Fun Parent Friday: Hide & Sneak Treasure

On Fridays, I will try to share a quick tip on how to incorporate an easy trick to to be more intentionally fun and playful as a parent, if you are in need of a little encouragement and help. Being playful with your kids on just a normal day keeps you both in the moment and is what really boosts all those core childhood bliss moments.

the activity: Hide & Sneak Treasure

Who: any person in your home 13 years old +
Length of activity: on-going
How many participants: at least 2 people
Equipment needed: 1 unique, recognizable, inanimate object
Skills required: none

how to play:

• to start this game you need to secretly choose 1 unique, recognizable inanimate object as the “treasure” – don’t tell anyone that the game is beginning
• Examples of “treasure” (that have been used in my life):
  • a rubber chicken
  • our realtor’s photo business card
  • a greeting card with a picture of man wearing very tiny jorts
  • a child’s bowling pin that looked like a caterpillar
  • a tiny Barbie doll baby
  • a picture of my Dad when he was in his teens
• Sneakily place the “treasure” in a location that another target player will find it fairly easily, but that it was obviously ‘hidden’ for them to find.
• Examples of ‘hidden’ places:
  • under the pillow on their bed
  • in a bathroom drawer
  • in their shoe
  • in their coat pocket
  • in their backpack
  • in their planner
  • in a cupholder of their car
• Wait for as long as it takes for them to find it: hours? days?
• If this is the first time you are playing this game, the target player may ask you about the treasure. Respond with, “I have no idea what you are talking about” and make sure your facial expressions and tone of voice tells them that you are obviously lying.
• Players who catch on quickly will then hide this item somewhere for you to find it for revenge. The game is on! Continue hiding it in ridiculous places with each other for eternity (or for as long as it’s funny)
• Players who don’t quite ‘get it’ right away will need more opportunities to find the same treasure in more random places. Don’t give up on them – keep hiding it until it becomes clear that they should hide it back for you to find

Variations

• If your tween/teen is having a bad day, this is a great inside joke ice breaker
• Multiple family members can be involved: every person for themselves OR form alliances!
• It can be a hilarious gag gift for birthdays or Christmas
• You can also play this game with a variety of other people if you need joy brought to any space: co-worker, spouse, parents, siblings.
• It doesn’t always have to be the same treasure – it can change if some other item becomes more funny or recognizable.
• The game can last as long as you like: one time to many times over the course of years! Once I said aloud, “If I find this caterpillar bowling pin not put away again I’m going to lose my mind!” and that night my husband tucked it into bed on my pillow. I found it and laughed and he almost peed his pants laughing because he was in the room too. That game is over…..or is it….? 🙂

Helpful reminder

• if you are playing this game with your tween/teen, try not to be the first one to quit on the game. It’s like hugging a kid – don’t be the first one to let go. Let them decide when it’s over, you don’t know how much they might need it.

Pros of activity

• inside joke-making material
• immediate tension relief and reminder you are important to someone when you find the treasure
• the game can begin and end without warning

Cons of activity

• if you are a tidy person: things out of place
• doesn’t work well with very young kids (10 and under), they just don’t quite get it the concept of the game and they aren’t great at hiding things and waiting patiently for it to be found. They’d generally prefer to hide it right now in this room and then you find it right now (hide and seek style) which might be a fun game to play (but it’s not THIS game)
• the game can begin and end without warning

Related posts:

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