7 Kids' Scavenger Hunt Game Ideas to Encourage Problem-Solving Skills

There’s something magical about watching kids light up when they crack a code, tick off every item on a list, or uncover that final clue after hours of curious brainstorming. Scavenger hunt games are perfect for getting your kids to think, solve, and decode, all while having a blast. 

The best part? There’s never a dull day with scavenger hunt games because you can keep getting creative with them. You can switch up the theme, items, locations, or game style — the variations are endless. For this reason, today, we are going to list down seven scavenger hunt game ideas for you to try with your kids. 

No fluff. Straight to scavenger hunt games! 

Scavenger Hunt Game Ideas

1. Alphabet Hunt 

The alphabet hunt is one of the easiest scavenger hunt game ideas to pull off. The rules are simple — the first one to find objects in the house that start with each letter of the alphabet wins. The only restriction? They cannot step out of the house. 

With this game idea, your children will stay inside the house under your supervision and still have the freedom to go around and collect items as they wish. Make sure to give them a printed or handwritten list of alphabets so they can tick off the letters as they find the object. Oh, and also a basket to help them gather these items. 

If you want to make it more challenging, add a layer of dictation to the game. If they find the object but don’t get the spelling right, they lose a point. A fun learning way to keep your children engaged while testing their vocabulary.

2. Around the House

Yet another indoor scavenger hunt game ideas, but this one is a little more effort-intensive on your end. Go around the house to locate the objects you want your children to hunt for. For each of these objects, write down a descriptive clue. 

For instance, 

• Squishy 

• Has 4 wheels 

The catch? There may be more than one thing in your home that matches the description. And children? Well, they always surprise you with their thinking. Be open to their creative interpretations when judging the objects they collect. 

3. Crossword Hunt

The crossword hunt adds a word twist to scavenger hunt games. Create about 2-3 sets of cards with individual letters written on them and hide them. Now, ask your children to go around the house or a designated area to hunt for these cards. That’s stage 1. They can collect as many as they want. Once they have collected all the cards, ask them to create words using these letters, which is stage 2. 

Instruct your children that they will have to use these letters later on to make words. This will help them pick the cards wisely. 

4. I Spy

Going out for a picnic or holiday? Excellent! Research a little about what your kids might get to see or experience. List it down on a sheet and give it to your children to find and tick off! 

For instance, if the picnic is in a garden, the list can include the following items:

• 3-edged leaf 

• Ladybug 

• Yellow butterfly 

• Ball 

• Picnic mat 

5. Detective Mystery Hunt

This scavenger hunt game is centred on solving a mystery by collecting ‘evidence.’ To do this, you will first have to develop a plot. 

For example, someone has stolen the cookies. Kids will follow the clues, find witnesses (like a hidden toy with a speech bubble note that directs them to the next clue), and collect all the evidence. Some of the evidence can be cookie crumbs, a note with sticky fingers, a trail of chocolate chips, and wrappers. You can get as creative as you want!

Make sure that each clue leads to a suspect or a new clue, ending in the reveal of the culprit. It is quite an effortful game, but your children will love becoming little detectives! 

6. Take it for Memory

If you are confident about handing a camera or your phone to your children, this one might just be one of the most memorable scavenger hunt games they will engage in. It is quite simple to set up, too. 

Make a list of all the moments you want your children to capture. For example:

• A friend helping another

• A street sign 

• A rainbow 

• Yellow flower 

• Favourite food 

• A cat with her kittens

You can make it the way you want. Personalise it to your family time, your next trip, or just a cool evening outing. Hand this list to your children and let them try to capture these events. Chances are they will think really hard trying to figure out how they can capture it, the right time to do it, and how they can win!  

7. Escape Room

Escape room mixes problem-solving and scavenger hunts like no other activity. Get your children and their friends together in a room and divide them into teams. Now, give the teams a starting location, like a room or area, and have them solve a series of challenges to "escape" or move on to the next stage.

These challenges can be:

• Numerical puzzles

• Riddles 

• Coding clues

• Logical clues 

Every clue they solve leads them to the next challenge’s location. For instance, the starting clue is a riddle whose answer is a photo frame. The children will find their next clue hidden behind the photo frame. 

Found It Board Game

The Found It Board Game is a smart scavenger hunt game designed for ages 6+. Grab your cards, flip the timer, and dive into a thrilling race to find objects that match as many prompts as possible. The more prompts, the further you move. Be the first player to reach the centre of the board to win!

What’s Inside

• 100 Game Cards

• 1 Game Board

• 1 Timer

• 5 Game Pieces

The best part? There are variety of themes available in this game, like:

• Outdoor

• Indoor

• Travel 

• Home edition 

Let’s See Who’s First to the Final Clue! 

Scavenger hunt games build critical thinking, teamwork, and creativity all at once. It can turn any space into a fun playground to learn for your children where they observe, reason, and find out. The best part? You can create as many variations as you want with simple materials. So gather your little explorers, pick an idea, and let the hunt begin!