Cave Maze Treasure Hunt

Indoor adventures for intrepid little explorers

This started out simple before our little guy could even really talk, and it has grown more elaborate since. It involves three of the things kids can never resist: flashlights, couch cushion caves, and treasure hunts.

We hit on the idea of putting a little treasure (some raisins in a little cup for example) at the end of a couch cushion tunnel to encourage him to go explore with his flashlight (or some glow sticks). It grew more elaborate as he got more skilled and brave at spelunking. First we added a corner, then several, then we started hiding the treasure in a fold or a nook in the top of the cave. Then we started building mazes with dead ends, and using blankets and cardboard boxes along with the couch to add multiple levels and rooms. It can also be fun to hide multiple treasures from a set of some kind.

For a long time it was clearly a real adventure in to unknown places for him. He is coming up on 3 now and it wouldn’t hold the charm it once did, but it was sure a lot of fun, and a great way to make a boring evening memorable.

It has also been a lot of fun to talk about now when we have visited caves and mines, and when we have talked about where gems come from.