Scavenger hunts are a fantastic way to foster your students’ curiosity, develop their cognitive skills, and encourage teamwork. Make learning a positive and exciting experience with our collection of 48 creative ideas! From exploring the seasons to mastering the alphabet, these scavenger hunt activities are sure to create memorable, learning-filled adventures for your kiddos. Dive right in to unearth a wealth of ideas!
1. Science Scavenger Hunt
This science-themed scavenger hunt will be great for your 9-12 year olds! You can use it to welcome them in the first week of school or as a little end-of-year celebration. Either way, your students are sure to love this challenge.
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2. Earth Day Scavenger Hunt
Why not use Earth Day as an opportunity to teach your kids about protecting the environment? This scavenger hunt is a great way to start conversations about pollution, recycling, and saving the planet.
Learn More: Primary Playground
3. Sight Word Scavenger Hunt
Sight words are the most common words in children’s books – your young readers should be able to recognize them instantly without sounding them out. Help them improve their reading fluency by asking them to find these words in books, around the classroom, or in their work.
Learn More: No Time For Flashcards
4. Rhyming Scavenger Hunt
Rhyming isn’t just fun; it’s an important part of your children’s language learning. Help them build their phonemic awareness with this delightful activity in which they have to find words that rhyme.
Learn More: This Reading Mama
5. Letters Scavenger Hunt
This activity is an excellent way to help your preschoolers master their ABCs! As they identify objects that start with different letters, they’ll become more familiar with the alphabet. You can make this a book-themed scavenger hunt or simply have them search around the classroom.
Learn More: Primary Playground
6. Indoor Scavenger Hunt
If you’re stuck indoors this winter, this scavenger hunt will definitely keep your kids busy for a few hours. They’ll have a blast scuttling about to find these everyday objects. You can make it more challenging by adding a timer and making it a race!
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7. Nature Color Scavenger Hunt
This outdoor activity is great for even your littlest of learners! By having them find colorful objects in nature, you can reinforce their knowledge of colors, improve their observation skills, and instill an appreciation for nature.
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8. Road Trip Scavenger Hunt
Taking your kids on a field trip? Have them grab their clipboards and keep them busy for the entire bus ride with a scavenger hunt. This is great for seat buddy collaboration and a genius way to avoid the incessant “Are we there yet?” questions!
Learn More: The Untamed Mom
9. Fall Scavenger Hunt
This Fall scavenger hunt is the perfect activity for the first week of school. It’ll get your learners excited and set the tone for the year ahead! Take them out to the playground or go on a nature walk, and instruct them to find various fall-themed items.
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10. Beach Scavenger Hunt
For a day of fun, learning, and unforgettable seaside memories, try this beach scavenger hunt! From seashells to sun umbrellas, there’s a wide variety of things for your kids to find and marvel at.
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11. Beautiful Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
Kids love to explore, and this activity lets them do just that. Take your little ones outdoors and give them a list of things to find – not only will you help them bond with nature, but you’ll also give them an opportunity to practice their problem-solving skills.
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12. Spring Scavenger Hunt
Encourage your little ones to appreciate the vibrant beauty of spring with this scavenger hunt! They are sure to enjoy the opportunity to spend time outdoors and explore nature.
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13. Photo Scavenger Hunt
This is a creative scavenger hunt to encourage your students’ artistic sides. Task them with capturing a diverse set of moments and scenes with their camera. You can even make it a playful competition!
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14. Fun Leaf Scavenger Hunt
Turn your ordinary outdoor trip into an adventure quest! This is a great way to build your students’ knowledge of different types of leaves, and even acquaint them with different colors and textures.
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15. Adorable Gratitude Scavenger Hunt
For an activity that’ll encourage introspection and gratitude in your kiddos, try this unique scavenger hunt! By encouraging them to remember all the positive things in their lives, you could facilitate a transformative experience. Pair this with a gratitude meditation exercise for maximum impact.
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16. Cross-curriculum Scavenger Hunt
Engage your students in a cross-curricular scavenger hunt to promote real-world application of words and ideas. Easily adaptable to the vocabulary you want to reinforce, it’s a great way to review at the end of the week or introduce new concepts at the beginning of a new lesson.
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17. What’s Around?
This is an easy and engaging scavenger hunt for your students. Send them out at recess with it and see what they can find. Alternatively, make it a friendly competition by timing them to see how quickly they can find everything!
Learn More: The Global Wizards
18. Let’s Take a Walk
Make your little walk around the neighborhood more interesting for your little ones! They’ll have a great time exploring while out and about. As they walk, have them work together to see how many different things they can spot.
Learn More: Crafty Morning
19. Birthday Scavenger Hunt
Want to turn a birthday into something special? This super fun, active, and creative scavenger hunt is a fantastic addition to any party! Let your kids check off the items as they go and show off all their projects at the end.
Learn More: Thrifty Mommas Tips
20. Distance Learning Scavenger Hunt
We know how difficult it is to find different activities to keep kids engaged during distance learning. This hunt is perfect for such situations! Your kids’ll have so much fun trying to find everything and share it with the class.
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21. Magnets, Magnets, Everywhere
Helping your students understand magnets can be so much fun! Hide magnets around the classroom and give your kiddos different hints or riddles to find them. The first one to find them all and get them to stick to their big magnet wins!
Learn More: TPT
22. Weather Scavenger Hunt
At school or home, being stuck inside can be a drag for your little ones. This activity is perfect for those cold winter days. Try incorporating it into one of your winter lessons for an adventure like never before!
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23. Seed Scavenger Hunt
This activity can be a great way to introduce the wonder of seeds to your kids. Send them outside or have them look around the classroom (if you have plants) and hunt for different seeds. Once they find a seed, ask them to explain or make a hypothesis about how it spreads.
Learn More: YouTube
24. States of Matter at Home
This scavenger hunt is super simple and you can assign your students to do it from the comfort of their homes. Instruct them to search their refrigerator for matter in its different states – solid, liquids, and gas. What a fun way to begin a discussion on the properties of all three!
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25. Story Time, Scavenger Hunt
Turn your students into little nature detectives with this activity! Give them a worksheet of consumer animals and take them outside to find them. This can serve as a gateway to discussions about different types of animals and the importance of the food cycle.
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26. Simple Scavenger Hunt
This one is great for days when you need a break and want to keep things simple. Simply pull up this YouTube video and let your learners spread out and search for the items. They’ll love the adventure of collecting different objects and you’ll love the break time to catch up on grading papers or crafting lesson plans!
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27. Scavenger Challenge
This hunt works especially well on a day when you have many absences or pullouts. Have your littles find and keep track of all the items that show up on the screen.
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28. Shiny Pennies Scavenger Hunt
There are two parts to this scavenger hunt. Firstly, have your students search their homes for as many dirty pennies as they can find. Show them how to clean the coins using simple ingredients like vinegar and salt. Then, have them go online to figure out the scientific reason why the pennies become shiny again!
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29. Historical Figures Scavenger Hunt
Inject some life into your history lessons with a scavenger hunt! Have your students search for information about various significant historical figures. Whether it’s scouring through books in the classroom, exploring the library’s resources, or conducting online research, they’ll enjoy donning a detective hat.
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
30. Math Problem Scavenger Hunt
Looking for a way to make your math lessons more engaging? Try creating a scavenger hunt that requires your learners to solve problems to find the next clue.
Learn More: Love Teaching Kids
31. Language Arts Scavenger Hunt
This scavenger hunt presents an interactive way to teach your pupils about different elements of the language arts. Encourage them to explore parts of speech, grammar, and literary terms by finding examples in the assigned material!
Learn More: This Reading Mama
32. Cultural Heritage Scavenger Hunt
Help your kiddos embrace the beauty of diversity with this hunt! Instruct them to hunt for cultural artifacts, traditional clothing, or dishes from around the world before sharing their findings with the rest of the class. By immersing them in the customs and traditions of various cultures, you can promote multicultural understanding.
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33. Musical Instruments Scavenger Hunt
If you’re looking for ways to add excitement to your music class, this activity is perfect for you! Hide images or actual musical instruments around the school, and challenge your learners to identify each one they find.
Learn More: TPT
34. Library Scavenger Hunt
There probably isn’t any room more fascinating than the library, which contains a multitude of worlds within it. What better way to help your students discover this treasure house than with a scavenger hunt? Instruct them to look for books by specific authors, books of a certain genre, or even different reference materials. With this activity, you can introduce your little ones to the library’s layout and functions in an enjoyable way.
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35. Art Elements Scavenger Hunt
Add some variety to your class with an art-themed scavenger hunt! Ask your learners to search for particular elements of art, such as color, line, shape, or texture, in various artworks. As they hunt, you can also introduce them to different art styles, periods, and artists.
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36. Geography Scavenger Hunt
Take your students on an exciting journey around the world and spice up your geography class! Using a map or a globe, instruct your students to hunt for countries, cities, mountains, rivers, or any geographical feature you want them to learn about.
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37. Health and Nutrition Scavenger Hunt
Nutrition is one of the most important aspects of leading a healthy life. Nurture health consciousness in your little ones with this exercise! Have them search for items related to health and nutrition, such as different food groups, nutrients, healthy habits, or exercise types.
Learn More: Project School Wellness
38. Digital Safety Scavenger Hunt
Worried about your kiddos’ safety in this increasingly online world? Equip them with essential digital safety and etiquette principles with this activity. Instruct them to look for correct and incorrect examples of online behavior and safety guidelines; fostering responsible and safe digital citizenship.
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39. Ecology Scavenger Hunt
Take learning outdoors and connect with nature with an ecology scavenger hunt! Guide your little ones to find different plant species, insects, or signs of animal life.
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40. Space-themed Scavenger Hunt
This space-themed activity is perfect to get your little learners curious about the mysteries of the universe! Instruct them to search for facts about different planets, stars, comets, or other celestial objects.
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41. Recycling Scavenger Hunt
Keen to teach your students about the importance of recycling? Make it an adventure by having them hunt for recyclable items! This can be a fun and educational way for you to highlight the importance of environmental sustainability.
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42. School Spirit Scavenger Hunt
For an activity that inspires a sense of pride and belonging in your kiddos, try this school spirit scavenger hunt! Have them find objects or locations that are significant to the history and culture of the school. As they search, you’ll strengthen their connection to the school community and kindle a spirit of camaraderie among them!
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
43. Sensory Scavenger Hunt
Encourage your students to engage all of their senses with this thrilling scavenger hunt! Task them with hunting for items that evoke different senses, such as finding specific textures, colors, sounds, scents, or tastes.
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44. Career Exploration Scavenger Hunt
Do you want to nudge your students to think about the future? Challenge them to hunt for information about different careers; discovering the skills and qualifications required for entering into each profession. Once introduced to a wide variety of potential career paths, they can dream big and plan to fulfill their aspirations!
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45. Poetry Scavenger Hunt
Instill an appreciation of poetry in your little ones with this delightful activity! Have them hunt for poems, or lines from poems, that meet certain criteria, such as rhyme schemes or literary devices.
Learn More: Twinkl
46. Holiday Scavenger Hunt
Looking for a way to infuse joy and excitement into festive occasions? Create a holiday-themed scavenger hunt, instructing your kiddos to find symbols, traditions, or historical facts related to the holiday you’re celebrating.
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47. Physical Science Scavenger Hunt
The beauty of physics is that it’s observable everywhere around us! Make abstract concepts come alive with this scavenger hunt – task your students with hunting for examples of different physical phenomena, such as instances of gravity, friction, or magnetism.
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
48. Architecture Scavenger Hunt
With this exciting activity, you can encourage your pupils to appreciate the design and function of buildings! Have them explore architectural elements and styles by hunting for particular building features, either in their neighborhood or online.
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