letter D (check license plates, street signs and billboards). Older kids can have more specific items like a robin, a black pick-up truck, the word "drive," or a Maple tree.

Head out on a walk with the sheet and a pen. Cross off each item as the kids spot it and keep wandering until all items on all lists are marked off or until everybody agrees to call it quits. You may find that it's harder than you thought! My kids wanted to take treasure hunt walks every day last summer. We spent much time wandering our neighborhood and there were a lot of unexpected benefits. Strangers asked about their clipboards and helped find objects (one group of kids ran in to get their dog and one dad showed us a ladybug in his toddler's wagon). My kids noticed little things they'd never paid attention to and we all got lots of exercise and fresh air.


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