Mystery candy hunts use clues to find the hidden candy rewards. Begin your game by planting all the candy and clues while the children are busy with another activity. As always, ensure the children are supervised by another certified adult. Plant your first clue where the children will easily find it. The clue can be a short poem or rhyme explaining the game and where to look for the next piece of candy. Each clue should direct the children toward the next one and at each stop, a small piece of candy awaits. At the end of the game, the last clue could be a bigger prize, such as a cookie or candy bar for each child.
Egg candy hunts are a typical classroom activity for spring-themed units in kindergarten. Children love the bright colors of the season and the secret surprise that awaits inside the plastic egg. Hide the eggs around the playground in obvious as well as carefully camouflaged locations. There should be enough candy for each child to have something, so set a reasonable limit on how many eggs one child is allowed to find. Set them loose and watch the fun, or pair them in teams of two to collect eggs of a certain color and enjoy their delight at the candy surprises.
Many kindergarten classrooms celebrate Valentine's Day with little cards and handmade desk-mailboxes. Add to the holiday fun by hosting a heart-themed candy hunt game. Using heart-shaped candies and chocolate kisses, hide the candy around the classroom or playground (the candy must be packaged if you perform the hunt outdoors), and divide each student with their "soul mate" in teams of two. Turn them loose on the candy field and have them hunt until all the hearts and kisses have been found.
A game of hot and cold hidden candy allows the teacher to participate in the high-energy fun. When the children are under the supervision of another adult or performing another activity, discreetly hide a candy prize somewhere in the classroom. It should not be in plain sight, but carefully hidden in a place the children would not think to look. If the prize is large, like a chocolate bar, have the children work in teams of two or three. As they search the classroom for the candy, the teacher tells the students whether they are hot (meaning they are close to the hidden prize) or cold (meaning they are far away from it). As the children get "hotter," they will find the candy prize and they should divide it among the team. Perform the game in rounds until each child has won a candy prize.