Scavenger hunts can be done in many places and in many ways! Below I’ve compiled scavenger hunt lists that can be used inside, outside, at your home, in a store, virtual, store-bought, as games, as races, themed and just for fun. Yes, it’s a lot but there is a scavenger hunt for everyone!
Store-Bought: Scavenger Hunt for Kids game
This is a great game to make your life easy! The game comes with 100+ cards that are double-sided with different items to find in your house. They range from very specific “scarf” to very vague “something with pink in it” to subjective “something that smells really good”.
There is an official way to play the game with a timer and scoring, but we’ve never used it. Usually I sit with the cards, pull one out and the kids race to get the object and bring it back. Sometimes they work together, sometimes it’s a competition. The cards all have the words and a picture so it works for a younger child who can’t read yet.
Extra fun part of the game? Racing to put everything away again!
In-Store: Walmart and Target, I’m looking at you!
Scavenger hunts in a store can be fun team builders, are free, and can accommodate any size group.
A few key things before you do these:
- Make sure everyone knows to be respectful of the people that work in these stores!
- If you are gathering or picking up items, put them back where they belong!
- Don’t take pictures of other customers or employees without permission!
Ways to Play: pdf links below or use the download bundle
- Gather as many items as you can from a specific list for points
- Take pictures of different items or in different places in the store to compare later
- Gather subjective items and have the group vote on who did the best
Several lists are available that I’ve used in the past. If you make your own, try to use all areas of the store to keep everyone moving. Decide in advance if groups are allowed to split up or not.
All the scavenger hunt options are available in a download bundle or you can get individual pdf copies below.
Virtual: Get everyone running on a Zoom call!
Thanks to the pandemic, my list of virtual activities has grown tremendously! I’ve used a virtual scavenger hunt many times with different groups and it always works. I have to give credit to my sister for first introducing this virtual game to me – thank you!
Ways to Play:
- Gather items one at a time and get back to the web cam first! This method is more of a race and has, on multiple occasions, caused someone to dive in front of their camera to be back first.
- Gather subjective items (e.g., ugliest t-shirt) and everyone on the call votes on who picked the best item
- Gather everything at once and then review as a group (e.g., who found the most items, who has the best for each category, etc.)
All the scavenger hunt options are available in a download bundle or you can get an individual pdf copy below.
Outside Hunts: In your yard or around the neighborhood
I found a few good outside scavenger hunts from fellow bloggers – the kind where you have a list of items to check off. For some reason, my kids LOVE clipboards. Giving them the clipboard with the checklist and a pencil is guaranteed to keep them occupied! All the scavenger hunt options are available in a download bundle or you can get an individual pdf copy below.
Another type of outside hunt is following a map. For National Scavenger Hunt Day (May 24, yeah it’s a thing), I created a simple map of our yard using PowerPoint. I put a few key landmarks in just in case the kids had difficulty with the map. Then I created a winding path through the yard on the map.
This sheet was laminated and I used Sharpie so it wouldn’t rub off, you can use whiteboard markers if you want to erase it. Then I cut the map apart into small pieces and hid them in treasure chests. As they found each chest, they got another piece of the map.
At the end of the line was a larger treasure chest with some coloring books, candy, and small toys inside.
Inside Hunts: Pictures, Riddles, or Checklists – it’s all fun!
Simple first – this scavenger hunt is good for kids that are not independent readers yet! I printed out pictures of different items in our house. I suggest sticking to items that have a “home” somewhere so the kids know exactly where to go. You can hide the folded paper at each spot or stuff them in plastic eggs if you have them. We have several hundred plastic eggs in the basement, so this is an easy option for me.
Here is a collection of indoor scavenger hunts with different themes: book hunt, inventor hunt, rainbow hunt, math hunt, and a class indoor hunt. These all came from Primary Playground where there are many, many fun ideas.
Next level of difficulty – riddles! This method is pretty simple to execute. Write up clues/riddles that lead to different places around the house. Attached are some rhyming clues I used in my house.
All the scavenger hunt options are available in a download bundle or you can get an individual pdf copy below.
Searching for Chameleons!
Another fun approach to a scavenger hunt is Searching for Chameleons! First, print and color these chameleons so they will blend in around the house. Carpet/rug colors, wall paint, furniture and pillows, solids, stripes, or as intricate as you like.
Then cut out the chameleons and hide them around the house wherever they can camouflage best. Take turns hiding and finding the chameleons. To make this more challenging, shrink the size of the chameleons to make them smaller and harder to find.
Happy Hunting!
