Age 3+ 15 min No mess

A child crawling toward a hidden orange stuffed bunny while another child laughs nearby

THE SHORT VERSION

Hide a stuffed animal anywhere in the house. The searcher finds it using only hot and cold clues. You will be surprised how long they stay with this.ues.

Works in any home. Takes 30 seconds to set up. Switch roles after.

Stuffy Hideout

One person hides a stuffed animal anywhere in the house. The other searches with only three clues to go on.

⏱Setup: 0 min

🧹Mess: None

⚡Energy: Active

WHAT YOU NEED

One stuffed animal or plush toy. That is it.

Steps

Pick the stuffy together. This matters to them, let them choose.

One person closes their eyes and counts to 20. The other hides it anywhere in the room.

Searcher gets three clues only: hot, warm, cold. Nothing else.

Switch. Whoever hides it in the hardest spot wins the round.

Variations

Speed round

60 seconds to find it or the hider wins.

No clues

Older kids only. Brutal.

Two stuffies

Each person hides one. Race to find the other's first.

Parent tip: Hide it somewhere slightly too hard the first time. The moment they find it after really searching is better than any toy you have ever bought them.

📚 READ IT TONIGHT

Good hiding games and good bedtime books have one thing in common: someone has to be found.

Where's Spot?

Eric Hill — Classic lift-the-flap hiding game in book form. Works even before they can talk.

Amazon → Bookshop.org → Books-A-Million →

Corduroy

Don Freeman — A stuffed bear looking for something lost, and the kid who comes back to find him. Gets them every time.

Amazon → Bookshop.org → Books-A-Million →

As an Amazon Associate and affiliate of Bookshop.org and Books-A-Million, we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

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✨ Make it harder ✨ Version for two kids ✨ Rainy day version