Caesar Cipher Treasure Hunt Activity to Do with Your Kids

I was watching National Treasure with the family last Fourth of July and couldn’t help but ask myself, how can I make a treasure hunt like that for my kids? I mean, who wouldn’t want to live out their own personal National Treasure (minus the bad guys and the FBI hunting me down)? 

So I went on an epic deep dive into secret codes and ciphers. I had to figure out what would be the easiest way to teach my kids how to encode and decode secret messages. My kids are 6 and 8, so it needs to be simple enough for them to pick up easily.

I could always go the worksheet route, but that seems a little too much like homework for my taste. Besides, my mission is to find activities to do with my kids that are super fun, take a decent amount of time, and are engaging for both them and me. 

The other question I needed to answer was, how do I teach my kids to decode a cipher without them realizing I’m the secret mastermind behind their treasure hunt? 

The whole purpose of doing a treasure hunt is getting lost in the story. I want my kids to suspend reality for a bit and believe there might be real treasure. This needs to be a game that is as much for the imagination as it is about solving puzzles. 

The solution: a Caesar cipher (also known as a Caesar Shift, Caesar Substitution, Shift Cipher, ROT-n cipher). Not only is the code super easy to learn, but by using a cipher disk, anyone should be able to decode a Caesar cipher with little to no explanation. 

Learn more: 6 Secret Codes and Ciphers to Teach Young Kids

The Caesar Cipher Disk (ROT-n Cipher Disk)

The reason the Caesar cipher is a great beginner cipher for kids is because of the cipher disk. The disk makes it possible to decode a message without knowing any of the theory behind how this cipher works.

If you want to learn more about the Caesar Cipher, check out The Caesar Cipher (What it Is and How to Teach Your Kids).

There are a number of downloadable cipher disks online, but what I like about this one is that it includes the key number (or ROT for rotation number) on the disk itself. When you write your secret message, include the key number somewhere on the message. 

You can download my free pdf of a cipher wheel below, print it out, cut it, out and put a brad pin (optional) in the middle. I promise the download is safe and I won’t be asking for any personal information (I hate those). 

If you want to go the extra mile and buy something for your kids, you can find some really cool looking wooden wheels on Etsy and Amazon. I personally like this one on Amazon. It’s one of the few that have a small window with the key number, making it super easy to use. 

If you’re interested in more secret codes and ciphers that use fun decoders, check out The Scytale Cipher (What It Is and How to Teach Your Kids).

How to Make Clues for a Treasure Hunt

The next step to setting up this treasure hunt is making the clues. This can be as elaborate or simple as you want, depending on your kids’ age. 

First, decide the scope of your treasure hunt. Where are the boundaries going to be? Is this all going to be indoors, in the backyard, all around town? Depending on how old your kids are and how ambitious you want to be, the sky’s the limit. 

For me, I decided to keep things indoors (it was December in New Jersey, after all) and the scope fairly simple…for now. (There will be a truly epic treasure hunt in the future, so stay tuned!). 

The next step is to decide the locations to hide your clues. My choices were: the kitchen table, an alarm clock, the microwave, and the clothes dryer. 

These are arbitrary locations, and you can pick anywhere around your house. The main thing is, choose places that can hide a clue that no one will accidentally stumble upon.

If you’re interested in more secret codes, check out The Ottendorf Cipher (What it Is and How to Teach Your Kids).

Riddles for Treasure Hunt Clues

The next part is to make the riddles. I will confess, this is not my strong suit. But, with a simple Google search for “treasure hunt clues” I was able to find someone who did the work for me. 

Here are my clues which I found on The Spruce (https://www.thespruce.com/indoor-treasure-hunt-for-children-1695332):

Kitchen table:

I have four legs, but I don't have feet.
I come in handy when it's time to eat

Alarm Clock:

My job is to put an end to sleep,
Which I do with music, a buzz, or a beep.

Microwave:

For fast heating or cooking, I am tops.
And, oh, that good smell when my popcorn pops!

Clothes Dryer:

It's my job to give all your clothes a tumble,
Which I do while making a bit of a rumble.

If you’re interested in more secret codes, check out The Rail Fence Cipher (Fun Secret Code to Teach Your Kids).

How to Encode a Message Using a Caesar Cipher

Now comes the part where we need to encode the message. But first, let’s define how the cipher actually works. 

The Caesar cipher is a basic substitution cipher made by sifting each letter of the alphabet a predetermined number of places or rotations on a cipher wheel (often referred to as a ROT number). 

Each letter of the original letter (or plaintext) is then substituted by a new letter which makes up the new coded message (or ciphertext). For example, in a ROT-1 shift, the letter A becomes B, B becomes C, etc.

To learn more about how to encode and decode a Caesar Cipher, check out “The Caesar Cipher (What it Is and How to Teach Your Kids).”

I get that life is busy, so taking the time to encode and decode secret messages might be too much. I’ve got you covered!

Here are my messages in plaintext and ciphertext:

Kitchen table: (ROT-3)

I have four legs, but   I don't have feet.
L kdyh irxu ohjv, exw L grq'w kdyh ihhw.

I come in handy when it's time to eat.
L frph   lq kdqgb zkhq lw'v wlph wr hdw.

Alarm clock: (ROT-7)

My job is to put an end to sleep,
Tf qvi pz av wba hu luk av zsllw,

Which I do with music, a buzz, or a beep.
Dopjo P kv dpao tbzpj, h ibgg, vy h illw.

Microwave: (ROT-13)

For fast heating or cooking, I am tops.
Sbe snfg urngvat be pbbxvat, V nz gbcf.

And, oh, that good smell when my popcorn pops!
Naq, bu, gung tbbq fzryy jura zl cbcpbea cbcf!

Clothes Dryer: (ROT-20)

It's   my job to give all your clothes a tumble,
Cn'm gs div ni acpy uff siol wfinbym u nogvfy,

Which  I do while making a bit of a rumble.
Qbcwb C xi qbcfy guecha u vcn iz u logvfy.

If you want to make your own clues but want to find a shortcut for encoding, check out https://cryptii.com/pipes/caesar-cipher. It’s a nicely designed site (and includes a number of other ciphers) with minimal ads. 

Pro tip: I found that longer clues kept the kids engaged longer, but four clues of this length was just enough for my 6- and 8-year-olds. You want your kids to be fully engaged so they’re satisfied when they finish, but not burned out or turned off by the length of the activity.

Making the Treasure Hunt Clues

Time to make the clues. This can be as elaborate or as simple as you want to make it. You can simply write them out on a scrap piece of paper or print them out using a fancy font. Or you can take it a bit further!

I decided to make my clues look as if they were super old and have been sitting around the house for years (even though the house is only about 10 years old…oh well, we’re suspending reality here, right?).  

I took a piece of printer paper (basic 8.5 x 11-inch white paper), turned the paper sideways to a landscape orientation (that is, with the long edges on the top and bottom), carefully tore the paper in half, and wrote the message in sharpie. 

When you’re writing your message, I suggest writing in all caps (to avoid any sort of confusion about whether it’s an l or an I) and skip the punctuation. 

Weathering Your Treasure Hunt Clues to Look Old

The next step is totally optional, but I was having fun and ran with it. I decided to weather the paper to make it look old. 

There are lots of ways to weather paper, and you can see my full tutorial here.

The way I weathered these clues was by ripping the edges, soaking the whole piece of paper in some coffee for a couple seconds, transferring the paper to a dry pan, and letting it sit in a 180-degree oven until it dries (around 10-15 minutes).

Delivering the Initial Message

While the kids were asleep, I hid all the clues in their appropriate places. 

The next part was a little trickier. I needed to figure out where to hide the first clue and cipher disk. This needed to be somewhere they would discover it on their own at an appropriate time. 

I didn’t want them to realize that I’m the one who made up this treasure hunt (even if deep down they really knew). It’s the element of wonder and mystery that takes the treasure hunt to the next level and makes it more memorable.

The key is to think about what’s the first place they’re going to look in the morning. If your kids pour a bowl of cereal first thing in the morning, you may put the clue under, around, or even in their favorite cereal. 

For me, we happened to be visiting the grandparents when we did this treasure hunt. There are always new toys in their grandparent’s house (that is, new to them because it’s been a while since we last visited). I placed the clue in a little empty toolbox that was conveniently in the middle of the toys. Worked like a charm!

Another great cipher to check out is the Atbash Cipher: What’s an Atbash Cipher (Plus Fun Activities to Try!)

Treasure Hunt Prizes

This can be a bit tricky. Of all the components of a treasure hunt, the prize was the most difficult to figure out. You want the prize to be worth all their work. This way, if you decide to do another treasure hunt, the kids are on board. 

But at the same time, you don’t want to spoil your kids either. And maybe a bag of candy at the end isn’t the best idea. 

Related: 15 Epic Treasure Hunt Prizes for Kids

If you’re already planning on having a big surprise, like an upcoming family trip to Disney (or any other amusement park), this could be a great way to reveal it. Or if you’re ready to surprise them with a new, big-girl/boy bike, this is a great way to do the big reveal. 

If you don’t have a big surprise already planned, you can surprise them with tickets to a movie, a certificate to go get ice cream, pizza, Chucky Cheese (that is still a thing right? All I remember is being freaked out by the giant rat…). Any sort of family fun event works great too and doesn’t break the bank. 

For me, I lucked out that my kids were gifted a giant box of Polish candy bars (I know, I said a big bag of candy isn’t a great idea, but this is a highly coveted chocolate wafer bar that has become an integral part of my Big Fat Polish Family). Besides, my parents already bought it for them. This gave us a fun way to show the kids their gift.

Just to spread the word about their amazing deliciousness, you can find the candy on Amazon here (assuming my family hasn’t already cleaned out their inventory…):

You might also like these Treasure Hunt activities:

• A Christmas Treasure Hunt (For the Whole Family)
• Ottendorf Treasure Hunt Activity to Do With Your Kids
• Become Penpals with an Alien (Pigpen Cipher Activity)
• Book Cipher Treasure Hunt Activity to Do with Your Kids