Keep your kids busy with these top 3 scavenger hunts

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Scavenger hunts

Scavenger hunts are a fantastic and easy to organise way to keep your kids amused in quiet moments, when a digital distraction just won’t cut it. And they’re lots of fun! Here’s our pick of three of the best.

A scavenger hunt is a simple game that can be enjoyed by all the family. They are especially beloved by kids, who love the chase to collect all the items.

What is a scavenger hunt?

Essentially, a scavenger hunt game refers to any game in which participants have to collect or spy a number of miscellaneous objects. As the organizer of a scavenger hunt, you simply need to compose a list of different objects that exist within the area in which the hunt will be played. The players then work against the clock – or each other – to find all the items on the list.

The simple nature of the game makes it easy to play. To organize your own scavenger hunt you need nothing more than an understanding of the local area and what might be seen, some sheets of paper and some pens or pencils.

That said, there are some great printables available online which make organizing a scavenger hunt even easier! Here’s our pick of three top scavenger hunt printables.

#1. A wildlife scavenger hunt

If you have children who love to get outside and explore nature, then you’ll love the “spotter” series of scavenger hunt printables from the Wildlife Watch organization. The collection on the charity’s website includes a whole host of scavenger hunts you can print off and undertake.

The series includes seasonal hunts as well as hunts for different types of wildlife found in different locations and ecosystems. We particularly love the minibeast detective scavenger hunt and the shoreline detective scavenger hunt printables. The hedgerow wildlife detective scavenger hunt and the river bird spotter scavenger hunt are also great, provided there is a suitable environment nearby!

#2. A road trip scavenger hunt

Entertaining kids on long drives can be a challenge. Get your road trip off to a great start by giving your kids a scavenger hunt to undertake on the journey.

There are plenty of great road trip scavenger trip printables to be found online. The educational resource website Twinkl offers a range of free and subscriber-only printables for car journey scavenger hunts. We really like this road trip bingo scavenger hunt – although depending where you are in the world, the Australian flag may be a challenge!

The Mom’s Mini Van website offers some great road trip scavenger hunt printables for free too. Helpfully, it offers two options: a picture sheet for younger children and a scavenger hunt for older children without pictures but with items that are harder to find.

#3. An indoor scavenger hunt for rainy days

If your kids are stuck inside on a rainy day and you want to get them off their devices, why not give them an indoor scavenger hunt to complete? There’s no reason why a scavenger hunt has to be outdoors!

We love this printable from the website Hey Let’s Make Stuff. The indoor scavenger hunt is perfect to keep your little ones amused. The list of things to find includes “something shiny”, “something that tells the time” and “something that floats”.  Great fun!

What next?

Find more fun articles for vacation ideas – with or without the kids – on our blog:

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