Coolest Free Scavenger Hunt Ideas
Youll find lots of free scavenger hunt ideas right here on this page!
First off, dont get confused between Treasure Hunts and Scavenger Hunts. Treasure hunts involve following a set of clues that lead you to a treasure. Scavenger hunts involve two or more teams, each with a list of tasks the team members need to accomplish during a predetermined time.
Find A Purpose Or Theme
Your first step in planning a fun scavenger hunt for kids is to come up with a purpose or a theme. You can make this as simple or creative as you would like, but keep the ages of the participants in mind.
For younger kids, something as simple as a nature scavenger hunt will be enough to keep them active and happy. For older kids, however, a more elaborate theme might be needed to keep them engaged and off their phones!
If you have a variety of ages, split the kids into teams to include both younger and older team members. The younger kiddos will love teaming up with older friends or siblings, and youll be surprised at how patient the older ones can be when paired up with preschoolers!
Ready to get started? Here are some of our favorite scavenger hunt ideas.
Project #1: Fall Scavenger Hunt
Fall is such a beautiful season, and theres nothing nicer than taking a walk through the park with your family on a sunny afternoon. This Fall Scavenger Hunt focuses on lots of commonly seen items that your kids will have fun tracking down.
Simply print out the scavenger hunt page, wrap up warmly, and get out there!
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Office And Workplace Scavenger Hunt List:
Office And Workplace Scavenger Hunt
Having a scavenger hunt at the office is a great way to get everyone up and moving and have a little fun. Even if you work in a warehouse or another type of industry, you can still have fun with these hunts. It can also help people build relationships, but most importantly its going to be a good time. Here are some things to find on a work scavenger hunt.
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Sample Treasure Hunt Clues
- When You Find Clue #3Under the Birdbath,
- Are You Ready To Go,Out by the Garage Door,Sitting On The Chair is Clue #4
- For #5 To The Back of the Yard We Go,Under the bucket, Oh No!By the Compost Pile.Dont worry its not a mile!
- Clue #6 Is under the fireplace in the fort.Don t Worry About Finding It,It Really Wont Be Hard!
- Dont Bonk Your Head!Clue #7 is Under The Deck.Be Careful When You Look, its hanging on the wall.
- The treasure, Where is it Found?!Run Quick, but not too hardOut to the Front Yard!
For this party, all of the clues were in our back yard and the treasure was in the front yard. We made bags of assorted candy for each child so that everyone who attended the party received a gift bag at the end of the treasure hunt. Adapt this concept to your own party and they will have lots of fun!
Project #1: Winter Adventure Hunt
When the snows falling outside and the world has turned white, its time for you and your kids to venture out for a Winter Adventure Hunt.
This scavenger hunt features everything you would expect to find in a countryside winter landscape, but it can work just as well in your backyard or school playground.
For extra fun, you could add Santa Claus to the list of treasure your kids have to find!
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Hotel Scavenger Hunt List:
Employee Scavenger Hunt List:
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The Neighborhood Birthday Scavenger Hunt
Do you remember the countless number of summer nights that were spent playing manhunt with the neighborhood kids? Or finding that super-secret spot that wasnt actually so secret? cityHUNT will work with you to create a birthday scavenger hunt in a neighborhood of your choice, incorporating clues that will remind you of old times or clues to help you make entirely new memories! So whether its an old neighborhood or a new one the Neighborhood Birthday Scavenger Hunt is perfect for those who want to explore their hometown! And just maybe the day will end with a game of manhunt or a newly found super-secret spot!
Qr Code Scavenger Hunt List:
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Scavenger Hunt Clues Using Puzzles
You could do this two different ways. Either take a blank jigsaw puzzle and write on the overall clue of where their birthday present is hidden and then they have to solve the jigsaw to get the clue.
Or, you could create little rebus puzzles that your child has to solve to find the next location. So for example,
Apple Ape + Ant = Plant
Coffee + Table with arrow pointing up = under the coffee table
How To Plan The Best Treasure Hunt For Kids
March 22, 2018 by Leslie
Want to host a treasure hunt for your kids birthday party? Read on for the best kids treasure hunt ideas, tips and tricks to make it as much fun as possible.
Confession: While I love to plan parties, I do not like to plan structured activities for those parties.
While the kids were young, we found that it really isnt worth the time and effort. Instead, we let them go hog-wild with one BIG activity and set up a couple small stations to the side. Its proven to be a simple and low-stress way to keep the kids entertained.
But as the kids get older, they are more interested and able to participate in structured activities.
So, when my oldest requested a treasure hunt for her , we dove right in.
As it turns out, the treasure hunt was a huge success. But, thats only because I put plenty of thought and preparation into how it would go.
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Know Your Room Layout:
Knowing how your space is organized will help you figure out how many clues are feasible and will help with creating the clues themselves.
Some things to consider:
- Is the treasure hunt inside, outside or both?
- If the treasure hunt is inside, how many & which rooms will we use?
- Will clues be hidden high, low or both?
The Best Adult Birthday Party Ideas
Growing up, birthday parties are a major social event for kids. There are some great themes of the best cartoons of the time or trips to a local amusement park. There are party games, a giant cake with candles, and a group of people singing Happy Birthday. However, as we become adults, there isnt really a standard for birthdays.
If youve been wanting to put together a grown-up birthday celebration, but you arent sure where to start, we have you covered. Weve compiled a list of adult birthday party ideas that range from a simple, short event to a multi-day celebration. Its fun to get together and celebrate, so what are you waiting for? Get planning!
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The Best Clue Types For A Pirate Theme
- Treasure Map: This is a must-have for a pirate-themed hunt. Make your map evocative by renaming the locations in a pirate-y manner. The kitchen could become “The Galley,” a closet could be “The Brig,” a rock in the yard could be “Skull Rock,” etc.
- Rhyming: Try to incorporate some pirate vocab, like arrrrr, matey, grog, avast, shiver me timbers, etc.
Ye scurvy sea dogs, I say yarrrrrrr!I spied yer next clue by the carrrrrrr!
- Secret Code: Using a mysterious code also fits nicely into a pirate theme. If you have the time, you could make your own code by assigning a common pirate symbol to each letter .
- Online Trivia: Have the participants look up some real-life pirate facts to solve a few clues. What was Blackbeard’s real name?
The Best Nature Scavenger Hunt
Simply hand the kids a list of nature scavenger huntThis is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. items and send them off! From Cut Party Supplies on Etsy!
And if you are looking for a fantastic idea for older tweens and teens- this Outdoor Treasure HuntThis is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. is part scavenger hunt, part outdoor escape room game!
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Ideas For The Incremental Treasures
These gifts should be sentimental and special to the person. The large end-gift is the actual birthday gift. For that, you can use our 50th Birthday Gift Ideas to get ideas and pick out the perfect one.
For those little filler gifts or incremental treasures, you can use funny prank gifts, keepsake memories, or whatever you feel will fit the theme.
Here are some small birthday gift ideas:
- A box of their favorite chocolates or jars of their favorite candies
- Framed pictures of some of your great memories
- Stuffed animals
- DVDs of movies they love or special ones you love together
- Baked goods
You can always tie each small gift into the next location as well.
Team Building Scavenger Hunt
Team building and engagement are big topics in the workplace right now. When youre dealing with remote teams, it can be even harder to convey that sense of culture and connection with your employees. Scavenger hunts are a fun way to do that while also challenging peoples critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills, whether your team is remote or in-house.
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Write Down Your Clues
Time for the fun part! Start by thinking of different ways to describe each hiding place. You can use tools like thesaurus.com to look up synonyms to help you get stuck.
Then, put it all your kids treasure hunt ideas together with some fun rhymes. You can do a Google search to find treasure hunt clues. Or you can use rhymezone.com to help make your own creative rhymes.
Project #1: Family Night Indoor Scavenger Hunt
Many families enjoy a dedicated family night once a week or so. Sometimes it can be challenging to think up new ideas for entertainment, especially when youve already watched the latest movies. This printable Family Night Indoor Scavenger Hunt is the perfect solution to your dilemma!
Print the cards out, hide them around the house, and award a prize to the winner of the game.
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Get Competitive In A Game Night
Board games are a fun group event. There are so many classics that can be played with larger groups like Pictionary, Clue, and even silly options like Twister and Operation. Invite a group of friends over and ask them to bring any of their favorite board games as well. You can put together small prizes for the winners of the evening. This is one of the easiest birthday party ideas and game nights are always a hit.
How To Make A Birthday Scavenger Hunt
To start the birthday scavenger hunt, tape the heart printable on the driver-side window. It reads:
Today is your BIRTHDAY,
Where the memories will last!
Once the note is secured, decorate the rest of the car with the printable hearts. They have sweet and silly sayings like, I am so lucky you are mine, Youre on my list of things to do tonight, and I will always choose you!
Prepare Your Supplies & Activities
There are four scavenger hunt clues with coordinating mini-dates that go along with them. We will go through where to put each clue and set up the birthday scavenger hunt activities in the following sections. But first, print and cut the printables, grab paper bags, a picnic blanket, picnic snacks, and you are all set to assemble the birthday scavenger hunt ideas!
Get the Conversation Starters Ready
As you drive from one clue location to another, use these adorable conversation cards we created to make the most of every moment of this birthday scavenger hunt. The conversation cards include:
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Make Or Buy Prizes For The Winners
Of course, prizes are why people play in the first place. Or perhaps just to have an enjoyable evening with friends. In any case, you are going to need to think about prizes and whether they should be bought or homemade. Should they be consumables? Should they be expensive? Expensive for a friend situation? Dont break the bank, save your money and just come up with something memorable.
Tip: For scavenger hunts, some people make the prizes known before the hunt starts. You could argue that it creates an incentive to get people to play harder. I would personally keep everything secret. The value of genuine surprise cannot be understated. I would rather have the wow factor in at the end of the game, leaving things on a high note, rather than have people arguing over the details of who really one just because of that special prize.
Another thing worth mentioning is that the prize for 1st place shouldnt be drastically better than the team that did the least well.
Say there are four teams of three players each. You invite 12 friends over to your house and you send them out into the world with their list of to-dos and two hours later they all come back and only one group completed all the tasks. 1st prize should be something like a coupon for a night of bowling. That is just the first idea that popped into my head which probably wouldnt break the bank. Make it so that the team who wins gets to do something else to celebrate their victory.
Project #: Halloween Treasure Hunt
When the veil is at its thinnest on the Eve of All Hallows, ghosts and ghouls are around! Why not include this Halloween Treasure Hunt as one of the games at your Halloween party this year?
Kids of all ages will have a spectacularly spooky time, playing this game, especially if you make scary fancy dress a rule!
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Team Scavenger Hunt List:
Fun Scavenger Hunt Birthday Party Plans
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What better way to plan a standout party than to have a scavenger hunt birthday party? Its a unique way to present a gift and kick off a fun party. It can be an all-day event and/or an evening full of friends, food, and fun.
Below youll find two variations of a scavenger hunt birthday party theme. The first is a scavenger hunt set up for just the birthday person. The second is a scavenger hunt for the party guests as well.
There are variations of scavenger hunts that make great hobbies as well. When you can combine a hobby and a tradition, great things can happen.
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