Use Bible verses to create a fun and exciting Treasure Hunt! The Bible talks a lot about "treasure." Just a few Scriptures that mention treasure are as follows:
Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Matthew 13:44 ""The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."
2 Corinthians 4:7 "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."
1 Timothy 6:19 "In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."
Everyone loves to find the treasure! Following are some ideas of how to take the fun of a treasure hunt and teach a wonderful Bible lesson as well.
Find the Clues
We've used this type of treasure hunt as a family. Instead of taking our kids "Trick or Treating" on Halloween, we chose to create a fun treasure hunt for them not only to find candy treats, but also Biblical treats.
We gave them one clue to begin. I love rhyming clues, so I made up several; I've also use Scripture clues that are fun. The first clue led to the second, the second to the third, and so on. The final clue led them to "the treasure" - a load of candy along with several "treasure Scriptures."
Our kids loved it and certainly never felt "left out" when it came to having fun and getting treats. We were able to take a day the Lord has made and rejoice in it while also celebrating the light of His life.
Scriputre clues can be written out or for a Bible drill activity, just give them the reference and have them look the Bible verses up.
Sample Scripture clues:
* Matthew 6:19: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
["Keys" - leave next clue either where you keep your car keys or on the piano keys if you have one.]
* Matthew 7:8 "For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
["Door" - leave the next clue on the front door.]
* Psalm 69:2: "I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me."
["Sink" - leave the next clue in the kitchen sink]
* 1 Kings 17:9: ""Give me your son," Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed."
["Bed" - leave the next clue under a bed]
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These are just a few of the many possiblities; think of other words around your house and look up a Scripture to go along with them using a condordance. Crosswalk offers a great online concordance.
Other ideas may include: bath, book, screen (for computer screen), pillow, sheets, cup, dish, etc. The possibilities are endless
Rhyming clues may be a bit harder. I tried to weave in Bible truth with each one too.
Samples:
* Jesus died for you and me,
For life everlasting, He's the "key." (by car keys, piano keys or computer keyboard)
* A new song to the Lord I will sing,
Find the next clue by something that can "ring." (telephone)
* He'll wash our sins as white as snow,
Look for something that can really grow. (a houseplant)
Okay, I'm not the greatest at poetry; you get the idea though.
The clues for the treasure hunt don't have to be long. I usually just think of a word I want to use for the clue (key, ring, grow) and then go from there building a clue to rhyme with that word. It's really fun once you get started, and the kids love it! Also, try having students search the Bible using clues to find answers with these Bible Treasure Hunt puzzles.
Scavenger Treasure Hunt
A scavenger treasure hunt can also be a lot of fun. Participants look up the Bible verse reference and then search for the object mentioned. When all objects are collected and returned, the treasure hunt reward is given.
For a printable Bible activity, try using the following "Books of the Bible Scavenger Hunt":
Can you find the names of 25 books of the Bible in this paragraph? This is a most remarkable puzzle. Someone found it in the seat pocket on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping himself occupied for hours. One man from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Roy Clark studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Victs mentioned it in her column once. One woman judges the job to be so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help calm her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot...that's a fact. Some people will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. The truth is, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or scholar to see some of them at the worst. Something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have. Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation may help, books like! Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. And punctuation or spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete. Remember, there are 25 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph.
Or here's a printable scavenger hunt that can be used with children using rhyming clues or use it with Bible verses for older children or a youth group scavenger hunt activity.
Have fun!!!
