Personalized Advent Treasure Hunt for Kids, 24-Day Christmas Clue Cards (Digital Download)

A 2-page Start here PDF right away; a few minutes after you order, our download page has your 24 named clue cards (7 pages) and a 3-page grown-ups guide, each in A4 and US Letter.

A 24-day advent treasure hunt made for your children: every clue card has their name, and each child gets clues that fit their age. You choose the hiding spots from a menu of 50 places at home, or leave it to us, and your files are ready to download a few minutes after your payment goes through.

A GOOD FIT IF
- You have 1 to 4 children aged 4 to 12 who would love one small surprise to find every day from December 1 to 24.
- You are happy to print, cut out the cards and hide one surprise each evening.
- Your children are different ages: they take turns, so a 5 year old gets picture clues and a 10 year old gets secret codes.

NOT THE RIGHT LISTING IF
- You want a printed calendar shipped to you, or illustrated characters and a story on every page. This is a printable PDF with clean cards and simple line icons.
- Nobody can hide the next card in the evening. The hunt works only when a grown-up does that.
- Your children are younger than 4 or older than 12.

WHAT YOU GET
- Instant download: a 2-page Start here file with the steps and the Hiding Spot Menu.
- A few minutes after your order, on our download page, four PDF files:
Clue cards (7 pages): a cover with your children’s names, how to play, 24 cards to cut out (6 per page, with cutting lines) and the Day 24 letter from Holly the Elf or from Santa.
Grown-ups Guide (3 pages): what to do, a table with the spot and what to hide for every day, and the answers to the codes. It is a separate file, so the children do not see it.
Each of the two in A4 and in US Letter.

THREE CLUE LEVELS
- Ages 4 to 6: picture clue, a drawing and one short sentence a grown-up can read aloud.
- Ages 7 to 9: rhyme riddle that describes the spot.
- Ages 10 to 12: secret code (letter shift, mirror writing or number code) with the key on the card.
Siblings take turns, each on their own days, or you choose Together and everyone follows the clues for the youngest. Day 24 is for everyone.

WHAT YOU DO, AND HOW LONG IT TAKES
- Before December 1, about 20 minutes (our estimate): print the clue cards and the guide, cut out the 24 cards.
- On the evening of November 30: hide the first small surprise and the Day 2 card at the Day 1 spot from your guide.
- On December 1: give your child the Day 1 card. Its clue leads to that spot.
- Every evening after that, a few minutes (our estimate): hide what your guide lists for the next day’s spot, for example a treat and the Day 3 card.
- Surprises are not included. The guide suggests ideas: stickers, a note, a small toy, a coloring page, or an activity such as cocoa together tonight.

HOW TO ORDER
Fill in the personalization boxes:
1. Children’s names and ages, for example: Emma 5, Leo 8
2. Hiding spot numbers (optional): 12 or more different numbers from the Hiding Spot Menu (photo 4 and the list at the end of this description). With fewer than 24, some spots are used twice, never two days in a row. Leave it empty and we use our 16 everyday spots: 1 under your pillow, 2 under the blanket at the foot of your bed, 3 inside a slipper, 4 folded in your pajamas, 5 with your favorite stuffed animal, 6 in your sock drawer, 14 in the pocket of your winter coat, 15 inside your winter hat, 16 inside a mitten or glove, 17 inside a boot by the door, 18 inside one of your shoes, 20 rolled up in a scarf, 21 under a couch cushion, 29 inside a big picture book, 37 on the seat of a dining chair pushed under the table, 43 in the toy box. Your guide lists the spot for every day.
3. Letter on Day 24 from: Holly the Elf or Santa.
4. Siblings play: Take turns or Together.
Then open arling.sk/case, choose Advent treasure hunt, and enter your Etsy order number and the first name of your first child (or your own surname from the order). The files are on our page, not in an Etsy message. The Start here file in your Etsy download has the same steps.

IF SOMETHING IS MISSING
If an age or a name is missing, or you typed fewer than 12 spot numbers, no file is made yet: the download page tells you what is missing and you type it again there, and the hunt is built right away. Once it is ready, you can still correct your answers once on the same page.

CHECKED BEFORE YOU GET IT
A computer program builds each hunt. Before your files are released, a second, separate program checks it: every day has its card, the spots are the ones you chose and are safe ones from the menu, and every code solves to the right answer. Each page is also measured so that nothing runs off the paper or prints too small. If anything is off, the files are not released.

YOUR CHILDREN’S NAMES
We use the names and ages only to build your hunt. Your files contain them and are deleted automatically 30 days after they are ready; if you order before December, they stay until at least December 27. Please save your files. The Start here file links to our privacy policy with the details.

GOOD TO KNOW
- This is a digital download. Nothing is shipped.
- The text is in English. Names up to 20 letters; please use the Latin alphabet (accents are fine).
- Every spot in the menu was chosen to be at floor or child height, but homes differ: pick the bread basket (36), the cereal box (41) or the cookie tin (42) only if your child can reach it without climbing. Please still check each spot in your own home.
- You may print the files as often as you need for your own family. Please do not resell them.
- Print at 100% scale on A4 or US Letter paper.
- Questions? Message us on Etsy; we reply within one working day.

HIDING SPOT MENU
BEDROOM
1 under your pillow
2 under the blanket at the foot of your bed
3 inside a slipper
4 folded in your pajamas
5 with your favorite stuffed animal
6 in your sock drawer
7 just under the edge of your bed
8 behind the books on the bottom shelf
9 inside your school backpack
10 in the nightstand drawer
11 folded inside your holiday sweater
12 in the pocket of your bathrobe
13 on the floor behind your bedroom door

ENTRYWAY AND CLOSET
14 in the pocket of your winter coat
15 inside your winter hat
16 inside a mitten or glove
17 inside a boot by the door
18 inside one of your shoes
19 under the doormat inside the front door
20 rolled up in a scarf

LIVING ROOM
21 under a couch cushion
22 behind a small pillow on the couch
23 in the blanket basket
24 under the coffee table
25 inside a board game box
26 inside a jigsaw puzzle box
27 tucked in the side of the armchair
28 under a corner of the rug
29 inside a big picture book
30 under or inside the footrest
31 inside the piano bench
32 inside the family photo album

KITCHEN AND DINING
33 under or next to the fruit bowl
34 under a placemat
35 between the napkins in the napkin holder
36 in the bread basket
37 on the seat of a dining chair pushed under the table
38 under the dining table
39 inside your lunchbox
40 inside your cup at the table
41 behind the cereal box
42 inside an empty cookie tin

PLAYROOM AND STUDY
43 in the toy box
44 in the building blocks bin
45 in the crayon and art supplies box
46 in the dress-up box
47 inside the play tent or blanket fort
48 inside your pencil case
49 in the desk drawer
50 in the basket of clean folded laundry

HOW IT WAS MADE
Designed by ARLing, a small studio in Slovakia. Texts and puzzles were created with the help of AI tools. The clue texts and the program that builds each hunt were written with their help. Every page and every listing photo is drawn in code, with no AI images.

Digital download only; no physical item will be shipped. For EU consumers, the statutory right of withdrawal is lost when the supply of digital content begins only if you have expressly consented to immediate supply, acknowledged the loss of that right, and the legally required confirmation has been provided. This does not affect your statutory rights if the files are faulty or not as described, or any applicable Etsy Purchase Protection. If you have trouble accessing or using your purchased files, please send us an Etsy Message with your order number, file name and a description of the problem. We will help you resolve it. Please do not send card or payment details.