Christmas Present Treasure Hunt: Hide the Big Gift and Build a Clue Trail to It

Some presents are too big to wrap and too exciting to just hand over. A bike, a play kitchen or a dollhouse can sit behind a door while a trail of clues leads your child to it. The search adds some build-up, and the gift is the last stop.

Pick the hiding place first

Choose where the present will be before you write a single clue. Good places are a room with a door that closes, a closet, the garage if it's cleared and safe, or behind the couch with a blanket over it. Wherever it goes, make sure it's a spot your child can walk into without climbing, and that nothing heavy can tip over when they pull the blanket off.

If the gift is a bike or a ride-on toy, set it on the floor, not on a table or shelf, and put the helmet next to it. If the gift runs on coin or button batteries, keep spares out of reach of younger kids.

Plan the trail

Five to seven clues is a good length. Fewer for kids under 5, a few more for kids who read on their own.

Put the present in its final spot.
Choose clue spots at your child's eye level or lower.
Write one card per spot, each pointing to the next.
Hide the cards working backward from the present, so you hold the first card at the end.

Keep the route away from lit candles, the fireplace, plugged-in tree lights and the kitchen while anyone is cooking. For kids under 3, nothing on the route should be small enough to swallow. If the first card is under the tree, put it at the front so nobody reaches into the branches or pulls the tree over.

Clues you can copy

Each clue names its spot in brackets. Change them to fit your home.

[Under the tree, first card in a small envelope]: "Something big is waiting, but it isn't here. Go where you brush your teeth, the next clue is near."
[Bathroom sink]: "You found me by the toothbrush, well done. Now go where the boots go when the snow is done."
[Boot tray or shoe rack by the door]: "Boots stand in a row, all lined up neat. Now find the couch where you rest your feet."
[Couch]: "You found the couch, now don't you stop. Go where the dirty socks and shirts all drop."
[Laundry basket]: "Socks and shirts, you dug in deep. Go to the closed door and take a peek." (For older kids, swap this rhyme for the code below.)
[Closet door, gift inside]: "Your last clue is here, the trail is through. Open this door, something's waiting for you."

For kids who don't read yet, add a drawing or photo of the next spot to each card, and have an adult read the rhyme aloud.

If the gift is from Santa in your house, print the cards instead of handwriting them.

Add a code for older kids

Kids of about 7 to 10 can crack the last step. Put a number code on the card just before the gift, in place of its rhyme, that spells the hiding place, where A = 1, B = 2 and so on. For a closet:

3-12-15-19-5-20

That spells CLOSET. For younger readers, write the place backward instead: TESOLC is CLOSET, read from right to left. Use GIFT (7-9-6-20) as a bonus word on the gift tag.

Make it work with siblings

If there's one big present for several kids, give each child their own color of cards and let the trails meet at the end. If each child has their own gift, run separate trails that start at the same time, so nobody waits while another child opens theirs.

Small touches

Wrap the first card like a tiny present and put it in a stocking or under the tree.
Use the same paper or ribbon on every card, so kids know what to look for.
Keep a list of your spots in your pocket in case a card goes missing.
If treats are part of the trail, check allergies first and skip hard candy for small children.

A December birthday corner

X Marks The Party makes printable birthday treasure hunts, personalized with your child's name and built around hiding spots you choose at home. It's a birthday hunt, not a Christmas theme, so it fits a child whose birthday falls in December, and the last spot can be wherever you hide the birthday gift. The Explorer level uses pictures and simple rhymes with a grown-up reading along, for kids of about 4 to 6. The Detective level adds reading, riddles and puzzles, for about 7 to 10.

You pick a theme, enter your child's name and your hiding spots, and see a free preview first. The full PDF is $29.99 USD, emailed when it's ready, and you print it at home.

FAQ

Where can I hide a big Christmas present?

A closet, a room with a door, behind the couch under a blanket, or a cleared garage. Keep it on the floor and somewhere your child can reach without climbing.

How many clues should lead to the present?

Five to seven for most kids. Three or four for toddlers, with picture clues.

How do I hide clues without the kids seeing?

Hide them after bedtime on Christmas Eve, or while another adult keeps the kids in a different room.

Can I do a present hunt for more than one child?

Yes. Give each child their own color of cards, and either run separate trails or have them meet at a shared gift.

What if my child can't read yet?

Use pictures of each spot on the cards and read the rhymes aloud together.

Is there a Christmas version of the personalized hunt?

No. The X Marks The Party hunt is a birthday hunt personalized with your child's name. It works for a December birthday, and it doesn't come with a Christmas theme.

Create a personalized hunt. Free preview, then print at home for $29.99.