Creating a Children’s Rights Treasure Hunt is a great way to start thinking about the UN convention of the rights of the child.
Before you start
Firstly, using the picture below, familiarise yourself with the articles within the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. Using the PDF you can find out more about each article. Read or hear more about each right if you don’t know exactly what it means or involves.
Decide where your treasure hunt will take place, in your home? At the park? Around your local area?
Choose Your Rights
Once everyone has had a chance to look at the convention print and cut out each square containing an article. If you don’t have access to a printer you could draw or write out your own squares before you start. There are over 40 articles so you may choose to cut up or write out them all (depending on how much time you have) or just use a selection. Perhaps if you choose a selection you could choose the rights that seem most important to you or the ones you want to find out more about.
Hiding the Treasure
Decide who will be the ‘hider(s)’ and who will be the ‘finder(s)’ for the first round. How could the hider(s) help others know where to find the hidden squares? You may want to make helpful clues that go along with the right. For example article 31 is the right to rest, play, and take part in cultural and creative experiences. For this you may want to hide this one in the play ground at the park or with your toys at home. You could also hide this in someone’s bed to relate to rest and relaxation. Be as creative as you like with the clues! Some participants may just want to hide the squares around for others to find. Even without clues this is a great way to get to know the articles a bit better!
After you make the clues, the hider(s) can take the squares to hide them for other participants to find. Whilst this is happening the finder(s) should go to a different space so they cannot see where the articles get hidden. If you aren’t using clues you may want to provide everyone with a list or how many of the rights that they are looking for.
If you chose a selection of the articles to hide swap over hiders and finders to repeat the activity.
Things to think about
Are there any rights you didn’t know about?
Do you want to find out more about any of the articles?
Which rights are easy to be met, respected and recognised?
Which are more difficult to be met, respected and recognised?
How could we raise awareness of the rights of the child and the convention’s importance?
Take it further
The image above with an extremely colourful and engaging way to view the rights of the child is from Unicef and Convention on the Rights of the Child has simple explanations of each article. This can be a great way to help start conversations about the rights of the child with young people.
If you enjoyed making a treasure hunt for others to follow check our What3words Treasure Hunt and to explore Children’s Rights further check out Where Decisions are Made to see which places, buildings and institutions are accessible and welcoming for young people to be part of decision making.
