A fun, sensory-rich activity perfect for summer! Dig for hidden treasures in sand using spoons and brushes! Great for all ages, this sensory activity boosts fun and learning. Swap in safe materials for younger kids or add imaginative twists for older ones. Easy, engaging, and perfect for summer play.
This game can be repeated endlessly by reburying the items. Extend learning by incorporating counting, size comparison, and material description. The activity is easily adaptable for different ages and can be done indoors or outdoors with minimal mess. For younger kids, use taste-safe materials and larger items; older kids can add imaginative twists like pretending they’re collecting Minecraft resources. Don’t have sand? Try oats, lentils, or even a mystery blanket feel box!
What you’ll need:
- A substrate to hide your treasures in, keep it simple with play sand, or taste safe with cornflakes or oats.
- For a mess free alternative use blankets or scarves to hide objects under and figure out what they are through touch alone.
- Small treasures to hide, such as stones, shells or even scrunched up coloured paper.
- Tools for digging, teaspoons or paintbrushes
Ideas to Try:
- Create a list of items to tick off as they are found or use it as an opportunity to practice basic numeracy skills and count the number of items.
- Base your treasure hunt on a theme, dinosaurs, sea creatures, superthings, whatever tiny toy you have laying around.
- Story dig, each item you find becomes part of a story you create together, start with a simple once upon a time we went digging at the beach and found…..
Find the link to the full activity PDF below
At The seaside: Treasure Hunt
Camp Mum 
