Do you have a birthday party for kids coming up and you are still looking for an idea to entertain the little guests? Or maybe there's a family party coming up where you want to give the kids something fun to do? A scavenger hunt or a treasure hunt is a great idea for that. Here you will find suitable scavenger hunt puzzles for kids ranging from simple to extra tricky.
The first important question to ask yourself before putting together scavenger hunt puzzles for your kids is: what are the little ones interested in? Do they like being out in nature? Do they like to try different sports? Do they like animals? Or maybe some cartoon heroes they love? Based on this, suitable puzzles can be found quickly. For little nature explorers, for example, the following riddles are suitable:
Great puzzle games can be carried out in nature. For example, take the kids out into the garden and let them find as many different leaves, fruits and flowers as they can. Together, the children then puzzle over the names of the corresponding plants.
Prepare appropriate questions, such as: What do dandelion seeds look like? The fruit of which tree looks like a small hedgehog? Which tree fruit can be eaten?
The topic of movie and comic heroes also holds a lot of potential. Here, the kids can put their expert knowledge to the test. What is the name of the hero's best friend? What is his favorite food? Which of his special characteristics does the series revolve around? Simply answering questions can also be combined with other activities. For example, have the kids draw the hero's signature outfit. It gets even more complex when the little ones pantomime each other's characters. Once they have all guessed correctly, they are given the clue how to get to the next location.
In addition to the interests, the age of the children is important. After all, the puzzles should be tricky, but not unsolvable. The following ideas are sorted by age - so you can reliably find inspiration for scavenger hunts with your children.
When it comes to scavenger hunt puzzles for kids of kindergarten age, it is important that they are not designed to be too difficult. In addition, there should be no need to read or write anything, because very few children master all that before they start school. The puzzles should in no case lead to frustration. There should be no need to prove who is the smartest. The point is rather that all the little guests have fun!
If you have made treasure maps, then they should definitely consist of pictures only. You cany replace written street signs with distinctive objects that you draw on the sheet. This could be a special shaped tree, a lantern, a colorful shrub and more. The clues leading to the next location, can consist of picture puzzles. Here are a few more ideas for scavenger hunt riddles for kids of kindergarten age that they can easily answer:
Scavenger hunt puzzles for elementary school children are allowed to challenge the kids a bit and build on what they have already learned in school. Simple math games or small reading challenges are great to incorporate:
The myCityHunt treasure hunt is also suitable for children in fourth grade and above. Equipped with smartphones, the young and older explorers here go on a virtual hunt in the middle of the city.
In addition to tricky puzzles, mini games make the scavenger hunt for kids even more varied. Of course, they can also involve guessing. How about a round of pantomime? Depending on the age of the children, they either draw a simple word out of a hat or you whisper it quietly in their ears. For example, the word to be guessed is "bird"? Then the children immediately know that the next clue is to be found on the big tree with the birdhouse.
The following game can also be a lot of fun: The child whose turn it is describes a word that he or she is not allowed to name. And this in turn gives a hint as to where the next riddle of the scavenger hunt is located.
What should not be missing from a scavenger hunt for kids? Well, of course, a treasure map! To make it look like a real map from times gone by, leading to a treasure buried for centuries, here are a few tips and tricks.
First, draw the route you want the kids to take and add prominent points, like big trees, a bush, the garden shed and more. All you need now is some coffee grounds from breakfast. Rub it generously on the map.
Be careful not to be too even when doing this so that there are color gradations. Now crumple up the paper a bit and tear it slightly in some spots. For a particularly authentic look, carefully burn off the edges with a lighter or create burn marks on the treasure map.
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.
| Organize yourself Pros & cons self-organization |
Book tickets Pros & cons ticket booking |
| Very time consuming | Simple booking |
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| Paper only | Intuitive web application |
| Free of charge (except material costs) | Not free of charge |
| Customizable | Not customizable |
Good scavenger hunt puzzles for kids are designed so that everyone can contribute something to the solution. For this purpose, sporting challenges, knowledge questions and number puzzles are appropriate. In general, it is important to adjust the level of difficulty to the age of the children. For small kids, the puzzles should rather be based on photos and drawings. Letters and numbers can be included for older children.
Fun scavenger hunt puzzles for kids include pantomime games. One child acts out a term and the others are asked to guess - the kids have a lot of fun with this. Joke questions also provide a lot of amusement on the scavenger hunt.
For a scavenger hunt for kids, you need about 10 to 15 different riddles. A good half of them can consist of riddles. The other part is composed of participatory tasks, crafts and sports challenges. Tip: Play through the game once before the actual date, preferably with a child of the same age. That way you can see approximately how long the rally will take and whether the difficulty level is suitable for children.
Scavenger Hunt
Treasure Hunt
Escape Game
