A scavenger hunt can be tweaked for so many different birthday party themes, but it’s truly the perfect kids party game for a pirate party for boys age 6 to 8 who are beginning to read and can follow instructions. Preschoolers would be overly challenged by this version of a scavenger/treasure hunt.
This birthday party game is for outside play- your backyard or even better is the local park where you’ll have ample space to send them far afield looking for their treasure.
Scope out your venue and find good hiding places that can be depicted on a crudely drawn map. I’d recommend 10 to 15 hiding spots that take them all over the place in your chosen venue. Sketch out the hiding places- essentially make a quick map of the spots.
Return home to your artists studio/kitchen table with either (1) a piece of posterboard (or two, for screw ups) or (2) standard 81/2’ x 11” paper, and draw your map. Use WORD’s clip art to find your skull and cross bones, treasure chest, and any other pirate type graphics you want for decoration, size them appropriately for your map, and print them to attach.
You might want to do both the large (posterboard sized) and small map so you can turn the big one into another game. When completed, cut your posterboard into odd shaped pieces with a mat knife so the kids have to put it all back together again before they can use the map to find the treasure. Since the assembled puzzle won’t travel without coming back apart, give them the small maps to actually use once they solved the jigsaw puzzle.
You can hide small inexpensive toys or net bags of gold chocolate dubloons. The last treasure they find might be bigger- perhaps even made to look like a real treasure chest- with their take home inside. Or, hide the box of birthday cupcakes under a big bush; just make sure to be there so they don’t turn it upside down!
This pirate’s treasure hunt is easy, old fashioned fun; just the kind of kids party games we look for and post on our website for your reference.
