Outdoor Scavenger Hunts Are the Perfect Backyard Activity for Kids (2024)

Looking for a fun nature-inspired activity? Consider hosting an outdoor scavenger hunt for kids, which provides the perfect excuse to explore the neighborhood or a local park.

Aside from providing hassle-free entertainment, outdoor scavenger hunts have other benefits as well. For example, they enhance observational and problem-solving skills, and if your child works with others, they'll practice communication and teamwork. You can also cater the scavenger hunts to their age, interests, and skillset.

Check out four outdoor scavenger hunt ideas below. They will entertain your little ones for hours!

What Is a Scavenger Hunt?

A scavenger hunt starts with a place or series of locations in which players search for hidden objects. When planning a scavenger hunt, the idea is to create a list of things that participants need to find, ask for, or photograph.

Sometimes, the requests are simple and straightforward, as in to find a shoe, rock, or book. Other times, to increase the challenge for older scavengers, the instructions for items to locate come as clues for participants to decode. For example, a group may be prompted to find "something that changes color," which is code for a fall leaf.

Scavenger hunts can be played both with individuals and with teams. The game is adaptable and a great activity for smaller and larger groups alike. Read below for our top outdoor scavenger hunt ideas.

1. Easy Outdoor Scavenger Hunt

Younger kids will love this open-ended scavenger hunt (find something thin, something brown, something brittle, something rough). The clues will teach about colors, textures, and scientific concepts—for example, they need to search for something translucent that “lets the light shine through a bit.”

Download the free printable outdoor scavenger hunt clues from Liesl's blog here.

2. Educational Outdoor Scavenger Hunt

Older kids can participate in scavenger hunts, too! This particular set of clues focuses on challenging finds, such as onion grass and five different types of leaves.

Kids will also have to spot two different types of birds and an animal's home—a natural opportunity to teach about nature, habitats, ecosystems, and local critters! (Note: If you don’t live near a creek or pond, you can block off some of the items from the list, such as a frog, toad, salamander, and water skeeter).

Find the free outdoor scavenger hunt printable here.

3. Photography Outdoor Scavenger Hunt

If your kids enjoy photography, then check out this outdoor scavenger hunt that involves taking pictures of various items. The clues range from artsy (an interesting view of the sky) to educational (a gall—the bumpy growth on a plant or tree where insects have laid their eggs).

Lots of the outdoor scavenger hunt riddles can have many different outcomes (for example, “something yellow” could be a dandelion, a leaf, a backyard shed, etc.) so it’ll be interesting to see what your kids come up with.

At the end of the game, instead of looking through the things people found, you look through the photos that were taken. If you use smartphones, you can look through the objects on players’ screens.

Download the photography-based outdoor scavenger hunt list here.

4. Outdoor Treasure Scavenger Hunt

To introduce a technological aspect, Liesl created an Outdoor Treasure Hunt with QR Codes. This is a free app that you can download onto your phone or tablet.

Here’s how it works: A caregiver prints out the clues and hides the QR code portion accordingly, leaving the first one out to begin the scavenger hunt. For example, the first clue may translate to “check the biggest rock in our yard.” When kids search the rock, they’ll find the second QR code, which they scan to read “check the vegetable garden.” Then they’ll look through the garden to find the third QR code, which translates to “check under the patio chair.” Your kids may need to borrow your phone or tablet for this one, or you can use the text-based version too.

Liesl brainstormed four different QR code scavenger hunts. They include common things around the home and yard (check the swing, check the patio table, check the trash bin, etc.).

Find the printable lists here.

Create Your Own Scavenger Hunt

Savvy parents can also create their own outdoor scavenger hunt! Use these templates for inspiration, and whip up something personal that will tune your child's observational skills. The scavenger hunt can take place anywhere—a backyard, park, schoolyard, hiking trail, etc. You can move the scavenger hunt indoors during cold or rainy days.

You can also use scavenger hunts to practice certain concepts. Maybe your child is learning about shapes, for example, and you encourage them to find something round, rectangular, and triangular. Or they could be learning about colors, which might prompt you to create a scavenger hunt featuring red, green, yellow, blue, and purple items. The sky is the limit!

Scavenger Hunt FAQs

What are some good scavenger hunt ideas for grandparents?

Scavenger hunts are a great intergenerational activity for kids of all ages and adults of all ages, including seniors. Remember any limitations grandparents or other older adults in your life may have, and build your scavenger hunt accordingly.

• Customize a hunt based on a grandparent’s interests (car theme, gardening theme)
• Create a scavenger hunt of riddles (no physical hunting, just solve all of the puzzles to win)
• Create a hunt based on things they might find in their home (a refrigerator magnet, tweezers, teaspoon)
• Look for items they can find on their phones (selfie, photo of a pet, social media app, game app, etc.)

How can I do an online scavenger hunt?

A virtual scavenger hunt is a great way to connect with friends and family who live far away. Virtual scavenger hunts are played in the same way as an in-person scavenger hunt, except that you will connect with fellow players over video conferencing.

The hunt will occur in participants’ various locations, but the items you all search for will be the same. Whoever finds all of the items first is the winner!

How can I plan a scavenger hunt?

Planning a scavenger hunt is simple and fun with the following steps.

1. Decide on a location, day, and time, and invite your guests.
2. Identify the objects you want participants to look for.
3. Decide whether you will hide them and/or use clues that need to be deciphered or if they are objects that can easily be found.
4. Type and print your list for as many players or teams as you will have.

You can have simple prizes on hand for the winners if you like, or guests can take home the treasures they found.