Does your family love the thrill of a good scavenger hunt as much as ours does? Good. Then please continue reading, as I'd like to share with you some of the dynamics we've found concerning writing hard scavenger hunt riddles.

Firstly, we know that we need to find a balance between writing difficult clues and writing clues that are just too easy. A good part of the fun of the hunt is figuring out and decoding the clue, but if they're too hard, then the thrill of victory is lost. This can be especially tough for smaller children, as we"��re striving to teach them both problem-solving and rewards.
With my seven-year-old daughter, I find that paying attention to what she's learning in school can be a valuable tool. I base some of the riddles on her current curriculum. For example, right now they're learning about the ocean and the various creatures that occupy it. So if we have a ceramic sea turtle in the front yard, I might "riddle her" with this: "I'm an amphibian, and on for legs I walk. But unless I'm in a race, I simply do not talk."The reference here is of course the old tortoise and hare story. Or turtle"��however that works, you get the idea.

If you have a child in, let's say, eighth grade, you might want to apply some of the clues to the music he or she listens to. When they"��re around 14 years old, we tend to see a spike in individuality, and often this comes in the form of music. One idea might be to find a verse in one of their favorite artists' songs and put part of it on paper, making them stop and start a little. It might not make sense to them that you would be putting this on paper, so they may not be able to make that connection right away. AND it could be a good way for the two of you to bond a little at this difficult age!
Enjoy!