Scavenger hunt ideas sure to bring a good time
Some days call for a little creative thinking. The kind of day where energy is high but attention spans are low - or you’re just looking for something to break the routine without adding more to your plate. Scavenger hunts are perfect for this.
A scavenger hunt, not to be mistaken for a treasure hunt, is built around a list of items kids must collect.
It’s low-pressure, easy to adapt, and surprisingly effective when you need a bit of structure (but not too much). You can set a scavenger hunt up in your living room, out in the backyard, or across a local park. They work just as well for toddlers as they do for teens – and even grownups can get around it.
So if you’re looking for an easy win that brings some energy (and a bit of fun) into your day or fun activities for sibling bonding, we’ve pulled together everything you need to know – plus a stack of scavenger hunt ideas to help get you started.
How to organise a scavenger hunt
If this is your first time running a scavenger hunt, it helps to start small. Keep your setup simple, try it out with one or two kids, and build from there. Once you’ve got the hang of it, it becomes a great go-to activity for all kinds of moments.
1. Start with a theme
Having a theme gives the hunt some structure and makes it easier to come up with clues or prompts. You don’t need anything elaborate. It could be seasonal (like an autumn leaf hunt), based on colours, animals, or even a character your child is into right now.
For older kids or adults, a mystery or storyline-based theme might work well.
2. Choose a format
There are two main ways to run a scavenger hunt:
- Item-based Participants search for specific objects from a list. These might be things commonly found around the house, classroom or park (like a red sock, a spoon, or something that smells nice). You can make it as easy or challenging as you like by tweaking how specific the items are.
- Photo-based: Great for older kids, teens or even adults, a photo scavenger hunt involves taking photos of the items or completing photo challenges (like “take a selfie with something that makes you smile” or “snap a picture of something blue”).
3. Think about age and ability
Match the complexity of your clues or tasks with the age group you’re working with. Younger kids might need visual prompts or simple instructions (“Find something soft”), while older kids and adults may enjoy riddles, logic puzzles or physical challenges.
If you’re working with a mixed-age group, consider pairing younger kids with older ones, or running two different versions side-by-side.
4. Write scavenger hunt clues
Keep your theme and age group in mind when coming up with clues. For little ones, simple and visual works best. Go with rhyming words, pictures or easy prompts they can follow. For older kids (and grown-ups), bring in a bit more challenge with riddles, wordplay or timed tasks.
Make sure to test your clues before go-time. Tricky is fine, but they still need to make sense. (You want fun, not a meltdown ten minutes in).
5. Set a time limit (optional)
You don’t have to run your scavenger hunt on a timer, but having a set window of time can help keep things focused, especially for older kids or adults.
Depending on what vibe you want for the activity, you could also add a prize for the fastest team, the most creative answer, or the best teamwork. Fair warning: more competitive energy equals more chaos.
6. Keep it flexible
Things won’t always go exactly to plan, and that’s okay! Be ready to adapt, give hints if someone gets stuck, and adjust as you go. The goal is to have fun.
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If this is your first time running a scavenger hunt, it helps to start small. Keep your setup simple, try it out with one or two kids, and build from there. Once you’ve got the hang of it, it becomes a great go-to activity for all kinds of moments.
1. Start with a theme
Having a theme gives the hunt some structure and makes it easier to come up with clues or prompts. You don’t need anything elaborate. It could be seasonal (like an autumn leaf hunt), based on colours, animals, or even a character your child is into right now.
For older kids or adults, a mystery or storyline-based theme might work well.
2. Choose a format
There are two main ways to run a scavenger hunt:
- Item-based Participants search for specific objects from a list. These might be things commonly found around the house, classroom or park (like a red sock, a spoon, or something that smells nice). You can make it as easy or challenging as you like by tweaking how specific the items are.
- Photo-based: Great for older kids, teens or even adults, a photo scavenger hunt involves taking photos of the items or completing photo challenges (like “take a selfie with something that makes you smile” or “snap a picture of something blue”).
3. Think about age and ability
Match the complexity of your clues or tasks with the age group you’re working with. Younger kids might need visual prompts or simple instructions (“Find something soft”), while older kids and adults may enjoy riddles, logic puzzles or physical challenges.
If you’re working with a mixed-age group, consider pairing younger kids with older ones, or running two different versions side-by-side.
4. Write scavenger hunt clues
Keep your theme and age group in mind when coming up with clues. For little ones, simple and visual works best. Go with rhyming words, pictures or easy prompts they can follow. For older kids (and grown-ups), bring in a bit more challenge with riddles, wordplay or timed tasks.
Make sure to test your clues before go-time. Tricky is fine, but they still need to make sense. (You want fun, not a meltdown ten minutes in).
5. Set a time limit (optional)
You don’t have to run your scavenger hunt on a timer, but having a set window of time can help keep things focused, especially for older kids or adults.
6. Keep it flexible
Things won’t always go exactly to plan, and that’s okay! Be ready to adapt, give hints if someone gets stuck, and adjust as you go. The goal is to have fun.
Depending on what vibe you want for the activity, you could also add a prize for the fastest team, the most creative answer, or the best teamwork. Fair warning: more competitive energy equals more chaos.
Types of scavenger hunts
Once you’ve run a few of these, you’ll start to see just how many directions you can take them in. Here are some popular formats to try.
Indoor scavenger hunt
Great for rainy days, post-nap lulls, or classroom brain breaks. Use items around the house or classroom as part of the list, and keep things simple and visual for younger kids.
Example prompts:
- Find something yellow
- Bring me something that makes a sound
- Look for a book with the letter ‘A’ in the title
Nature hunt
Head outside and use the natural world as your inspiration. These can be calming, mindful activities for kids or fast-paced races through a park – up to you.
Try things like:
- Find three differently shaped leaves
- Spot a bird, an insect, and something crawling
- Touch something rough, something smooth, and something wet
Photo or video hunt
Ideal for tweens, teens or group activities where phones are allowed. Participants take photos or videos instead of collecting objects.
You might include:
- Take a photo of something heart-shaped in nature
- Record a team member doing five star jumps
- Take a selfie with something starting with the letter ‘S’
Puzzle or riddle hunt
Instead of simple prompts, participants solve puzzles to get the next clue. Works well indoors or out, and you can adjust the difficulty based on age.
Some examples:
- “I’m where you sleep but not at night, your midday dreams feel just right” (Answer: Couch)
- Hidden messages using simple ciphers or rhymes
- Physical tasks like building a tower before moving on
Team-building hunts
Often used in schools or workplaces, these are more structured and goal-oriented. They can include creative or collaborative tasks (like building something from found objects), trivia, or problem-solving games.
The focus here is usually on teamwork, communication and thinking on your feet.
Scavenger hunt ideas for kids
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. These are a few age-appropriate scavenger hunt ideas that work well as-is or can be adapted.
For toddlers and preschoolers
This age group doesn’t need anything too complex. In fact, the simpler, the better. The focus is more on exploring and interacting than following rules. Think textures, colours and shapes, and allow for plenty of collecting, touching and pointing.
Ideas to try:
- Find something soft
- Point to something red
- Pick up a round object
- Hug a teddy
- Find two toys with wheels
- Jump five times in a row
- Smell something nice
If you’re asking them to bring things back to you, have a basket or bag ready. And for the things that can’t be moved (like the couch), simply spotting or naming is enough.
It’s a great activity for anyone trying to find fun learning activities for five-year-olds, nurturing their critical thinking, creativity, and motor skills.
For primary school kids
Kids in early primary school are developing stronger problem-solving skills and enjoy a bit more structure. You can start layering in rhyming clues, gentle riddles and themed lists. They might also enjoy working in pairs or small teams.
Clue ideas:
- “I’m full of pages and stories too – when you feel bored, I’m here for you” (Book)
- “I help your socks get fresh and clean – spin me round, I’m quite the machine” (Washing machine)
- “I hold your meals and help you eat – pull up a chair and take a seat” (Dining room table)
- “I’m not for you, I’m not for me – I’m dinner for the one with a furry plea.” (Dog food)
- “The world lies in me, but I am not the earth” (Paper map)
Simple list prompts:
- Find something that starts with ‘S’
- Bring three green things
- Spot a feather, a leaf, and a stick
- Collect something from each room in the house
- Draw one thing you saw outside today
For older kids and teens
At this stage, kids are ready for more of a challenge. They can work independently and are usually up for solving clues, working to a time limit, or racing against siblings (if you’re brave enough to go there).
You can also start bringing in small physical challenges and creative thinking tasks.
Ideas they’ll likely enjoy:
- Take a photo of something that looks like a face
- Build a tower from objects you find
- Find three things that could float
- Create a silly outfit using five unrelated items
- Solve a riddle that leads to your next clue
- Write a quick poem using three items you collected
They might also enjoy being the ones running the hunt. Let them take turns creating lists for each other. It builds confidence and keeps them interested longer, and is the perfect addition to fun tween holiday activities.
Outdoor scavenger hunt ideas
Taking the hunt outdoors adds space, movement, and a change of scene. It’s especially helpful on days when the walls feel a bit too close.
Nature has a lot of ready-made inspiration, and even a small backyard or footpath becomes the perfect place to explore and collect.
Ideas to try:
- Find something that crunches under your feet
- Collect three different-shaped leaves
- Search for a stick that’s longer than your hand
- Look for something that’s moving, something that’s still, and something that makes noise
- Spot a bird, a bug, and something growing
- Hunt for a shadow, a feather and something you can balance on your hand
Extra tip: Bring along a paper bag or box for collections. If you’re at the park or out on a walk, use your phone camera to “collect” items digitally. It’s perfect when you don’t want to bring things home.
Indoor scavenger hunt ideas
When staying home is the only option, an indoor scavenger hunt is a simple way to express all that pent-up energy.
Ideas to try:
- Find something soft, something shiny and something that makes a sound
- Look for three items that are smaller than your hand
- Collect one object from the kitchen, one from the bedroom, and one from the bathroom
- Search for something that’s hidden under or behind something else
- Find an item that starts with the first letter of your name
- Spot something with a number on it, something with a letter, and something with a face (a toy, a clock, a photo)
Creative variations to keep things fresh
Need to shake things up? No dramas.
Once your kids are familiar with the format, it’s easy to keep things feeling new with a few small changes.
Alphabet hunt
Find one item for every letter of the alphabet. This one works well with teams or as a quiet solo activity. You can also limit it to the letters in your child’s name if you’re short on time.
Rainbow scavenger hunt
Collect something in each colour of the rainbow – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. A great option for toddlers and visual learners.
Five senses hunt
Find something to match each sense: something you can see, smell, touch, hear, and (if safe) taste. This one’s ideal for slower-paced days when you want to encourage mindfulness and observation.
Backwards scavenger hunt
Instead of giving the items to find, start with the items already collected. Kids have to work out where in the house or yard they came from. It adds a memory and reasoning element that older kids tend to enjoy.
Timed challenge hunt
Give your child a list of five items to find, but set a timer for each one. Can they find a sock in 30 seconds? A green toy in under a minute? It adds a little pressure (in a fun way) and helps channel big energy moments.
Clue chain hunt
Each clue leads to the next location, like a trail to follow rather than a list to complete. You can keep it simple (use drawings or single words for younger kids) or write out mini riddles for older ones.
Virtual scavenger hunt ideas
Our post-COVID world has meant we’re pretty adept at bringing activities online.
Whether your kids are connecting with friends online or FaceTiming with cousins, a virtual scavenger hunt can be just as fun. All you need is a screen and a short list of prompts.
You call out the item, and each child races to find it in their home and bring it back to the screen.
Prompt ideas:
- Find something blue
- Show your favourite soft toy
- Bring a snack you love
- Show something that lights up
- Find something older than you
- Show something that makes you laugh
After each round, you could also ask them why they chose their item.
Wrapping it up
Sure, things might get a bit competitive. Someone will definitely take the clues too literally, and someone else will absolutely make up their own. But that’s part of the charm.
Scavenger hunts are messy, silly, and surprisingly good at flipping the mood when the day’s going off track.
And in a time where we do so much in isolation, it’s nice to have an activity that brings people together (as chaotic as it may be).
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