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If you’re looking for creative things to do outside with your kids, then a scavenger hunt may be just what you need.
You can run a scavenger hunt at a new playground, or in your most commonly visited favorite places that you take your kids to.
Scavenger hunts used to sound like a lot of work for me, and I hated doing them…but now that I know it’s not so scary, we do scavenger hunts all the time.
Here are some reasons why Scavenger huts are so amazing for kids.
Scavenger hunts are a fun way to kill time
The concept of a scavenger hunt is not new, but there are numerous ways to make them more entertaining than simply a checklist with the phrases “tree” and “bird” that you check off while you walk or drive about your neighborhood.
Get Moving
Do you want to get your children moving? One of my favorite methods to get my kids to do something active is to say, “I bet you can’t…”
This is precisely what a movement scavenger hunt accomplishes. It requires children to locate something to climb over, under, walk on, leap over, pick up, throw, and so on.
Get Creative With Drawing
If your child loves to color and draw give them a sheet of paper divided into squares (or a sheet of paper for each item if they require more space) and divide it up however you see fit.
Draw something blue, something round, something fuzzy, something large, something you like, and so on.
Living Things Hunt
This can be accomplished simply mentioning the bug or animal in its entirety, or by integrating colors or skills.
“Look for a a bug that is red” or “Find an insect that flies.” You can say “Look for an animal that makes tweeting sounds” or “Look for a fluffy white dog on a leash” for animals.
The Secret Codes Hunt
This is my family’s favorite, and it involves looking for hidden clues that combine to form a message. You hide items/symbols and provide age-appropriate clues to help people discover them. Then each participant is given a sheet of paper with a list of words that correspond to the item/symbol.
You may even change it up by hiding puzzle pieces that come together to form a message or image. I enjoy the statement or image that shows what we’re going to do next, such as an ice cream cone puzzle or the word “We’re heading to the zoo.”
Five Senses Hunt
Encourage them to consider everything they can touch, taste, hear, smell, and see. The possibilities are actually limitless, however here are a few examples:
- Something smooth
- Something bright
- Something loud
- Something sour
- Something that smells sweet
- Scavenger Hunt Tips
Why not conduct your scavenger hunt in the dark to make it more interesting? Get your glow on by attaching the items/clues/symbols/ideas to glow sticks!
Letters and numbers are also straightforward instructional themes, but instead of simply saying, “Look for the number 3,” you can say, “Look for the answer to 2+1.” Try “Look for the fourth letter in your name” instead of “See if you can spot the letter C”
Colors and shapes can also be modified in this manner. “Look for something that has the same form as the sun” or “Look for something that has the same hue as your room.”
Another simple activity is an opposites scavenger hunt, in which kids must find something large and something small, something round and something square, something hot and something cold.
The adaptability of scavenger hunts is one of its best features. They can be done indoors or outdoors, for free, for as long or as short as you want, and practically anywhere.
So have a good time with it! Your children may even begin to develop their own ideas on what to search for. Allow them to run with the ball.