40 Top Scavenger Hunt Ideas Kids Love

Everyone loves a good scavenger hunt. Scavenger hunts are a great thing to do with all ages, families and friends. They keep your kids active and engaged and help them to follow directions. There are so many great scavenger hunt ideas out there. We have narrowed it down to 40 scavenger hunts that kids will love. 

Scavenger Hunts

I remember doing scavenger hunts when I was a child to hunt for a special Christmas present. I still recall having to run all over the house with my siblings to find the scavenger hunt clues. We spent an entire morning hunting to find a classic Nintendo game system that my grandparents bought for our whole family. It is a special memory that I will never forget.

How do you set up a scavenger hunt for kids?

A scavenger hunt is a great thing to create some fun memories for your kids, but it can be a little overwhelming to put together. First, you will want to find a good scavenger hunt list. There are many free printables to help get you started.

Next, you will want to decide what type of hunt that you want to do. There are so many to choose from! Then you can print out your list and your clues, gather your friends and family and get started.

40 Scavenger Hunt Ideas Kids will Love

We’ve searched the internet to compile this HSG FREE Resource Roundup list for you. Make sure to keep in mind the ages of the kids that will be participating. You will want picture clues for children that can not read, and maybe more tricky clues for older children to think hard.

Outdoor Scavenger Hunt 

Do you often feel like you are cooped up with your kids at home while you homeschool? Sometimes we just need a change of pace and to get outside for fresh air and a reset. A great idea to keep your kids active and to keep you sane is to do an outdoor scavenger hunt with your kids. 

• Outdoor Sensory Scavenger Hunt for Kids – This scavenger hunt is a fun way to teach your kids about all 8 sensory systems as well as get them some much needed outdoor time.

• Outdoor Scavenger Hunt for Kids – There are two free printable lists to ensure that all ages have a great time hunting outside. There is a difficult version with just text to read, and a picture version for small children to match up what they are looking for outdoors with the pictures on the list.

• Summer Scavenger Hunts – Kids love spending time outside during summer break. These scavenger hunts will take you on hunts while you are camping, at the beach or on a road trip.

• Neighborhood Walk Scavenger Hunts – The best thing about taking a walk around your neighborhood is that you get to meet new neighbors along the way. If you take family walks each day you are going to enjoy 9 different printables to make your walks more fun.

• Beach Scavenger Hunt – A fun printable scavenger hunt to keep your kids busy on a day at the beach. 

• Road Trip Scavenger Hunt – A great way to pass the time on a long road trip is by giving your kids some things to do to keep them busy. This free printable scavenger hunt is designed to do just that and will help your kids to stay focused on other things than just sitting while on the road.

• Neighborhood Outdoor Scavenger Hunt with Sidewalk Chalk – This is such a fun scavenger hunt idea to involve families in your neighborhood. It’s a great activity to get to know your neighbors and make some new friends.

Indoor Scavenger Hunt 

Do your kids ever feel cooped up on a rainy day, or when everyone is sick or stuck at home? A great way to keep your kids busy is by giving them a scavenger hunt of items they can search for around the house.

• Indoor Photo Scavenger Hunt – This is such a creative way to keep your kids busy on a hot summer day inside. The best way to do this is by giving them each their own list and a camera or phone and sending them on the hunt throughout the house for items to photograph.

• The Put Away Scavenger Hunt – This scavenger hunt is so creative and a lot of fun. The best part is that your kids won’t even know they are cleaning up because they will be so busy hunting for the next thing to put away so they can find the prize. A good place to start would be a messy room you want tackled.

• Indoor Scavenger Hunt 2 Versions  – There are two different versions of this hunt. A difficult version for kids that are able to read and an easy version with pictures to hunt for.

• Rainbow Colour Hunt – This is a super fun hunt that requires no preparation on your part. It is a good idea to do on a day where you may be feeling under the weather, because you just need to tell your kids what to hunt for and they can bring them to you. It is great for color recognition too.

• Indoor Scavenger Hunt Printable – Your kids will have a lot of fun running all over the house hunting for these items. Some are more specific than others, which adds to the challenge.

• Indoor Scavenger Hunt for Kids – There are multiple ways to have an indoor scavenger hunt with kids. There are some fun ideas as well as printable lists with different types of lists that you can use with your kids.

Treasure Hunt Ideas 

A treasure hunt is different from a scavenger hunt because with a scavenger hunt you are looking for items to cross off of a list. With a treasure hunt, you are looking for a treasure at the end of the hunt. They are a lot of fun and a great way to keep your kids active and working together. 

• Teaching Mapping Skills with a Pirate Treasure Hunt – Teach your kids some mapping skills with this fun and creative pirate themed treasure hunt. 

• 7 Easy Treasure Hunts for Kids – These are basically printable scavenger hunts and there are so many different ones that you can choose from. Make sure you set aside a treasure for first person to find all the items to win.

• At Home Treasure Hunt – This treasure hunt is perfect to do at home. Your kids are going to have some of the best memories with a treasure hunt. There are 10 clues that will help you set it up.

• Treasure Hunt Clues for Kids – These printable treasure hunt clue cards will guide you in setting up your own treasure hunt for your children. This would be great to do as a surprise gift, to reveal a special trip, for a holiday, or just for fun. 

• Treasure Hunt Riddles and Clues – More printable riddles and clues to set up a super fun treasure hunt or game for your next party or get together. 

Zoom Scavenger Hunt 

Zoom became more popular when everyone was in quarantine. It is a great way for your kids to connect with their church groups, or homeschool groups, and their friends. A zoom scavenger hunt is a fun way to keep your kids social and connected with others when they have to stay home.

• Scavenger Hunt for Zoom – This is a fun scavenger hunt for your kids to play with family or friends on a zoom meeting. They will have a blast running through the house to find the list of items and bring them back to the computer before anyone else can.

• 20 Zoom Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Teachers – These ideas are a great way to keep students engaged by giving them something fun to do during your zoom meeting. These ideas would work great for a homeschool teacher or Sunday school teacher as well. 

Virtual Scavenger Hunt Ideas 

A virtual scavenger hunt can also be called an online scavenger hunt, or a digital scavenger hunt. If you are using Zoom with multiple people you can create teams to hunt for the items together into different groups. 

• Fun Virtual Scavenger Hunt Ideas – There are lots of different ways that you can do a virtual scavenger hunt. 

• How to Host a Virtual Scavenger Hunt – Lots of details and information on how to host your own virtual scavenger hunt and a free printable pack.

Birthday Scavenger Hunt 

Looking for some creative ideas for your next birthday party? Kids are going to have so much fun hunting for clues to the birthday gift together as a group. 

• Super Fun Birthday Hunt – Adorable printable clues that will make setting up the scavenger hunt party easy for you. There are lots of fun ideas and creative ways to set up the scavenger hunt,

• Birthday Scavenger Hunt Clues for Kids – These printable clue cards will guide your child to solve the clues and find the location in your house where their special birthday gift is hidden.

• Birthday Scavenger Hunt – Your kids will have a blast working with their friends to solve birthday riddles to find clues that lead to their gift. Free printable clue cards to create a fun scavenger hunt game for your next birthday party.

Scavenger Hunt for Teens 

Teens love playing together in larger groups and doing fun activities. A fun game to do with them is to assign them something different than a traditional scavenger hunt. You can hand them a list of clues that they need to go around town to record the clues they find like a video scavenger hunt.

You can also hand them digital cameras or they can use their phones on the hunt. No matter what you choose, they will have tons of fun with their friends completing the tasks on the list. 

• The Best Scavenger Hunt Ides for Tweens – 10 different ideas for fun hunts for tweens to get them up and out and moving together. 

• How to Plan a Scavenger Hunt for Teens – Planning a scavenger hunt for teens can be so much fun, and also a lot of work. There are some important things you will want to make sure you do before you even set up the party, so this article will be a huge help.

• Selfie Scavenger Hunt – This hunt isn’t free, but it is a very low cost printable. Teens love taking selfies and this one seems to be a lot of fun for older kids.

• Summer Selfie Scavenger Hunt – Older kids and teens will have enjoy this fun photo scavenger hunt. Find the items on the list of different places that you may travel over the summer and take a selfie with them.

Christmas Scavenger Hunt 

We love creating new traditions with our family, especially around the holidays. These Christmas scavenger hunts are so much fun to pull out at a Christmas party, or on a drive through town to look at Christmas light displays. 

• Christmas Scavenger Hunt Printable Checklist and Ideas – Are you looking for a fun party game or activity for your next Christmas get together? This printable Christmas scavenger hunt is great for a group or for a fun family night around the holidays. 

• Best Christmas Scavenger Hunt – Lots of fun ideas to do scavenger hunts in a group or with your own family. The pictures on this printable will make it easy for small children to participate. 

• Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt – Do you enjoy taking the kids out to look at Christmas lights each year? This printable list is a fun thing to take with you. Kids will have a great time racing to see who can find all the items on the list first. 

• Christmas Scavenger Hunt for Kids – This is such a fun Christmas holiday activity to do with friends and family as you are out and about taking a walk, driving through town or while watching a Christmas movie. 

Nature Study Scavenger Hunt Ideas 

As homeschoolers, we really enjoy spending a lot of time outside and in nature. Nature study is always a big part of our science and our regularly scheduled outdoor time. These printables and ideas are a great way to keep your kids engaged in what they are learning in nature study. Just hand them a nature themed scavenger hunt and they will be ready to go.

• Star Gazing Scavenger Hunt – If you are learning about the night sky and constellations this is the perfect scavenger hunt list for you. Your kids will need to search for the items on the list and mark them off as they find them in the night sky. 

• Tide Pool Scavenger Hunt Guide for Kids – Learn all about tide pools and rocks in tide pools with this fun nature study combined scavenger hunt.

• Insect Scavenger Hunt – This pretty insect scavenger hunt is a great way to introduce your children to different common insects you may see in your own backyard.

• Nature Hunt Bingo Scavenger Hunt Game – Get your family outside and into nature with this fun nature hunt bingo game.

• Rainbow Nature Scavenger Hunt – Explore the local environment around you by hunting for rainbow colored nature items and photographing them. Your whole family will have so much fun on this nature photo hunt. 

• Nature Walk Scavenger Hunt – Keep your kids active and engaged on a nature walk with this nature scavenger hunt. You find the pictures to be very helpful for little ones. 

• Spring Backyard Scavenger Hunt Printable – This scavenger hunt is perfect for spring and includes many items that you will see when the signs of spring are all around us. 

Free Scavenger Hunt Activity Pack

Give your kids something fun to look forward to with this printable scavenger hunt pack. They can choose to hunt for things in the backyard, neighborhood, according to color, and/or create their own!

In Conclusion

Scavenger hunts, whether indoors, outside, or virtual can not only be a fun time for your family, but they can be educational too! We hope you’ve been inspired to create some different scavenger hunts for your family to take part in. 

It doesn’t matter if you have younger children or teens, people of all ages enjoy a good challenge! Scavenger hunts can be a fun experience and a great team building activity for a small group or a large group. So, print off your list of things to hunt for and get ready for a good time.