How I Planned a Treasure Hunt at Home

Who hasn't played a good old "treasure hunt"?
Recently I set one up for my kids and their friends, and in no time our home turned into a world of clues, puzzles, and tons of laughter!
Here's my simple, step‑by‑step plan for creating a treasure hunt at home.

Step 1 — The Treasure

It's most fun to start at the end, choose the treasure first!
Pick a small prize to hide: chocolate, a tasty snack, a little toy, anything the players will be happy to find. Then decide where to hide it—this will be the final stop of the game.
I used chocolate we had at home, tucked it into an egg carton, and put it straight in the fridge… the surprise was extra sweet 🙂

Chocolate treasure hidden in egg carton in fridge - example treasure for home treasure hunt

Step 2 — The Route & Riddles

Choose interesting spots around the house and try to build a route that moves through a few different rooms. Mix up the puzzle types (word search, cipher, jigsaw, and more) to keep things surprising and dynamic. Need inspiration? Check out these riddle ideas for a home treasure hunt.

In my game I made eight clue cards plus one final card pointing directly to the treasure. We started in the living room, where I set the scene: “A fearsome pirate hid his loot in our house—you must find it!” And off they went:

Home treasure hunt route example - indoor steps and clues setup

The last riddle led to the egg carton in the refrigerator:

Egg carton in fridge with chocolate treasure - final clue solution in home treasure hunt

Like this idea? Try the ready‑made at‑home Treasure Hunt I built on our online platform MyRaceParty—each clue appears as a QR code.
It's great for ages 10+, runs about 30 minutes, and the best part: everything's ready to go—just print, hide, and play!
And if you'd like, you can easily edit and customize the puzzles to fit your family, your friends, or any celebration.

Treasure Hunt

DIY Treasure Hunt

A few free tools that can help you craft puzzles:
Word‑Search Generator - Cipher (Crypto) Generator

Step 3 — The Story

Not essential, but it really elevates the experience—pick a theme that fits your players. Superheroes, unicorns, fairies, dinosaurs… whatever they love. Once you choose a theme, match the look of the treasure and the clues, and even set the mood with simple costumes or props related to the story.
I went with a classic—pirates—and I highly recommend it! Kids of all ages get into it.

Pirate-themed treasure hunt craft supplies - eye patches and bandanas

To get everyone into pirate mode, we started with a quick craft: we made eye patches from black cardstock tied with elastic, and bandanas from black and red fabric (disposable tablecloths work too). It boosted the vibe and made the hunt feel real!

Step 4 — Test the Whole Route

Walk through the entire game from start to finish. Make sure the clues connect smoothly and everything works as expected. If anything feels off, make small tweaks now to guarantee a great player experience.

Step 5 — Set‑Up Time

Now bring it to life! Hide the treasure in the secret spot you chose, place the clues along the route, and make sure they're concealed but still discoverable. Invite your players, hand them the first clue… and watch the adventure begin!