Below is a series of tools to (easily) create scavenger hunts involving multiple clues and puzzle types. To amuse our kids during the holidays, we created treasure hunts with clues that varied from simple code breakers to arithmetic and word searches. We eventually created spreadsheets to easily create the clues and we have now converted them into web pages so that you can use our free online scavenger hunt templates.
In all cases the process is the same
- Go to the various puzzle pages,
- Enter the clues you want to create
- Print the clue out.
We have also create a master spreadsheet where you can set up the entire treasure hunt. Below a video clip with an overview (maximise the video in the bottom right). More instructions are lower down.
Treasure Hunt Master
The master file allows you to enter all the stops in your treasure hunt and decide what type of puzzle you want to use.
It will create a button to your selected puzzle and when you click on it, it will take your location clue and set up the puzzle on its own. All you need to do is print it. It will even tell you where to place each clue to make the hiding easier.
In most cases that is all that is required in terms of set up. In some puzzle types e.g. word search, you need to place the clue in the matrix so it will take a few minutes.
This is the best way to start, but if you want to try out some of the individual puzzles, look below.
The hyperlink below will open up a new window with instructions
Puzzle Options
Below a brief description of the puzzle types available. More are added periodically.
Word Code- Easy
Create a clue that takes your word/ sentence e.g. ‘Kitchen’ and converts it into numbers with its own unique code key e.g. 1=k, 2=s etc.
In order to decode the word, the players will need to find the letters that match the numbers. The numbers are in the same order as the word so all that needs to be done is decode the numbers into letters and read the word.
The hyperlink below will open up a new window with instructions.
Symbol Code
Create a clue that takes your word/ sentence e.g. ‘In the Kitchen’ and converts it into symbols with its own unique code key (see adjacent).
In order to decode the word, the players will need to find the letters that match the symbols. The symbols are in the same order as the word so all that needs to be done is decode the symbols into letters and read the word.
Note that this puzzle works best when run off a desktop machine. Mobile devices can’t seem to handle the wingdings and webdings fonts.
The hyperlink below will open up a new window with instructions.
Coordinates Code
Create a clue that takes your word/ sentence e.g. ‘In the Kitchen’ and places it in a matrix with coordinates.
In order to decode the word, the players need to take each coordinate and find what letter it represents. The coordinates are in the same order as the word/s so all that needs to be done is to decode the coordinates into letters to find the next clue.
The hyperlink below will open up a new window with instructions.
Directions Code
Create a clue that takes your word/ sentence e.g. ‘In Kitchen’ and places it in a matrix with one cell being the point to start with (the black cell).
In order to decode the word, the players need to start at the black cell each time and follow the directions for each letter. The directions are in the same order as the word/s so all that needs to be done is to decode the directions into letters to find the next clue.
The hyperlink below will open up a new window with instructions.
Multiplication Code Breaker
Create a clue that takes your word/ sentence e.g. ‘In Kitchen’ and creates a series of multiplication calculations. You can decide what multiplication tables to use e.g. 1 to 12 or 5 to 12 etc.
In order to decode the word, the players need to complete the multiplication and then match the answer to a letter. The letters will indicate where to find the next clue.
The hyperlink below will open up a new window with instructions.
Word Search
Place the word/ phrase in a block and random letters will be placed around it to create a word search.
In order to move on, the player needs to find the word in the block of letters. For this it is better to use a single word generally over 4 characters.
You can make it easier by
- using lower case as the random letters are upper case,
- going horizontal left to right.
You can make it harder by
- using UPPER CASE,
- going diagonal or backwards.
The hyperlink below will open up a new window with instructions.
Anagram
Place the word/ phrase in a block and the letters will be scrambled.
In order to move on, the player needs to unscramble the word/s.
The hyperlink below will open up a new window with instructions.
Mixed Word Code- Hard (if a sentence)
Create a clue that takes your word/ sentence e.g. ‘In the Kitchen’ and converts it into numbers with its own unique code key e.g. 1=k, 2=s AND it mixes up all the letters (anagram).
In order to decode the word, the players will need to find the letters that match the numbers. Once they have the letters, it is an anagram but this can be hard if you have a few words so a clue may be useful.
The hyperlink below will open up a new window with instructions.