Scavenger Hunt Puzzles for Children
Scavenger hunt puzzles for children
Fun, exciting, thrilling, and even educational – a scavenger hunt for children is all of these things! In a playful way, the little ones learn to keep their concentration, to focus on the most important aspects and to puzzle and riddle with combined forces in the group. Plus, the sense of achievement at the end gives them an extra dose of self-confidence. And of course it is great fun to search for a hidden treasure or explore a city in a group. To make the experience a complete success, you need the right scavenger hunt puzzles for children. Find inspiration for scavenger hunts of all kinds here.
Finding the right scavenger hunt puzzles for children
There are a few aspects that scavenger hunt riddles should be adapted to. These include:
- Age
- Interests
- Special abilities
- Personal backgrounds
First of all, age plays an important role. It roughly indicates the level of knowledge and abilities of the children. The age provides the basis for the scavenger hunt puzzles. After all, they shouldn't be too tricky, but they shouldn't be dull either. The children want to celebrate a sense of achievement and feel that they have mastered a great challenge. That's why the scavenger hunt for children should include riddles that perfectly match their interests and level of knowledge.
Scavenger hunt riddles for children based on their interests
Aligning the scavenger hunt puzzles for children with their interests is always a good idea. This adds extra excitement and enthusiasm. The group likes to be out in nature? If so, it could be all about the following topics:
- Trees: Take a picture of a beech tree
- Grasses and meadow flowers: Collect four different flowers
- Forest animals: How many forest animals do you know?
- Insects: Snap a photo of at least two insects
- Paw prints: Locate traces of animals in the forest
If the children like stories about past times, these topics are suitable:
- Historical buildings
- Kings and queens (compatible with role play)
- Statues and anecdotes matching the person portrayed
It is even more exciting if the scavenger hunt has a particular theme. For example: Save the castle! Or: Defeat the dragon! You can then combine this with a city exploration or an excursion into nature. The myCityHunt scavenger hunt, which is also suitable for children, is very similar. Here, assisted by your smartphone and our app, you discover the city from a new perspective!
Some creative scavenger hunt puzzles for children might look like this:
- Crafting small figures out of anything they find in nature
- Making up stories to go with these figures
- Finding shapes / images in wood grains
- Making music with woods, stones, grasses and more
This way, children can "unlock" the next clue that will bring them one step closer to their goal.
Scavenger hunt puzzles for children to match the occasion
Every year, when the child's birthday is around the corner, parents ask themselves the same question: How should we keep the birthday child and the little guests busy? A scavenger hunt is a great experience that will keep the children excited and challenged all day, while also being fun for the parents.
How could the game work? The birthday child gets to pick a theme and distribute the scavenger hunt riddles to the children before starting. You, as the parent, make sure that everything is fair and that the assignment of challenges fits the abilities of each guest. For example, there is little point in choosing a child as the task reader who struggles to read aloud.
Speaking of reading: A scavenger hunt for children is also great for school trips! On a school trip to a foreign city, the little ones get to know the city in a very special way. They explore it on their own, without dull guided tours, where their attention wanes. In the process, they learn exciting facts without even realizing it and expand their knowledge of the city in a playful manner. At the same time, they learn about the special features of the surroundings in a way that a city tour could never have shown them.
If the weather is nice, the scavenger hunt can take place in the schoolyard. In case of bad weather, the gymnasium including changing rooms offers enough space and sufficient hiding places for clues and riddles.
Fun scavenger hunt activities for children
3, 2, 1 - and off we go! The go-ahead for the scavenger hunt for children has been given and the participants can barely wait to get started. The best way to start the journey is by playing a fun game right away that will lead them to the first clue or puzzle.
The important thing is to ensure right from the start that the entire experience doesn't turn into a competition between the children. After all, this is about teamwork. The youngsters should therefore also overcome the path to the first clue together. It could look like this:
- All participants line up one behind the other, facing the place where the first clue is located.
- The child at the very back gets a stick, a stone or whatever is available.
- They pass the object to the child standing in front of them.
- While passing the object further and further to the front, the child runs to the beginning of the row to receive it again.
- So, the last child in the row always walks to the front after passing the object.
- It goes on like this as the object is passed further and further to the front and the row moves towards the goal.
But what is hiding at the first location? Is it a challenge with a tricky riddle? Is it a puzzle? Is it a picture with a hidden object? A handicraft task? You can do anything that is fun and interesting for the children. For example, you can fill the quests with these objectives:
- Puzzles to match the theme of the scavenger hunt: “How many toes does a squirrel have? What statues of famous people in your city come to mind?”
- Search tasks: "Find a leaf that belongs to an oak tree! Find paw prints of a deer! Find 3 different types of nuts! (Chestnuts, acorns, beechnuts, ...)"
- Jigsaw puzzle: "There are puzzle pieces hidden at some of the locations. Put them together once you have found all of them and find out the destination!"
- Hidden object picture: "Compare two seemingly identical pictures with one another. There is a mistake on one of them! It is a clue to the next location."
- Handicraft task: "Craft figures with materials you find in the area and perform a little theater play with them to unlock the next clue!"
Tip
Scavenger hunt puzzles for children become even more versatile when you prepare tools. These could be a weathered treasure map, but also a mysterious compass or a safe - the key is hidden somewhere along the route. Alternatively, you can use a lock with a numerical code. In that case, it's a matter of discovering the matching numbers one by one.
Organize a scavenger hunt yourself or book it?
Equipped with the above information, you have already taken a big step towards creating your scavenger hunt. However, you will have noticed that there are many things to consider and that developing your scavenger hunt takes a lot of time. There is also the question of whether the participants will like their scavenger hunt puzzles in the end. Therefore, it is worth considering whether you want to plan and organize the scavenger hunt yourself or whether you would prefer to use a tried and tested concept. In the following table, we compare the advantages and disadvantages of both options.
What are good scavenger hunt riddles for children?
In most cases, children especially like scavenger hunt riddles that fit their favorite themes. These could be soccer, animals, nature, adventure and many more. Also, it is important that the riddles fit the level of knowledge and skills. Ideally, do a dry run with a similar puzzle. When it comes to the type of challenges, there are countless possibilities: Knowledge quizzes, puzzles, picture puzzles, craft tasks, etc.
How many riddles for a scavenger hunt for children do I need?
How many riddles a scavenger hunt for children should include depends on the age and the time scheduled. In order to offer the little ones about two hours of varied fun, about 10 scavenger hunt puzzles for children are necessary. According to experience, there should not be more than 15, otherwise the ability to concentrate decreases too much.
Should I print out scavenger hunt puzzles for children?
We recommend that you prepare scavenger hunt puzzles for children to print out. That way the kids have a treasure map or something similar to help them find their way. Additional extras, such as a safe with a combination lock for which the code is searched for, increase the fun of the game.
