Ideas for a kid’s birthday party

It is your turn to host an event for kids (e.g.: your child’s birthday party, a neighbourhood get together, or a fun fair, just to name a few events) and you don’t know what to do… Well, what do kids like the most? Games and winning prizes, of course! :) With a site like textclues.com, it enables you to cater both to the little and big kids by making a scavenger hunt adventure.  Scavenger hunts can be fun for all age-ranges, but using textclues.com, little kids will feel more important and like a “big kid” by using their parents devices (i.e.: their cell phone) to play a game. And, older kids will feel important to be able to use their cool gadgets to participate in some games.  So, how would this all work? A few things you need to think about:

Do you want one large prize at the end, or a few small prizes in between the hunt?

This fact will more just help you with deciding the type of clues you may want to create in between the scavenger hunt.  If it is a big prize for the winner at the end, the clues can be a build up to the winning prize.  If it is a few prizes in between, you’ll have to think of clever spots to hide these prizes, while incorporating them into the clues!
Example: “You’re getting close to winning the secret treasure! Your pot of gold awaits you where you can find three posts together within an “M”.

Do kids work in teams or individually?
Depending on the number of kids participating, this may be the determining factor.  However, even with 4 or more kids, groups can work in your favour as it allows kids to also work together as a team and co-operate with one another to help get through the hunt.

Do you want the hunt to run like a competition where there is only one (team of) winner(s) or everyone running in the hunt will win a prize?
Personally, because all kids love prizes, I think each kid should win *something*, even if it is a smaller prize than the grand prize winner.

Should kids all be running the hunt at the same time or should one child or team run at a time?
If all kids are running the hunt at the same time, it would be pretty straight forward because the person that reaches the last clue first will be the winner.  If you decide to have the kids run through the scavenger hunt individually, you can easily time each team or child to see who has the fastest time to finish the race.

Another idea that can add a little twist to your scavenger hunt can be as follows: Before beginning the hunt, tell each individual or team that at each clue station, they must pick up an object from the location. This means that you will need to ensure that there are an equal amount of objects at each clue location as the number of people/teams running in the race.  At the end of the race, you can do something silly like “The last requirement before potentially winning the prize is each team or individual must dress up one person as best as possible with all of the items picked up along the race”

Or, even other obstacles and games can be incorporated into the scavenger hunt.  For example, at the end of the race, there can be a puzzle that the kids must put together prior to winning; or, perhaps the first team that can throw 5 bean bags into a basket from a certain area on the field will be the winners! This will allow the teams/individuals that perhaps were running a bit slower in the race to catch up with the rest of the teams, making the possibility of winning for anyone! :)

As you can see, there are so many different ways to spice up a scavenger hunt for kids and make it just that much more exciting.  Go ahead, and try one out today with textclues.com.  Your kids wont be disappointed, and they will be asking you for more in no time ;)

Scavenger Hunt for Kids

Ready to Go!

The textclues service is perfect for creating a scavenger hunt for kids. You can input all your clues online ahead of time and start the hunt whenever the kids are getting restless and bored. You can use it as quality time with the young ones. Since all the clues and answers are taken care of automatically on the phone you can also use it to free up some alone time for yourself.

If they don’t have mobile phones of their own yet you can let them use yours for the hunt. Kids really find it exciting when they are receiving a hunt directly tailored towards them through a phone. If you haven’t had a chance to check out our textclues product take a look at the demo!

Be warned, once you send them on one hunt they’ll be asking for more!

 

 

Setting up the Scavenger Hunt

Setting up a simple scavenger hunt for your kids is easy with textclues. The first step is coming up with the clues and answers for the hunt.

For this step grab a peice of paper and go through each room in your house one by one. In each room come up with as many clues as you can. Keep them relatively simple to make sure the kids will be able to figure it out. Clues like “how many wheels are on the desk chair” and “how many drawers are on the cupboard” seem simple but make great clues. Especially on the first few hunts you want to keep the clues easy. You should be able to come up with 10 – 20 clues for each room in no time.

Where to Next!

Next head to your computer and open up textclues. You’re going to want to make at least two scavenger hunts because your kids will be asking for more! Simply write down a clue and answer for one room then pick a clue from a room across the house next. Picking rooms far from each other will help the hunt last a little longer. You’ll have a few hunts set up before you know it.

Now when your kids are getting restless and bored you’ll be ready with a ready made scavenger hunt. Simply type in your child’s mobile phone number or your own and start the hunt. You should explain the concept to the children the first time they’re doing the hunt. It really couldn’t be easier! I always like to end the scavenger hunt by giving them a prize.

If you have any questions for us or any experiences you would like to share do so below!

Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt Ideas

There are so many different ways these days you can make use of a scavenger hunt, but with less than a week away until Valentine’s Day, let’s focus on how to make an awesome vday gift for your loved one.

So Valentine’s Day is approaching, and you don’t know what to do to make the day just a bit more special for that special someone. Have no fear though, we are here to help that day become a breeze for you and to put a smile on someone’s face :)

My strategy to begin a scavenger hunt is to think of how you want the hunt to end. Are you planning on having the hunt lead to a certain gift/object, or should it be a certain destination? Once you know where it will end, it will help give you an idea on where the previous clues should lead.

Keeping on the Valentine’s day theme, some suggestions on “end goals” of the hunt could include:

  • Flowers (outside the front door)
  • Chocolates (in a drawer)
  • Jewelry (underneath his/her pillow)
  • A letter written by you (in a pocket of clothing)
  • A restaurant (walk able distance from the starting point)
  • You! Standing somewhere holding a single flower; or they may just be happy to find you at the end of the hunt ;)

You need to add some personal touches into the scavenger hunt so that they will appreciate the time you spent on putting together this gift for them. If the individual can relate to the clues or think back on why some of the clues might be significant to the both of you, they will be that more appreciative of this hunt.

Think about:

  • Where you first met
  • What your first date was
  • What their favorite treats are
  • What is their favorite restaurant
  • What is their favorite movie

Once you have some of these things figured out, and you know that the hunter will know the answers to as well, you’ll be putting together a sweet scavenger hunt in no time.

To end things off, here is a sample of a scavenger hunt that can help you on your way to making one special person very happy on this day:

Clue: Hey baby, you are in for a surprise. Start by dialing my number (123-456-7890) and text back what I say to you to this message.

Answer: I love you

Clue: I love you too :) Now, go to your room. What is sitting on your night table?

Answer: Aero chocolate

Clue: Mmm.. delicious. Go ahead and eat it; I know how much you love it ;) Once you’re done your treat, can you remind me what your favorite snack is?

Answer: Chips

Clue: I’m kidding! How could I forget that? Go to the kitchen. What is in the snack cupboard?

Answer: Chips

Clue: See! Of course I didn’t forget! ;) We’ll save those for later tonight. Now go to the family room. What is in the DVD player?

Answer: Lord of the Rings

Clue: Sweet movie eh? Now, are you hungry? What’s your favorite restaurant?

Answer: Milestone’s

Clue: It is tasty. Making me hungry. Do you mind grabbing and putting on your jacket? What does the note say inside your right pocket?

Answer: Open the front door

Clue: Ok, go and do it now!!

That’s the end of the scavenger hunt, however at this point in time, you would be standing outside the front door either holding a single flower or some other treat, leading your significant other out to eat at their favorite restaurant, followed by a night in with a movie and some chips ;)

Now, that wasn’t too hard was it? Go and try out a scavenger hunt for vday, and come back to us and let us know how they enjoyed it. You won’t be disappointed! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Create a Scavenger Hunt Now!

Scavenger Hunt Tip: Three Keys to Good Clues

When creating clues for a scavenger hunt there are three questions you should ask yourself. Is the Clue Personalized for the hunter? Will the clue be fun for the hunter? Is the Clue entertaining? You don’t need and answer yes to all three questions for a clue to be great. However, if the answer is no for all three you might want to rethink your clue.

Is the Clue Personalized for the Hunter?

It’s great to add some clues to your hunt that are personalized to the hunter. It might involve an inside joke you both share, a memory you have together or trivia that they would find interesting. You might ask about the place where you first met or what animal you saw when camping together. Personalized trivia is another great clue to add to any hunt. If they are into art you can ask them a question regarding their favourite artist. For example “How many self-portraits did Vincent Van Gough perform between 1886 and 1889?”. Making this type of trivia is easier than it seems. Just take a few minutes to read about the subject on the internet and once you find an interesting fact make it into a question. Personalized clues are certainly one of the most impressive for the person receiving the hunt and they will be taken back by how much thought you put into the hunt.

Is the Clue Fun for the Hunter?

It sounds simple but it’s important to consider whether the clue will be fun for the hunter. This is similar to creating personalized clues but instead we are focused on general things they like. If the hunter really likes math then by all means add some math questions into your scavenger hunt. On the other hand if they hate dealing with numbers avoid that type of clue at all costs! This is also where you want to consider the difficulty of your clue. You want to make it difficult enough so that it’s not extremely easy but you also want to make sure that it’s not impossible for them to get. The right difficulty will get them scratching their head and then jumping in the air when they figure it out. If you’re not sure about the difficulty try it out on someone else and see what happens.

Is the Clue Entertaining?

Whether the clue is entertaining or not comes down to the wording of your clues. There are a ton of ways you can make a scavenger hunt more entertaining. You can make a fictional storyline for the hunt, maybe they need to find the deactivation code for a nuclear missile or find the toupee of their ungrateful boss. You can add some humour to the hunt with joke or sarcasm based clues and riddles. You can even add rhyming to your clues which is always fun.

These are just a few examples of how to make clues that are personal, fun and entertaining. The blog also has other ideas that will help you make hunt worthy clues. You’ll also come up with great ideas that haven’t been featured here. If you’d like to share your scavenger hunt ideas let us know at support@textclues.com and maybe we’ll write an article about them!

Scavenger Hunt Tip: Don’t Leave it too Late!

Scavenger hunts are such great gifts because they are creative and original. Most people love getting scavenger hunts because it’s really a thoughtful gift. It shows you’re willing to put time and effort to make sure someone really has a great time.

This blog is here to help you make a memorable scavenger hunt in as little time as possible. That being said it’s still going to take some time if you really want to make a remarkable hunt. It’s certainly possible to make a great hunt the day before the big day but for a more substantial hunt we recommend you start at least a few days in advance.

The first step is to write out a quick draft of what you want the scavenger hunt to look like. Here you don’t have to go into much detail with the clues. It could be as simple as outlining the path you want them to take. The key is getting a general idea of what you want the scavenger hunt to look like. Once you’re done this step take a step away from the planning table for a few hours or days.

When you come back you’ll find that you came up with some great new ideas and you’ll be ready to put the finishing touches on the hunt. At this stage it’s time to fix up your clues to make sure they’re fun, personal and entertaining. Also you may find that you’ve thought of a totally new idea for the scavenger hunt! Don’t hesitate in changing your plan or creating a totally new one, the hunter will thank you. At this point all you need to do is prepare your physical clues and schedule a time for the hunt!

The free trial here on textclues.com is a great tool for planning a scavenger hunt even if you’re not planning on sending text message based clues. It allows you to save the scavenger hunt, access it from any computer with internet access and base a new scavenger hunt on an old one to easily make different versions.