Use the scavenger hunt ideas below to encourage your kids to explore their world in all sorts of ways. From road trips to trips to the beach to exploring the backyard, you'll find a scavenger hunt to fit whatever you have planned.
RELATED POST: Outdoor activities for kids
Scavenger Hunt Ideas from Messy Little Monster
We have several terrific scavenger hunts for kids. They'll encourage your kids to explore indoors and outdoors, making observations of the world around them.
Printable Scavenger Hunt Ideas
Before scrolling through the scavenger hunts for kids listed below you might want to check out this collection of 28 printable scavenger hunts available in the Messy Little Monster shop. Having so many scavenger hunts to choose from all in one place will mean you always have one to hand when it's needed!
Backyard Scavenger Hunt
Indoor Scavenger Hunt
You can't always get outside. Sometimes the weather is too messy, or you need to find something to keep the kids occupied while you make dinner. Use our Indoor Scavenger Hunt to do just that! Kids will look for items like a key, a spoon, a teddy bear, and more. You'll also find a bonus hunt on this printable.
Nature Walk Treasure Hunt
Going for a walk is an excellent exercise for the whole family. However, walking the same route every day can get a little dull. Use our Nature Walk Treasure Hunt to spice things up. Look for squirrels, water, acorns, caterpillars, and other items while you walk. We have another Nature Hunt with larger pictures that are perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.
Fall Scavenger Hunt
When fall comes around grab this Printable Fall Scavenger Hunt and head outdoors to see how many items you can tick off your list.
Colours of Nature Scavenger Hunt
Are you working on colours with your toddler or preschooler? Use our Colors of Nature Scavenger Hunt to reinforce colour recognition. This can be done in your backyard, at the park, or on a nature walk.
Colour Hunt
We also have Indoor and Outdoor Colour Hunt printables that allow children to write, draw, or place the found items inside the circles.
Bug Hunt
Kids who love creepy crawly things will get a kick out of this Bug Scavenger Hunt. Look for snails, grasshoppers, worms, bees, spiders, and more!
Reading Scavenger Hunt
Calling all book lovers! Here is a fun scavenger hunt for you. This reading scavenger hunt involves finding and reading books to match the pictures on the printable. Can you find and read them all?
More Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Kids
If your kids love scavenger hunts, we've got even more ideas listed below from some of our favourite blogs.
Winter Scavenger Hunt
Winter is no excuse to stay stuck indoors. Bundle the kids up, grab this Winter Scavenger Hunt from The Ladybird's Adventures, and look for barren trees, animal prints, pinecones, and more.
Zoom Scavenger Hunt
Looking for some indoor activities? Try this virtual Zoom Scavenger Hunt from Box of Ideas. This gives kids a chance to reconnect with friends and relatives virtually while engaging in a fun activity.
License Plate Scavenger Hunt
Take the kids for a drive and use this License Plate Scavenger Hunt from Organised 31 to see how many cars from different states you can find. You don't have to go on a long road trip for this activity. Instead, you could drive around town and even look in parking lots to see if you can spot any cars from visiting states.
Bird Scavenger Hunt
Do your kids love watching birds? It's a family-friendly activity that's not only fun, but it can be very educational! Use this Backyard Bird Scavenger Hunt from Inspiration Laboratories to learn which birds are common in your area.
A to Z Neighbourhood Scavenger Hunt
Get the whole neighbourhood involved in this A to Z Scavenger Hunt by Really, Are You Serious? Draw letters around the community, and invite others to find the letters and name an object or animal to go along with the letter.
Camp Out Scavenger Hunt
Take this Camp Out Scavenger Hunt from Crafts by Amanda with you on your next family camping trip. It's a fun activity that kids can do after setting up camp and before getting settled in for the night.
Road Trip Scavenger Hunt
Planning a trip soon? Print this Road Trip Scavenger Hunt from Organised 31 to keep the kids entertained during the drive. They'll look for signs, traffic cones, bridges, motorcycles, and more during the trip.
Nighttime Alphabet Scavenger Hunt
Whether it's just too hot to get out during the day or you simply have a family of night owls, this Nighttime Alphabet Scavenger Hunt from Growing Book by Book can be a fun activity that the kids will be super excited about. It's also beneficial to allow kids to explore the outside world at night.
Flashlight Alphabet Game
Here's a Flashlight Alphabet Game from Happily Ever Mom that's appropriate for indoors. Hide wooden letters from a puzzle or your magnetic alphabet letters around the house. Have the child put the letters in order, so he or she will notice which ones are missing.
Rainbow Color Hunt
Toddlers and preschoolers will so enjoy practicing their colours wit this Rainbow Color Hunt by Red Ted Art. It's so simple! Just tell the children to find objects that are yellow or green or red and so on. Set a timer if your kids are competitive and want to race against each other to find a certain number of items.
Nature Scavenger Hunt Tic Tac Toe
Combine two activities into one with this Nature Scavenger Hunt Tic Tac Toe from Kids' Craft Room. The beach is perfect for gathering similar items for the game pieces, but you can do the same thing in the forest, at the park, or in your own backyard.
Tide Pool Scavenger Hunt
What can you find in a tide pool? Find out with this Tide Pool Scavenger Hunt Guide from Rainy Day Mum. It's a little booklet that includes a handful of things for kids to look for while they're exploring tide pools.
Kindness Scavenger Hunt
Work on instilling kindness in your kids with thoughtful activities like the ones you'll find here in this Kindness Scavenger Hunt (Home Edition) from Kiddie Matters. You'll also find a school edition!
Super Huge Scavenger Hunt
Use this Super Huge Scavenger Hunt from Picklebums with older kids who want to spend the whole morning or afternoon outdoors. You may need to break this activity into smaller spurts for younger children.
Around the House Scavenger Hunt
This Around the House Scavenger Hunt from Hey, Let's Make Stuff requires no prep at all! Just print the list, hand it to your kids, and let them hop to it. Talk about a simple activity!
I Spy Road Trip Scavenger Hunt
Use this I Spy Road Trip Scavenger Hunt from Happiness is Homemade to occupy the kids in the car. It's a nice, long list that's great for a more extended trip, but you can use it on shorter trips, too.
Gratitude Scavenger Hunt
When times are tough, it can help to practice gratitude to recenter yourself. Use this Gratitude Scavenger Hunt from Natural Beach Living with the kids to help teach them about easy ways to be grateful.
Zoo Scavenger Hunt
Are you planning a trip to the zoo? Take these Zoo Scavenger Hunt printables from Homeschool Preschool. You'll find picture scavenger hunts as well as ones with words or fill-in-the-blank.
Sensory Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
Explore the outdoors with all your senses using this Sensory Outdoor Scavenger Hunt by The Pragmatic Parent! Kids will smell, look, touch, and listen for things in nature.
Spring Scavenger Hunt Pack
Spring into warmer weather with this Spring Scavenger Hunt Pack from Year Round Homeschooling. It comes with a picture version, word version, and a fill-in-the-blank version so you can create your own personalised scavenger hunt for spring.
Find and Draw Scavenger Hunt
This Find and Draw Scavenger Hunt from Projects with Kids is a little more challenging and creative because kids have to draw what they find. They're terrific for all ages, and you'll find one for each season.
Pacific Northwest Hunt
Whether you live in the PNW or are planning a visit to the area, this Pacific Northwest Scavenger Hunt from Party Through the USA will come in handy for observing and recording the animals that you can find in the region.
Camp Experiences Scavenger Hunt
Are you going on a big camping trip with the family? Sending the kids to summer camp? Either way, this Camp Experiences Scavenger Hunt from The Crazy Outdoor Mama is a fun way to record experiences from that time.
Pin this list of printable scavenger hunts for kids so you'll always have an activity ready for curious kids.
Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube or Subscribe for free email updates!
No comments