Make your own indoor scavenger hunt for kids

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Setting up a house scavenger hunt for kids is a win-win – it keeps them active physically and mentally, and they’ll be busy for a couple of hours (parents rejoice!). Mystery, exercise, excitement – a scavenger hunt at home for kids has a bit of everything. Let us show you how to set up a hunt and give you plenty of inspiration for making your own. 

There are two main versions of a scavenger hunt at home for kids: 

1. An easy option that involves finding items that match each category on an indoor scavenger hunt list.
2. A more complex version, that involves following a trail of clues around the home to find specific household scavenger hunt items/locations.

Here are the details of how to set up each one…

House scavenger hunt ideas – the quick, easy option

If you’d like to send the kids on an adventure with minimal prep, then this is the version for you. All you need to do is give them a checklist of items, and they set off around the home, searching for an example that fits each category, and ticking them off as they go. You can make it competitive by seeing who finds every item first, or get them to work as a team. 

We’ve compiled a checklist for you, but this is a great game to customise for particular themes. For example, if you’re camping at home, you can make a list of items you’d need to take on a real-life camping trip. Here’s an example of a general indoor scavenger hunt list:

• Something flowery
• Something blue
• Something with four sides
• Something as tall as you
• Something beginning with B
• Something to clean yourself with
• Something round
• Something with eyes
• Something soft
• Something with wheels
• Something you eat with
• Something with bristles
• Something red
• Something beginning with E
• Something purple and edible
• Something that makes a noise
• Something that has a pattern
• Something you can read
• Something that keeps you warm
• Something that protects you

House scavenger hunt for kids – the extended option

This other version involves more prep from you, but it’s ideal if your kids love a treasure hunt, solving riddles, and finding a prize at the end. It involves placing a series of clues around the home, with each one leading to the next. You can theme it for Easter, or Halloween, or Christmas, or a birthday party – there are so many possibilities.

We’ve come up with a series of general scavenger hunt riddles. Print out these clues and hide them at each location, creating a trail around the home. The first clue is given to the kids, and sends them to the first location. Remember to put a prize in a box at the end to reward them for all their great riddle-solving work!

Here are some riddles you can use to lead your little detectives to find all of the household scavenger hunt items hidden in specific locations:

1. I’m sitting where you wash your face / Look for a plug to find my hiding place.
2. Find me where you rest your head / When it’s time to go to bed.
3. I love to hide with things you hug / Dig deep to find me all cosy and snug.
4. Now it’s time to have a good look / Right in the place where you’d store a book.
5. You place this thing upon your back / It goes to school with you, and holds a snack.
6. Go to the place where we keep things to eat / I’m sitting next to a yummy treat.
7. This is where you watch TV / Sitting still and comfortably.
8. Now it’s prize time! Look high, look low / You use these things to blow your nose.

If any of our clues have stumped you, here’s your cheat sheet for where to hide each item:

1. In the washbasin
2. Under their pillow
3. In their toy box
4. On the bookcase/shelf
5. In their school bag
6. Inside the food cupboard with biscuits/chocolates
7. On the sofa (hidden behind a cushion/blanket)
8. In a Cushelle toilet roll tube 

With these house scavenger hunt ideas you can create a fun activity for the kids, and perhaps a few moments of peace for yourself! When you’re ready to join in, check out our favourite family games for inspiration.