How to organize a quest to find a gift?

A holiday is always a long-awaited event that you want to make bright and memorable. On this day, it is important not only to give a gift, but to charge the hero of the occasion with energy and positive emotions. Therefore, the quest to find a gift is an ideal option for those who are tired of monotonous annual greetings. If you give even the most ordinary thing in an interesting way, it will bring much more joy.

There are a huge number of options for conducting quests. The location of the "missing" presents can be found from the notes hidden at the stations, determined with the help of riddles, found on the map, parts of which must first be assembled and combined, and in many other ways for which your imagination is enough.

The number of stations, that is, parts of the quest, can vary from 4 to 10-15, depending on the complexity of the tasks. Do not make a too simple and short way to a gift, so the person will not have time to feel the excitement. But also do not stretch the entertainment for several hours - the birthday person and guests may simply get tired. For a mini-quest, it is better to use more complex tasks, and for a long one, on the contrary, connect measurements of the speed of task completion.

Before you start organizing, carefully consider your budget as some quests can be quite costly.Some people specifically order a courier service to deliver an assignment or buy expensive props. However, in most cases, you can get by with the tools at hand with a small cost for office supplies or printing photos. Below is a list of things that you may need for various quests. You can choose from them the ones that are more suitable for your particular plan:

• colored cardboard;
• paper (plain or wrapping);
• scotch tape (one-sided or double-sided);
• scissors;
• boxes of different sizes;
• markers or colored pens;
• Balloons;
• flash drive and computer;
• newspapers (letters or sentences can be highlighted in them);
• illustration pictures;
• photographs (with the place of the gift or the following stations);
• cellular telephone;
• glue;
• colored stickers.

This list can be expanded as far as your imagination suffices. You can print ready-made assignments or write them by hand on beautiful paper blanks. If you decide to make a map for a home use scenario, you can artificially age it with a coffee solution or milk. It can also be blasted around the edges with a flame from a match, burner or lighter. Be careful, however, as the paper burns quickly.

Regardless of the location of the holiday, there are several important steps to take when organizing a quest.

1. Choose an unobvious place where to hide the gift so that the birthday person does not accidentally look there while passing the stations.
2. Carefully plan each station (stage) that should not overlap so that the hero of the occasion does not accidentally miss a few steps. The answers to the riddles must be made unambiguous and not too complicated, since you are planning a holiday, not an Olympiad of polymaths. If a person does not cope with the tasks, he will be disappointed, not happy.
3. Consider a system of additional tips for finding a gift if you nevertheless decide to do non-obvious tasks.
4. Prepare props in advance. Don't put off this fun activity until the end and consider all sorts of contingencies.
5. Calculate the time as accurately as possible. If you independently organize a quest to find a gift at home before the arrival of guests, it will be inconvenient if they come in the midst of the fun. In the office, time may be limited to lunch break, and outside - by the onset of darkness.

If the birthday person lives in this apartment, it will be much more difficult to arrange a quest. We need to lure him out of the house under some pretext to set up the scenery. And you can also do this early in the morning, before the awakening of the hero of the occasion. In this case, choose non-obvious places that he will not declassify immediately after getting up (sink, toilet, wardrobe or refrigerator). Conversely, if you want to host the event right away, leave the first puzzle in one of these locations.

When everything is ready, go through one of the options.

• Present the birthday boy with the first gift-receiving task. Further, the quest will develop along a chain: it will follow the prompts from one station to another, each of which will contain information about the next (for example, "follow where the treasure is stored" - to the pantry; "find the tallest cliff in this kingdom" - mezzanine of the highest cabinet). Riddles can be rhymed.
• Give the finder a piece of the map that will point to the next location.With each new stage, he will find new fragments of the map leading to the treasure. But you can also give a whole map, marks on which he will have to put himself, solving puzzles. Do not forget to prepare a marker and other necessary props for the treasure hunter.
• You can independently ask questions that will help you in your search for a gift. For example, put your prize in many different sized boxes that can be opened after correct answers. This option is good in a limited area, where it is difficult to hide and look for a gift.

The main thing for an office quest is to create a festive mood for all employees. To do this, you can give them party hats in advance or even use them at stations. It will be more fun if a large number of colleagues take part in organizing the event. Think in advance of a time that is convenient for everyone, which will not interfere with your main work.

In the office, you can use handy stationery to create props. There is more space than in the apartment, which makes planning the stations easier. The best option would be to attach each of them to an employee who will have to give a hint, riddle or a piece of the map leading to the next stage. You can look for clues in different offices, under the table or behind blinds, in flower pots and other accessible places. However, you should not put them in the birthday boy's desk drawers, because this can be regarded as a manifestation of bad taste.

The most intriguing quest will be on the street, as you will have more opportunities to prepare stations. However, check the weather forecast before proceeding so that rain or snow won't ruin the fun. Choose daylight hours as clues are harder to find in the dark. Then follow some simple steps.

1. Consider stations in familiar territory so the seeker doesn't get lost.
2. Find places where you can hide riddles. It can be a hollow in a tree or a crack in the facade of a building. It is better if the tasks are given by a specially assigned person: this way you will be sure that they will not be blown away by the wind and taken away by curious children.
3. Find people who are reliable and ready to arrive early. You can connect store sellers, security guards and other people who will be on the spot and agree to play along.
4. Draw a map that shows the stations fairly accurately. Instead, you can use photos of the places you want. Make sure the culprit of the event recognizes them.
5. Think about whether the birthday person will go through the station alone or with an accompanying assistant. It's good if someone will shoot what is happening on the camera, so that in the future the shooting will return you to a joyful day.

Quests can be arranged for both children and adults. It will be an exciting surprise in a comic form for a husband, wife, beloved dad and mom, friend or colleague. You can arrange it for a birthday, an anniversary of a relationship and other significant event, the options and nuances of the conduct will depend on this.

The script can be written depending on the hobby of the person. Perhaps he was fond of fantasy now or in his youth. Then prepare him a fabulous trip to Middle-earth or Narnia. If you like cars, arrange a race against the clock through the stations. Breeds flowers - give one flower for each correct answer.

For fans of crosswords and charades, you can compose your own crossword puzzle or rebus, the key word of which will be the main clue. There can be many examples, the main thing is to create a festive spirit.

At the stations, you can use mini-games: with the use of cards, with decoding of abbreviations for speed, rhyming answers or solving puzzles. But do not overload the player so that he feels excitement, not fatigue. For several participants, you can arrange mini-contests, but make sure that no one feels left out, because this is not a competition.

Even if your quest is not grandiose, believe me, it will bring positive emotions to all participants and leave fond memories. Perhaps this way of presenting a gift will even become your family or friendly tradition.

How to organize a quest to find a gift, see below.