Halloween Treasure Hunt

Lily wanted “properly spooky” and Oscar wanted “not too spooky” — somehow this one managed both, and nobody ended up in our bed at 3am.

Here’s the story your little monsters step into: it’s Halloween night, the one evening of the year when people and ghosts celebrate together. But the lanterns that light the ghosts’ way have gone out, and a small, very worried ghost appears clutching an unlit lantern, asking for help. This Halloween treasure hunt sends the kids off to bring the lights back — less jump-scare, more giggle-and-wonder, which is exactly right for the 4–9 crowd.

They work through eight stations with a treasure map in hand: decoding the ghosts’ secret message (a rebus for the little ones, a symbol cipher for older kids), finding the path through the will-o’-the-wisp maze, cracking picture-maths at the Number Light, sharp-eyed spotting at Hidden in the Shadows, chasing down a lost number chain — swapped for a Halloween word search in the 6–9 version — solving the lantern logic puzzle to work out which ghost — Glimmer, Lumo or Flick — carries which light, playing the ghosts’ shadow game (the 6–9s piece split magic words back together instead), and finally the threads of light — a line-linking puzzle for the little ones, a colour-by-numbers glowing picture for the older crowd. After every station a badge goes onto the map, and at the end there’s a treasure to find.

You get two full versions in the pack — one for ages 4–6 with picture-based puzzles, one for ages 6–9 with trickier thinking — plus a Roll-a-Monster warm-up game, invitations, certificates, a cheat sheet for the grown-up in charge, and bonus challenges for kids who still have wobble left in them.

When does this hunt work best?

A Halloween party or the October half-term, for children who want spooky-ish but not scary — it’s more giggle-and-wonder than jump-scare. Run the Roll-a-Monster warm-up while the stragglers arrive, then send them off to relight the ghosts’ lanterns. With a picture-based 4–6 version and a trickier 6–9 version, mixed-age siblings can play together.

Quick answer: a printable Halloween treasure hunt for ages 4–9 and 2–10 players, with 8 stations plus a warm-up and two difficulty levels (4–6 and 6–9). Instant PDF — print it at home tonight.