How to Write Your Own Gift Hunt at Home

I've been writing these for a long time. It started with writing my own hunts for my kids, and over the years, as they've got older, the hunts have got more complicated right along with them — more clue types, more experimenting, more trial and error. If you want to write your own gift hunt rather than buy one, here's exactly how I go about it, start to finish.

Pick your theme, then invent a reason for it

Start with your child's age and whatever they're into right now, and build a theme around that. Then give it a one-line story: something has happened that means they now need to go and find things. It can be as simple as birthday magic, or a secret mission, or a curse that's taken something — it doesn't need to be complicated, it just needs a reason for the hunt to be happening at all, rather than just being a list of puzzles.

Decide what they're finding, and how often

Next, work out what you're actually hiding: one big gift, or lots of small ones spread across the hunt. For younger children especially, on their actual birthday, I'd always find something at every single stop. If they just keep solving clue after clue with nothing to show for it, that's not much of a birthday. So for anyone under 10, I'd aim for a find at every clue — sometimes just a sweet or a small treat, sometimes a proper gift — and always save the biggest one for last, marked as the final clue so you control when it lands. Once they're older, you don't need that rule any more; they're happy solving several clues in a row to get to one bigger reward at the end.

Work out your locations

Decide roughly how many clues you want, then walk round your home (or hotel room, or wherever you'll be) and list out hiding spots. You're looking for three things: safe, well hidden, and big enough for whatever you're hiding there — no point picking a spot that can't actually fit the gift.

Choose your clue types, and pair them to your locations

This is where you can pull from all sorts — crosswords, word searches, riddles, rhymes, maps all work well, especially for younger kids. As they get older you can bring in codes and locks: a suitcase lock is a great one, since most people have one at home already, or a padlock, or even a bike lock. Either hide the key and let them find it, or set a number code and give them a puzzle that cracks it. The way I actually do this is pairing them up one at a time: pick a location, then write the clue for it. Gift going under the pillow? Write a riddle about a pillow. Ask AI to help if you want to move quickly — it's genuinely useful for this bit. Personalising them is what makes it feel special. For my eldest, I've written clues around chess and a Rubik's cube, because that's what he's into. For my younger one, I made a Minecraft-themed one. Acrostic poems, quizzes, crosswords — all good options once you start tailoring them to your own child.

Keep it simple: skip the sequencing

Here's the bit I'd actually recommend doing differently from what you might assume. I don't chain clues together, where solving one tells you where the next one is — as the parent, that's a lot to manage and keep track of. Instead, I just hide everything across all my chosen locations, then pick one clue to be the final one, put it in an envelope marked "final clue," and make sure that one has the biggest gift behind it. Every other clue can be found in any order. Each one leads straight to a gift, so all you have to do is hide things and let them go. You can hand over the whole pile of clues at once — my kids like knowing how many they've got and working through them at their own pace — or give them out one at a time if you'd rather keep more control. Either works. Whatever you do, keep a note somewhere of what each clue is and where you hid it, so you can help if anyone gets stuck. And have fun with it.

Or skip the writing part

That structure — hide everything, one marked final clue, find in any order — is exactly what our kits already do, if you'd rather not write the clues yourself. The locations are deliberately generalist, so they work in almost any home: under the pillow, in the shower, under a cushion, under the table, in their pocket, in a shoe. You just check off the ones that suit your space, skip the rest, cut out the cards, hide the gifts, and let them go.

If you want to take it further, fancy dress and theming are a nice optional extra — I'll sometimes hand my kids a little gift hunt kit at the start, with a torch, some scissors, a pen and a pencil, just to make it feel like more of an event. None of that's essential, though. Have fun with it.

Explore ready-made birthday gift hunts

Written by Estelle, who's been writing these for her own kids for years.

Related reading: Find out what makes a gift hunt different, or see our ready-made Spy Mission birthday hunt.

Deciding between writing your own and buying a pack? Read how to choose a ready-made birthday present hunt. For ideas on spreading a few gifts through the hunt, try Stretch the Moment, Not the Budget.

FAQs

How many gifts do I need for a gift hunt?

For anyone under 10, I'd put a find at every clue, even if it's just a sweet, and save the biggest gift for last. Older children are happy solving a few clues for one bigger reward.  I usually do 8-10 clues & gifts/treats - normally a few gifts alongside other locations with  sweets/treats/coins or cards.

Do the clues have to go in order?

Not the way I do it. Every clue leads straight to a gift and can be found in any order. Only one is marked as the final clue, and that's where the biggest gift goes. This just makes it a lot easier for the parents to set up than having to work out a complicated ordering sequence! 

Where should I hide clues and gifts?

Somewhere safe, well hidden and big enough for what you're hiding. Walk round your home first and list the spots before you write anything. Unexpected locations are always fun (in the cereal box, the sock drawer, the laundry basket, the shed)

What if my child gets stuck?

Keep a note of every clue and where you hid it, so you can give a hint. You can also write hint cards if any are particularly hard.