The lost sheep hunt, and what to do if you get lost
Little kids love finding something hidden. Take turns hiding a stuffed animal, then calmly practice what to do if they ever lose you in a store.
- Time
- 40 min
- Cost
- $0
- Ages
- 3 to 7
- Where
- House or fenced yard
What you need
- One stuffed animal to be the lost sheep
- A few more stuffed animals for the rest of the flock
- A sticky note for a pretend name tag
- Your phone, for a quick photo before your next outing
Before you start
- Nothing that latches. No hiding in or near dryers, chests, coolers, car trunks or anything with a lid or door that can close on a kid.
- Outside, fenced yard only, away from the street, a pool, a pond or a bucket of water.
- Hide the toy, not the kid, for ages 3 and 4. Older kids can hide too, within sight of the rooms you agreed on.
- Keep the store talk calm. It's a practice, not a scare. Skip the scary stories.
Steps
- Line up the flock and count. Line up the stuffed animals and count them. Kid closes eyes while you take one away, then counts again.
- Hunt for the lost sheep. Hide it close by. Give warmer-colder clues. When they find it, carry it back to the flock and cheer.
- Swap and let them hide it. Swap: they hide it and give you clues. Play four or five rounds, a little farther each time.
- Talk about getting lost in a store. If you can't find me: stop, stay inside, never go to the parking lot, and tell a worker with a name tag.
- Practice the words. Wear a sticky-note name tag. Kid practices: "I can't find my dad," and ages 5+ add your name and number.
- Set up your next outing. Before outings, snap a photo of what they're wearing and, for older kids, point out a meeting spot.
If it stalls
- If they can't find it and start to melt down, give a big clue ("It's under something soft") and hide it easier next round.
- If the lost-in-a-store talk worries them, go back to the game. Say it once more on the way into the next store.
Sheep found · phone number said
Signed off: can do this.Signed by Date