Who doesn’t love a scavenger hunt?! It’s a great way for kids to stay active when feeling bored or cooped up around the house, and gives parents a nice break with an activity that requires little to no setup! I call that a win-win!
If you’re new to the blog, I’ll have you know that we are a family of doers. We are always on the move, staying active outdoors and organizing activities to keep us exploring whenever we are not traveling.
Right now we are in between trips (recently back from exploring Argentina and Chile for two months with our one-year-old, and eagerly waiting for our next road trip to kick off this summer) and feeling more restless than ever in this uncertain time of COVID-19.
I truly believe you don’t have to go far for an adventure, so while on a nature walk with my little one the other day, I started a little scavenger hunt in our backyard. Once back inside, I made a fort for us to “travel” to and the preparation alone was a scavenger hunt of it’s own kind that inspired me to create these printables for a fun game in the future.
We’re all in this season of change together. Download and print these travel and nature themed scavenger hunts for your kids to enjoy as we all adapt to more adventures indoors and in the backyard!
Scavenger hunt substitution ideas
If you don’t have one of these items on hand, no worries! Get creative with your substitutions and ask your kids what ideas they have for replacements!
Example Travel Edition Substitutions
Camera: If you don’t want little hands on your nice camera, give hints to think about finding a cell phone camera or toy camera
Swimsuit: Anything that you might use at the pool or beach would make a great substitution, as well as clothing such as a pair of shorts or sundress instead of bathing suit
Map: No physical map on hand? Any GPS device will do!
Hat: Sunhat, baseball cap, visor, winter cap, beanie…all will work!
Sunscreen: Any type of cream or protectant that you would take on a trip is a good substitute, such as aloe vera or bug spray. No liquids? Have them draw a picture of sunscreen! (Drawing any item that you don’t have on hand is another great way to keep them creative and active!)
Suitcase: You may have to show them where you store the suitcases, but any travel bag that is unlike a backpack (like a duffle bag or roller bag) would work too.
Book: This doesn’t necessarily need to be a guide book, it could be a book about another country, or a book they would like to take on vacation!
More ways to play
- Play multiple times by racing against the clock! Hide the items after each round and have them finish the scavenger hunt as fast as they can!
- Create a game of BINGO! Cross items off as they are found or set the objects on the squares. Three-in-a-row and you have bingo!
- Hide the items of the indoor scavenger hunt and write clues for where to find them
- Take the nature edition scavenger hunt on a walk with the family
- Have siblings challenge each other, everyone gets a prize!
Prize Ideas
Speaking of awards, prize giving (of course) is totally up to you! However, if your child is more motivated by the idea of receiving a little special something as an award for completing the scavenger hunt, here are a couple of fun themed ideas for each of the hunts.
Travel edition award ideas:
- Indulge in a frozen treat your child would enjoy while on vacation! (Popsicles, freezies, tropical fruit smoothies, etc.)
- Take your travel items on a “mini trip” to a fort you’ve made!
- Incorporate this activity into themed learning, using educational screen time as an “award” for successfully completing the scavenger hunt! Discovery Kids and National Geographic Kids are great channels to find programs that will continue the global/world travel theme!
Nature edition award ideas:
- Indulge in a frozen treat your child would enjoy while on vacation! (Popsicles, freezies, tropical fruit smoothies, etc.)
- Take your travel items on a “mini trip” to a fort you’ve made!
- Incorporate this activity into themed learning, using educational screen time as an “award” for successfully completing the scavenger hunt! Discovery Kids and National Geographic Kids are great channels to find programs that will continue the global/world travel theme!
Printable Downloads
To download, click each image to open the individual files in a preview window. Right click on the full size image and choose “save as” to download the files as 8.5″x11″ sheets, ready to print with no adjustments necessary!
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