Home Orienteering Course
Child sets clues and a map for a course through the home or garden for others to follow, then refines the trail.
- Age7 to 12 years
- Time30 to 60 minutes
- EnergyActive
- CostFree
- WhereIndoors or out
- Prep15 min
Your child designs a course through the home or a small outdoor space, sets clues or a map that lead from point to point, then watches others follow it and improves the trail.
How to do it
- Have your child pick a start and a series of points around the home or a small outdoor space.
- At each point they leave a clue or a marked spot on a simple map that leads to the next one.
- A family member follows the course, moving from clue to clue, while your child watches.
- Your child notices where the follower got stuck or confused and fixes those clues.
- Run the improved course again, timing it for fun or adding a small challenge at each point.
What you need
- Paper and pencil
- Route
- Timer
Signs it is working
Your child sets clues that actually lead from one point to the next in order. They watch the follower and spot where a clue did not work. They fix the confusing clue and the second run goes more smoothly
If it is not quite clicking
Clues are too vague and the follower is lost: Help your child make one clue clearer and test just that leg. They want the course to be tricky to the point of impossible: Remind them the fun is in it being followable. Running around indoors gets too wild: Add calmer point tasks, such as a puzzle at each stop, or move the course outside
Make it yours
Younger, 6 to 8 years: A short three-point course with picture clues and an adult helping place them. Older, 10 to 12 years: A longer course with a drawn map, compass-style directions, or riddle clues, and timed runs. Siblings: One sets the course and another follows, then they swap so both design and run
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