What is a scavenger hunt?
Just so we're on the same page, a scavenger hunt for kids is is a fun game where they'll have to hunt for all the things on a list. Themed scavenger hunts can be a great idea for all sorts of kids occasions and events, like birthday parties, Halloween, Christmas, Easter, and even play-dates, rainy weekends or days out with the family.
The goal is to find all the items on the list, or as many as you can. And if there are plenty of you playing, you can make it more competetative by having a prize for the winner - whoever finds them all first, or whoever finds the most on their list when hunting against a timer is the winner!
If you want to make a scavenger hunt for kids more challenging, instead of just stating the things to find in a list, you can leave hints and clues so they have to guess what it is first and then go and find it.
We've thought up a bunch of themed scavenger hunt ideas for kids. there are ten things to find for each one and include both the clue and the answer so that you can choose which to provide depending on how old your kids are.
To play, they'll have to guess what it is first and then go and hunt for it. Once they've found it they can tick it off their scavenger hunt list. If they're in a moving vehicle, this game will be similar to "I spy". You'll need an adult to be the moderator to make sure no-one cheats and pretends they found the things on their list.
Have fun and happy hunting!
1 Indoor scavenger hunt ideas for kids
Kids should hunt for and collect as many of the things on their list that they can find, and if there's only one it's first come first served...
• Coloured pencil - These come in all the colours of the rainbow and you can make pictures with them
• Teddy - He's soft and comforts you when you need a cuddle
• Family photo - It lives in a frame and has all the people you love in it
• Hairband - When your hair gets in your face this will help keep it tied up neatly
• Sponge - When you add soap and squeeze, lots of foam comes out so you can wash your body with it
• Rubber duck - It's yellow, makes a noise when you squeeze it, and it floats in the bath water
• TV Remote - This controls the TV so you can watch your favourite programmes
• Socks - You need two to make a pair, they come in all sorts of colours, and they go on your feet
• Biscuits - These live in a tin in the kitchen and they're really crumbly, but soggy when you dip them
• Picture book - We like to read these together at bedtime and they're full of your fqavourite characters
2 Scavenger hunt ideas for car journeys
Kids won't be able to collect these, so a moderator should read out each clue on the list one-by-one and tally up the points every time someone spots the thing. You could have a rule that the first person to clap gets to point to the thing when they see it, and they get a point if they're right.
• Sky - It's blue and high up, sometimes birds fly in it
• Grass - It's green and there's lots of it in the park
• Bus - It's big, with four large wheels and a driver, and takes lots of people to where they need to go
• Bike - It has two wheels and usually one person can ride it, but sometimes they can have a passenger
• Steering wheel - This one is inside the car and is really important for changing direction
• Seat belt - This will keep you safe if we have a crash
• Pushchair - Someone has to push it and it has a baby inside
• Bin - It lives on the street and eats people's trash
• Bus stop - People wait here when they need to catch a bus
• Traffic lights - it has three colours - red, amber and green
3 Garden scavenger hunt ideas for kids
Kids won't be able to collect all of these things, so similar to above, a moderator should read out the clues, and the kids should clap if they know what it is and know where to find it. If they can't find what they're looking for the other kids get a chance to look and win the point instead.
• Ants - They're tiny and black, and like to crawl all over things and take food back to their queen
• Flower - They grow out the ground, have a stalk, sometimes leaves, and different coloured petals
• Stone - They're hard, a greyish colour, and can be round or have jagged edges - find them in the soil
• Leaf - Find them on the trees or on the ground, and they might be green, yellow, red or brown
• Bird - They have wings and a beak, and you might spot one if you look up
• Hose - It's long and attached to a tap, watch out if it points at you, you might get wet!
• Ball - It's round and bounces, it's good to kick about or throw in the hoop
• Shovel - Mum or dad uses this to dig up their veggies from the soil
• Fence - It's quite tall and goes all the way around the garden
• Snail - It has a round shell and moves really slowly
4 Outdoor scavenger hunt ideas for kids
This is a fun activity to keep kids occupied while out and about. They won't be able to collect anything on the list, so a moderator should be in charge of the list and keep score.
• Shop - We go here to buy sweets and the newspaper
• Dog - Keep your eyes peeled to spot one of these walking on a lead
• Cat - It's hard to spot these furry pets because they like to hide under cars or in their gardens
• Tree - They're tall, brown and green - some are on the street but there are more in the park
• Car - They have four wheels and go fast on the road
• Traffic lights - They change colour so we know when to cross the road
• Bicycle - People ride them on the road and then chain them up afterwards, but they can get stolen
• Policeman - They wear a uniform and make sure all the criminals go to jail
• Bin - This is where you put your rubbish instead of chucking it on the floor
• Dog poo - Be carefull not to tread in it - it's smelly and gross!
5 Words scavenger hunt ideas for kids
Write each letter of the alphabet on a small sheet of paper and then fold and hide them all over the house. Kids will follow the clues below to find as many letters as they can, and at the end they have to try and make up words from the letters they found. The winner could be the one who makes the longest word, or whoever makes the most words using the letters once.
• Sofa - Find me underneath the place you sit to watch TV
• Pillow - Find me behind the place you lay your head at night
• Kitchen table - Find me where you eat your breakfast in the morning
• TV Stand - Find me next to the big screen that shows your favourite programmes
• Bath tub - Find me where you wash your whole body sitting down
• Shower cubicle - Find me where you wash your body standing up
• Pet basket - Find me in our pet's favourite place
• Window sill - Find me near a place you can look out and see the sky
• Toy box - Find me where all your favourite things are
• School bag - Find me in the place you keep your school books and pencil case
6 Picture scavenger hunt ideas for kids
Instead of going off to hunt and find the things, they'll have to draw them instead! Just draw a grid on a sheet of paper with ten boxes, and kids will have to use the clues to guess what to draw in each box. The winner is whoever gets the most right, or whoever finishes first.
• Cat - I'm a pet with pointy ears, fur and a tail - and I say meow!
• Dog - I'm a pet with floppy ears, fur and a tail - and I say woof!
• Fish - I'm a pet, I have fins and I live in a tank full of water
• Teddy - I'm cuddly and I like to come to bed with you
• Apple - I grow on a tree but you can buy me in the supermarket, I'm red or green and crunchy
• Flower - I have pretty petals, leaves and a stalk
• Tree - I have a big trunk and lots of leaves
• Banana - I'm long and have a yellow skin you can peel off to eat me
• Cup - Hold me with my handle and drink your favourite drink
• Book - I'm full of your favourite stories and pictures
8 Zoo scavenger hunt ideas for kids
This is great if you're taking kids on a trip to the zoo. They can guess what the animals are from the clues on the way in the car or on the train, and then tick them off their list when they see them at the zoo. There doesn't have to be any winners for them to still have lots of fun!
• Monkey - I eat bananas and like to hang from trees
• Tiger - I'm scary and I have stripes and killer claws, be careful, I might hunt you down!
• Elephant - I'm big and heavy and grey and I have a really long trunk.
• Penguins - We're black and white birds who don't fly, and we like to live in cold places with ice
• Lion - I'm yellow and I have a big mane, big teeth and I like to roar!
• Rhino - I'm heavy and grey, and I have a big horn on my head
• Zebra - I have black and white stripes on my body and I look a bit like a horse
• Snake - I'm very long and slithery, with no arms or legs, and patterned skin that I like to shed
• Crocodile - I live in the water and I have a big mouth with lots of teeth that go - SNAP!
• Giraffe - I have the longest neck of all the animals in the zoo
9 Winter scavenger hunt ideas for kids
kids should be able to find and collect most of the things on this lkist, so let them go off seperately with a list each and then set a timer, so that whoever finds the most things on their list before it goes off is the winner.
• Gloves - Put these on your hands to keep your fingers warm
• Scarf - Wrap this round your neck to keepthe wind out
• Hat - Put this on your head to keep the rain off
• Wellies - Put these on your feet so you can splash in puddles
• Coat - Wear this on your body to stay snug and dry on your walks
• Hot water bottle - Boil the kettle and fill this up to cuddle and keep you warm
• Blanket - Wrap this round you to stay warm and snug while watching TV
• Twigs & Kindling - Put these on the fire to burn and keep the house warm
• Umbrella - You'll need to put this up to keep the rain off
• Frost/Ice - Find this on a cold window, blades of grass or puddles of water when it's freezing outside
10 Autumn scavenger hunt ideas for kids
This is another good one to use a time and let kids head off independently with their lists to find and collect the objects
• Yellow leaf - A leaf the colour of mustard
• Red leaf - A leaf the colour of a strawberry
• Orange leaf - A leaf the colour of a pumpkin
• Green leaf - A leaf the colour of grass
• Acorn - These fall off trees and squirrels collect them
• Twigs - Birds collect these to make their nests
• Wooly hat - Wear this on your head to stay warm
• Conkers - These fall from the trees and you can attach string to play a game with them
• Wellies - Put these on your feet so you can splash in puddles
11 Spring scavenger hunt ideas for kids
Because kids won't be able to find or collect all of these, you could do a similar thing as with the picture scavenger hunt and have them draw the things instead.
• Daffodils - A pretty yellow flower that looks like a trumpet
• Ladybird - A cute flying insect that has a red shell with spots that opens when it flies
• Watering can - Fill this with water to give the plants in the garden a drink
• Bees - These buzzing flying insects have black and yellow stipes and they pollinate flowers
• Butterfly - This flying insect has big colourful wings with pretty patterns
• Birdhouse - These are made out of wood and put in a tree so birds can make nests in them
• Salad - This a tasty leafy meal you have as a side or main
• Bunnies - These furry animals like to hop and they have long ears
• Easter eggs - These are made from chocolate and are in the shape of an egg
• Rainbow - This is a colourful arc that appears with the sunshine after rain
12 Summer scavenger hunt ideas for kids
You can choose whether to have a moderator read out clues and tally up points, or get the kids to draw their answers instead.
• Sunglasses - You wear these to protect your eyes from the sun
• Sandals - You put these on your feet to keep them cool
• Water bottle - You fill this with water and take it with you to stay hydrated
• Paddling pool - This gets blown up and filled with water in the garden to play and cool down in
• Sun hat - You put this on your head to keep the sun off
• Swimming costume - You where this on your body when you go to the beach or pool
• Ice Cream Van - This vehicle plays a tune to let all the kids know it's coming
• Beach ball - You blow this up to take to the beach to kick about in the water
• Bucket and spade - These are made from plastic and you take the to the beach to make sandcastles
• Ice lolly - You get these out of the freezer, they're fruity and juicy and help keep you cool
13 Halloween scavenger hunt ideas for kids
As above, this scavenger hunt is probably best when a moderator reads out the clues and tallies up points, or kids can draw their answers.
• Pumpkin - Its orange and you carve a scary face it in
• Candy - Neighbours give you these when you go round doing trick-or-treat
• Face paint - You use this on your face to make you look like a ghost or a monster
• Costume - You wear this to look like something scary for Trick-or-treating
• Plastic spiders - These are scary bugs with eight legs and you use them as Halloween decorations
• Black cat - All witches have one of these furry creatures, they have black fur and green eyes
• Owl - This big bird hoots into the darkness and some think they're very wise
• Ghost - These will haunt your house and they go BOO in the night
• Cauldron - A witch brews her potion in one of these
• Dracula - This man will suck your blood
14 Christmas scavenger hunt ideas for kids
As above, you'll probably need a moderator here too, and kids may enjoy drawing the things on their list.
• Christmas tree - It's tall and you hang decorations and lights all over it
• Bauble - This shiny ball hangs on the Christmas tree
• Christmas presents - These go under the tree
• Stocking - Hang these on your fireplace and they'll be filled up with small gifts
• Mince pies - These fruity pastries are popular with the adults, and Santa likes one too!
• Snowman - He's made of snow and ice and stands outside in your garden
• Santa hat - These are fun to wear at Christmas and look just like the one Santa has on his head
• Christmas wreath - This round decoration is made of holly and hangs on your front door
• Star - It goes on top of your Christmas tree
• Baby Jesus - This little baby was born on Christmas Day
Scavenger Hunts FAQ
What are good things to put on a scavenger hunt?
If you're creating or adapting a scavenger hunt list for your kids to play, it's a good idea to make sure you include things they are likely to be able to find. Alternatively you can prep ahead of time and hide the things in the house or garden.
What are some good scavenger hunt clues?
This depends on how old the players are. Try to keep it simple for younger kids, or even just have the name of the actual object they have to find. If you're feeling creative you can come up with rhyming riddles or funny clues to make the game even more entertaining.
How to set up a scavenger hunt with clues
There are different ways to set up a scavenger hunt. It can be as simple as having a list of clues that each player has, or is read out one-by-one by a moderator (the adult or an older sibling), and then the kids have to guess the answer and go off to hunt for the items. Alternatively you can hide each clue so that they lead players on a trail to the prize.
What are good prizes for scavenger hunts for kids?
Kids love sweets and chocolate, so these make great prizes for the winner, or for players to find along the way.
What makes a scavenger hunt fun?
Kids will love the mystery element of having to guess what they're looking for or where to find it, and then there's the thrill of the hunt, especially if they're being timed!
How many things should be on a scavenger hunt?
This depends on the age of the kids and how easy or hard they'll find it to hunt for the prizes. 5 to 10 things is a good amount.
How to do a small scavenger hunt
Keep a scavenger hunt small by only using one room, like your living room or small garden. this way you can keep an eye on everyone and even give extra clues by telling kids if they're 'hot' or 'cold'.
Proud aunt to her teen niece, Zara Mohammed is a Digital Writer for Mother&Baby. She has 10 years freelance writing experience creating lifestyle content for various platforms, including pregnancy, women’s health, parenting, child development and child mental health, plus lots of fun seasonal family articles and celebrity news.