Ages
Time
Equipment
Benefits
10-30 minutes
Container
Treasures You Find
-
Sensory Development
-
Exploration & Discrimination
-
Sorting & Patterning
3+
The Quest Chest
Treasure hunts are a classic for a reason. Kids love them! Turn your next treasure hunt into a multisensory quest for fun and learning.
​
About the Game
How? With your child, select a sensory theme (color, size, shape, sound, texture, etc.) then go on a treasure hunt to fill your “quest chest” with treasures.
Why? Exploring the senses means providing kids with lots of different objects to examine. A treasure hunt is a fun way to get them engaged in the learning.
What You Can Do. At every stage of the game, encourage them to be observant by using all their senses (except taste, of course, unless you’re on the quest for different foods). Note: Try not to point things out to them. Let them do the discovering on their own. And go with the flow. Whatever they choose is “right.”
Kids invest in things that spark their interest.
Invest your time there.
How to Play
Set Up. Have your child choose a “quest chest” container. It can be a small box or a bag or anything you have handy.
Pick a Sensory Theme. Offer your child some suggestions but be sure they choose the theme. The more you can make this their idea, the more invested they’ll be in the quest.
Go Questing. Indoors or out (or both), go in search of things that fit your theme. The quest is over when the quest chest is filled.
Explore Your Treasures. After the quest, spill the treasures out on the floor and do more sensory exploration. These objects now have special meaning for your child because they found them. Take this opportunity to add to their sensory library...
-
Association. How do all these different treasures fit our theme?
-
Contrast & Compare. How are they similar to each other. How are they different?
-
Sorting & Patterning. Sort the treasures by size, shape, color, sound, weight, etc.
-
Preferences. What’s your favorite treasure? What’s your least favorite? Why?
​
Use Your Treasures. Lean into what sparks their interest. Take their favorite treasure to explore even more. Paint a picture of it. Tell a story or make up a song about it. Or, if you’re game, do more research. Head to the library or internet and read a story about their treasure.
And there's more...