A Christmas Story Preschool Treasure Quest

By Charlene Haukom

Make a decoder, like the Little Orphan Annie Decoder in A Christmas Story, and then hunt for a hidden treasure! This Seasonal Preschool Game is the perfect game to play throughout the holiday season. For extended preschool fun, play A Christmas Story Preschool Treasure Quest on each of the 12 Days of Christmas!

What You Will Need

Paper
Marker
Treasure

How to Play

1. On a sheet of paper, write the letters of the alphabet. After each letter, write a number. To keep things simple, just number the alphabet from 1 to 26. It should look something like this:
A – 1
B – 2
C – 3
And so on. You could also create this alphabet-number chart on the computer and print it out, or make a craft out of it by creating numbers and letters with colorful construction paper. You could even use decorative paper with letter and number stickers.

2. Hide a treasure somewhere in your house. The treasure could be as simple as a box of raisins, or more elaborate like an actual Christmas gift.

3. Make up a clue, such as “Under the Couch”. Using the decoder you made in step 1, write out the clue with numbers instead of letters.

4. Give the decoder to your preschooler. You can either call out the numbers in your clue and have your preschooler write out the letters, or you can hand the number clue to your preschooler and have them find and write the letters.

5. Once the preschooler has deciphered the code, it’s time to track down that treasure!

Make this Seasonal Preschool Game an Educational Preschool Game

Turn this Seasonal Preschool Game into an Educational Preschool Game by making the clue more difficult. For example, instead of simply saying “under the couch”, make the clue something like:

I am something green and red.
I am not your fluffy bed.
I’m a cozy place to rest,
But I like living rooms the best!

A longer clue will teach your preschooler numbers and letters, and it will also help with preschool critical thinking skills. Now your preschooler will have to decode AND figure out the meaning of the clue.

Make A Christmas Story Preschool Treasure Quest More Challenging

Instead of having one clue lead to the treasure, the clue could lead to another clue. For example, the first clue would lead to the couch. But instead of finding a treasure, your preschooler will find another clue. To tie it in with the 12 Days of Christmas, make up 11 clues with the 12th being a Christmas gift. Let your preschooler hunt all 11 clues and then find the treasure on Christmas morning.

A Christmas Story Trivia Question

What did Ralphie say when he decoded the Little Orphan Annie message?
*Hint: 1     3 18 21 13 13 25     3 15 13 13 5 18 3 9 1 12

Submit your answer for a chance to win our A Christmas Story Holiday Giveaway Bonanza.

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