Treasure Hunt Ideas for Disabled Children

Keeping children occupied in a fun way can be a challenge, especially if you're trying to create games for children with disabilities that hinder physical and mental skills. One game for disabled children of any age is treasure hunts. Adults should assist in these games so the children benefit from having a safe and fun time.

A fun way to do treasure hunts is to use riddles. Write various riddles on pieces of paper that give the children clues where the treasure is hidden. An example of a rhyming clue for a treasure hunt would be "Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, did you want another clue? Find the ceramic dog that is red, to unearth yet another fun clue for you." For a child with a disability, an adult can help with the riddle and assist in finding the treasure.

Completing sentences to find the treasure is another fun way to do treasure hunts. Make up five to 10 sentences with each sentence missing a word or two. The missing words that form the sentences become the hidden answers to the treasure hunt. This is ideal for children who are physically disabled as this can be done sitting down. Once children have completed the sentences, adults can help them find the treasure.

Huckle Buckle Bean Stalk is a guessing game. In using this for a treasure hunt, an adult can assist a disabled child by pairing up and doing this game together. Hide the treasure from the children by placing it somewhere where it isn't hidden, yet is difficult to find. While looking for the object, a designated person will tell the children they are either hot (being right next to the treasure) or cold (being the far away from the treasure) or warm (close but needing to look more to find the treasure).

Buy some empty Easter plastic eggs. Place a picture or worded clue in each egg leading to the next set of Easter egg clues until the final Easter egg clue gives the location of the prize. This can be done inside a building, outside in a yard or in a safe area for children who may have wheelchairs. Pairing up with an adult who can help assist in the game is an option for children with disabilities who can't move about freely.