Christmas Treasure Hunt Clues for Kids: 20 Rhyming Riddles for Christmas Morning

A Christmas morning treasure hunt turns "here's your present" into twenty minutes of running, guessing and giggling. Each clue is a little riddle that points to a spot in your home, where the next clue is waiting, and the last one leads to the gift. Below are 20 rhyming clues you can copy tonight: an easy version for ages 4–6 and a harder one for ages 7–10, for ten spots almost every home has.

How to set up a Christmas treasure hunt

Pick where the gift goes. Somewhere kids can reach but won't find by accident: a closet floor, behind the couch, the bathtub.
Choose 5–8 spots from the list below and put them in an order that moves around the house.
Copy one clue per card. Each card describes the NEXT spot, so the card you hide at the tree points to the front door, and so on.
Hide them backward on Christmas Eve: last card first, so you always know what's next.
Keep Clue 1 and hand it over in the morning. Hints are always allowed.

Safe-spot rules

Never hide a clue in the tree's branches, near light cords, candles, the fireplace or the stove.
No climbing: every clue sits where a child can reach it from the floor.
Nothing inside appliances, cabinets or drawers with medicine or sharp things. The fridge clue goes on the door, never in it.
Little ones get a grown-up buddy for the bathroom and kitchen stops.

20 Christmas treasure hunt clues by hiding spot

The floor beside the Christmas tree

Ages 4–6: "I'm tall and green with lights that glow. Look on the floor by me, down low!"
Ages 7–10: "I wear a star but I'm not in the sky, with ornaments hung on my branches up high. Your clue isn't up where the lights are aglow: look on the floor by my trunk, down below."

The floor inside the front door

Ages 4–6: "Knock, knock! Guests come in through me. Look on the floor by my mat and see!"
Ages 7–10: "Carolers knock and visitors cheer. I swing wide open when guests appear. Look on the floor where the boots come in: the next clue's waiting with a grin!"

Under a couch cushion

Ages 4–6: "Soft and squishy, I hold you tight. Lift a cushion: is the clue in sight?"
Ages 7–10: "Snuggle up here for a holiday show, soft and squishy, cushions in a row. Lift up a cushion and take a peek: here is the clue that you all seek!"

Under a pillow

Ages 4–6: "Where you dream of Santa's sleigh, under me your clue will stay."
Ages 7–10: "On Christmas Eve you could hardly sleep, but your head lay on me, soft and deep. Lift me up and you will find the next clue Santa left behind."

On the fridge door (outside, not in)

Ages 4–6: "I keep Santa's milk nice and cold. Look on my door, not inside, I'm told!"
Ages 7–10: "I hum all night and keep the milk cold, with magnets and pictures and notes to hold. Look on my door, but please don't go in: your clue is stuck there with a jolly grin!"

On a kitchen chair seat

Ages 4–6: "Four legs, no feet, a place to sit. Your clue is on my seat, that's it!"
Ages 7–10: "I have four legs but I never walk. I sit at the table while you eat and talk. Peek at my seat and you will see a clue is waiting: one, two, three!"

Inside a boot by the door

Ages 4–6: "Left and right, we stomp through snow. Peek inside a boot, you know!"
Ages 7–10: "We come in a pair and we're good in the snow; we're lined up by the door wherever you go. Reach inside one, the left or the right: your next clue is hiding out of sight."

On the bath mat

Ages 4–6: "Splish, splash, out of the tub! Step on me after a scrub."
Ages 7–10: "After your bath, when you're dripping wet, I'm the soft spot where your toes are set. Look on top of me, fuzzy and flat: your next clue is waiting on the mat!"

On the lowest shelf of a bookcase

Ages 4–6: "I'm full of stories, row on row. Look on my shelf that's down low."
Ages 7–10: "Dragons and reindeer and elves live in me, with pages to turn for each story you see. Don't climb up high, your clue is below: look on my lowest shelf, nice and slow."

On top of the laundry basket

Ages 4–6: "Socks and pajamas, I hold them all. Peek on top, the clue is small!"
Ages 7–10: "Muddy socks and sweaters too, I hold the clothes when you are through. Peek on top of the pile in me: the next clue is easy to see."

The last clue: leading to the gift

Finish with a card that names the gift spot plainly, so the ending is a celebration and not one more puzzle: "You cracked every clue, you clever crew! Now look ______ : a gift waits for you!" Write the spot on the line the night before.

Want clues written for your own home?

If your house doesn't have a bath mat or your kids are different ages, the HideQuest treasure hunt builder writes rhyming clues for the hiding spots you type in, and gives each child their own age-matched math to solve along the way. It's free to try.

For a ready-made printable that ends at the gift, with three math levels so siblings can play together, see The North Pole Code.

Frequently asked questions

How many clues should a Christmas treasure hunt have?

Five to eight. Fewer feels over too soon; more and younger kids lose steam before the gift. Six clues takes most families 15 to 25 minutes.

Where should the gift be at the end?

Somewhere kids can reach without climbing and wouldn't stumble on by accident: a closet floor, behind a couch, in the bathtub or under a bed. Write that spot on the last clue.

How do you run one treasure hunt for kids of different ages?

Use one set of clues and let the older kids read while the younger ones run to the spot. If you want each child to have a job, give the little ones the easy clue at each stop and the older ones the harder one.

When should I set it up?

On Christmas Eve after the kids are asleep. Work backward from the gift: hide the last clue first and the first clue last, then keep Clue 1 to hand over in the morning.