Hunting for the Perfect Therapeutic Activity

Deanna Macioce, MS, OTR/L

Many times we find that we are looking for activities that give us the “biggest bang for our buck” so to say.  Well, scavenger hunts or treasure hunts can offer you just that.  Whether you need to address gross or fine motor skills, sequencing and direction following, coordination, peer interaction or problem solving, you can basically cover all your therapy goals and deliver sensory input in a variety of ways with a hunt. They can take on almost any theme, and can be adapted for various ages and skills levels. 

There are a variety of ways to put together scavenger hunt activities.  A basic approach for younger and lower functioning children that does not require reading is to list the activities numerically, draw a map with picture descriptions or even have them find items by color, shape, or pictured icon.  So, for example, you may have a picture of crab walking to find something that is the color red, followed by a picture of riding the scooter board to find something that is in the shape of a circle, etc. For older children with reading skills, having a clue at different pieces of equipment that will tell them what to do or give them a riddle to find out what comes next.

Scavenger hunts are a great way to work on team building and peer interaction, making them ideal for social groups or class environments.  Working together in pairs or small groups allows children to work on verbal skills through problem solve with others.  In addition, partner activities can be incorporated, such as catching ball, zoom ball, or scooter board pushes within the scavenger hunt.  Incorporate team building by having different puzzle pieces gathered at each spot, and then as a group the children put construct a simple puzzle together. 

Creativity is endless when designing your hunt, and it can be adapted for each child differently if need be.  Making them theme or holiday focus can increase the interest and imaginative play. Fine motor skills can be added by having children gather puzzle pieces, Mr. Potato Head pieces, blocks, or peg board pieces to complete at a table at the end of the hunt.  In addition, you can also use it as a way to gather materials for doing a simple craft of meal.  Or even pull in writing skills by having the child list the steps after he or she are done which is also a great way to work on recalling steps.

Sensory components are definitely intertwined throughout the hunt, and being able to work on so many different therapeutic needs truly makes a scavenger hunt an all-in-one activity…so have some fun planning and gear up for some great hunting!