Birthday Scavenger Hunt Ideas

Press Pick 10 new clues, take away the rhymes your home cannot use, then print a trail ending at the present.

Birthday Scavenger Hunt Ideas

More filters
Show all 89
  1. Ribbons and bows and rolls of tape. Open the drawer where presents take shape.
  2. Climb my steps and then whoosh, you're down. At my bottom a clue is found.
  3. Your party shirt dried on my rail. Look where it hung and follow the trail.
  4. You fell asleep one year younger on me. Lift me up and what do you see?
  5. Sit on me out in the evening air. Look underneath the patio chair.
  6. Little bags wait for your friends to take home. One of them holds a clue of its own.
  7. Once you were tiny with hardly a hair. Find that photo, a clue waits there.
  8. Back and forth, I fly you high. Look on my seat before you try.
  9. Two wheels, two pedals, a bell to ring. Look on my seat for the next thing.
  10. After the cake we scrub each tooth. Look under our cup to learn the truth.

Next step Take the hunt around the blockParty games for after the hunt

All 112 clues

Party things 16

  • A donkey on the wall has lost his tail. Look under the poster, you cannot fail. Answer: the pin-the-tail poster. Tape the clue behind the bottom edge of the game poster.
  • Birthday cards stand up in a row. Open the biggest one and you'll know. Answer: the birthday cards on the shelf. Inside the biggest card, on a shelf the hunter can reach.
  • The cake sits here till the candles glow. Look under my stand, then off you go. Answer: the cake stand. Tape it under the stand or the cake box. Nothing touches the cake.
  • ____ candles are waiting to shine. Look in their box for the next sign. Answer: the box of birthday candles. After printing, write the new age in the blank. An adult keeps the matches or lighter somewhere else.
  • Gifts from your friends are piled up high. Don't open yet, just look nearby. Answer: the gift table. Tape it under the edge of the table. The guests' presents stay wrapped.
  • I'm spread out smooth for the birthday tea. Lift my corner, what's under me? Answer: the party tablecloth. Flat under one corner, away from the food.
  • Letters on a string spell out your day. Look under the H and you're on your way. Answer: the Happy Birthday banner. Tape the clue to the wall under the first H, at the hunter's height.
  • Little bags wait for your friends to take home. One of them holds a clue of its own. Answer: the party favor bags. In the bag at the back of the row.
  • One chair today has a bow on its back. Look under the seat to stay on track. Answer: the birthday chair. Tie a bow or a balloon to the birthday person's chair and tape the clue under the seat.
  • Plates and cups are stacked for the crowd. Lift the top plate, no peeking allowed. Answer: the stack of party plates. Flat under the top plate.
  • Pointy and striped with a string for your chin. Lift the top hat and look within. Answer: the stack of party hats. Inside the top hat of the stack.
  • Ribbons and bows and rolls of tape. Open the drawer where presents take shape. Answer: the gift wrap drawer. Under the ribbon. Move the scissors out of the drawer first.
  • Shake me over frosting, rainbow and bright. Under my jar a clue hides from sight. Answer: the jar of sprinkles. Under the jar, folded small.
  • Stuffed with candy, I wait for a whack. Before I go up, look on my back. Answer: the piñata. Tape the clue on before the piñata is hung. The hunter finds it on a table, never overhead.
  • Twisted paper loops from wall to wall. Find where we start, that's all, that's all. Answer: the streamers. Tape it where a streamer meets the wall, low enough for the hunter to reach.
  • We're full of air and tied with string. Look where we're knotted for the next thing. Answer: the bunch of balloons. Tie the clue to the ribbon where the balloons are anchored. Nothing goes inside a balloon.

Kitchen 13

  • Cereal, crackers and snacks on a shelf. Open this cupboard and look for yourself. Answer: the snack cupboard. Lean the clue on the box the birthday person reaches for most.
  • Forks for the cake all sleep in a row. Slide me open, there's more to know. Answer: the silverware drawer. Move any sharp knives out of the drawer first, then lay the clue under the spoons.
  • I held the batter for your birthday cake. Look under me now, for goodness' sake. Answer: the big mixing bowl. Washed, dry and upside down on the counter, with the clue beneath.
  • I hold the bananas, the apples, the pears. Lift up the fruit, a clue hides there. Answer: the fruit bowl. Flat under the fruit, so a corner shows.
  • I kept the flour off the birthday cook. My pocket's the place you ought to look. Answer: the apron. Hang the apron on its usual hook with the clue in the pocket.
  • I lifted your cake from the heat of the tray. Reach inside me, a clue's tucked away. Answer: an oven mitt. Hang the mitt on its usual hook. The oven itself stays out of the hunt.
  • The invitation says when and where. Look under its magnet, a clue hides there. Answer: the party invitation on the refrigerator door. Pin the clue under the same magnet. With no paper invitation, write the party time on a card and pin that up.
  • Lift my lid when you want something sweet. Today I'm hiding a clue, not a treat. Answer: the cookie jar. Add one cookie per hunter and nobody minds the trick.
  • Open the book that knows how to bake. The clue marks the page for birthday cake. Answer: a cookbook. Use it as a bookmark at a cake recipe and let one corner stick out.
  • The party ice cream is cold in here. Reach in fast, your next clue is near. Answer: the freezer. Put the paper in a sandwich bag so frost does not smudge the ink, on a shelf the hunter reaches without a stool.
  • Pointy and crunchy, we wait for a scoop. Look under our box and you're in the loop. Answer: the box of ice cream cones. On the counter with the clue flat underneath. Nothing goes inside the box.
  • Pull out a chair where the family eats. Look under the table, below the seats. Answer: under the kitchen table. Tape it to the underside, near the birthday person's usual chair.
  • Two slices go in and two slices pop out. Look right beside me and scout about. Answer: the toaster. Beside it or under it, never in the slots.

Living room 12

  • The birthday song will play from me. Look behind me, then count to three. Answer: the speaker. Behind it, never inside a grille or a port.
  • Controllers and headsets pile up here. Look with the games that you hold dear. Answer: the game console shelf. Under a controller is the first place a young gamer looks.
  • Dice and cards for the party are stored. Open the box with the folded board. Answer: a board game box. Pick the game the birthday person always wants to play.
  • I change the channel from where you sit. The clue you need is right under it. Answer: the TV remote. Leave the remote where it always lives, with the clue folded beneath.
  • I drink from a can and I lean to the light. A clue in my leaves is tucked out of sight. Answer: a houseplant. Rest it on the soil or among the leaves. Skip any plant with thorns.
  • I have a shade but I've never seen sun. Look at my base when the reading is done. Answer: a table lamp. Tuck it under the base of a lamp that stands on a table, not the floor.
  • I'm warm and folded for movie nights. Shake me out and the clue takes flight. Answer: the throw blanket. Fold the clue into the blanket so it drops out when the blanket is shaken.
  • Mugs and magazines rest on my top. Crawl underneath me and there you stop. Answer: the coffee table. Tape it to the underside so it cannot be seen from the couch.
  • Once you were tiny with hardly a hair. Find that photo, a clue waits there. Answer: the hunter's baby photo. Stand the clue behind the frame and write the hunter's name on the fold.
  • The party guests will all sit on me. Lift up my cushions and you will see. Answer: the couch. Under the middle cushion, where the lost coins usually are.
  • Tired feet rest on me after the fun. Look underneath, then off you run. Answer: the footstool. Flat under the footstool, with one corner showing.
  • Watch through me for the guests to arrive. Look on my sill, the hunt's alive. Answer: the front window sill. A ground-floor window, with the clue on the sill behind the curtain.

Bedroom 12

  • Birthday money goes in through my slot. Look underneath, see what you've got. Answer: the piggy bank. Under it, not in it, or the hunt ends with a hammer.
  • Draw me shut to keep out the sun. Look behind my folds, then run, run, run. Answer: the curtains. Clip it to the back of the curtain with a clothespin, at the hunter's shoulder height.
  • I carry your books to school and back. Unzip the front of your own backpack. Answer: the backpack. Front pocket, with the zipper left an inch open.
  • I woke you today with a birthday song. Look beside me, you won't be long. Answer: the alarm clock. For a phone alarm, put the clue under the charger on the nightstand.
  • Monsters don't live here, just dust and a shoe. Look under the bed for your next clue. Answer: under the bed. Near the edge, so nobody has to crawl.
  • No homework today, it's your birthday, hooray. Look under the chair you push away. Answer: the desk chair. Tape it under the seat.
  • Pencil marks show how much you grew. Look by the top one, a clue's there for you. Answer: the height marks on the door frame. Measure the birthday person first, then tape the clue beside the new mark. A growth chart works the same way.
  • Somebody hung a sign on your door. Look behind it for one clue more. Answer: the birthday sign on the bedroom door. Tape a Happy Birthday sign to the door the night before, with the clue behind it.
  • Stuffed and soft with a button nose. Your oldest friend knows where this goes. Answer: a favorite stuffed animal. Under its arm or tied on with ribbon. Use the one that has been around longest.
  • You fell asleep one year younger on me. Lift me up and what do you see? Answer: your pillow. A good second stop for a hunt that starts at breakfast, because the bed is already empty.
  • You pull me on last before you sleep. Inside my fold is a clue to keep. Answer: the pajamas. Folded into the pajama top, under the pillow or in the drawer.
  • Your party clothes hang behind my door. Look in the closet, down on the floor. Answer: the bedroom closet. Inside a shoe on the closet floor.

Bathroom and laundry 12

  • After the bath I wrap you up warm. Check my pocket, it does no harm. Answer: the bathrobe. In the pocket of the robe on its hook, within the hunter's reach.
  • After the cake we scrub each tooth. Look under our cup to learn the truth. Answer: the toothbrush cup. Under the cup, folded small.
  • Birthday bubbles pour out of me. Look behind my bottle and see. Answer: the bubble bath bottle. On the edge of a dry tub, with the clue behind the bottle.
  • Clean sheets and towels, folded and neat. Open this closet and lift a sheet. Answer: the linen closet. Between the top two sheets on the lowest shelf.
  • Dirty shirts pile up in me. Dig to the bottom and you will see. Answer: the laundry hamper. Best on a day when the hamper is nearly empty.
  • I hang on a hook and I dry your face. Unfold me gently, I'm the hiding place. Answer: the bath towel. Fold it into the birthday person's own towel.
  • Look in me: one year older, it's true. Check my corner, a note's there for you. Answer: the bathroom mirror. Bottom corner, within reach.
  • Pull me aside when the water is on. Peek behind me before the clue's gone. Answer: the shower curtain. Tape it to the dry side of the curtain.
  • Rubber ducks and boats that float. In the bath toy bin you'll find a note. Answer: the bath toy bin. A good stop when the birthday person is under six.
  • Squares of paper wound in a roll. Look in the tube, right down the hole. Answer: the spare toilet paper roll. Roll the clue up and slide it into the cardboard tube of a spare roll.
  • Wet feet land on me after a scrub. Lift my corner, beside the tub. Answer: the bath mat. A dry mat, with the clue flat under one corner.
  • Your party shirt dried on my rail. Look where it hung and follow the trail. Answer: the drying rack. Clip the clue to the rack with a clothespin. The washer and the dryer stay out of the hunt.

Hallway and front door 12

  • Ding-dong, the party guests are on their way. Look just below the button today. Answer: the doorbell. Tape it to the door frame under the button, with an adult at the open door.
  • Flip me up and the dark goes away. Look just below me for a clue today. Answer: the hallway light switch. Tape it to the wall under the switch, at the hunter's height.
  • Guests' coats will hang here, all in a row. Check your own pocket before you go. Answer: the coat rack. One pocket of the hunter's own coat. The rest are decoys.
  • Hats and mittens all jumbled in one. Dig through the basket until you've won. Answer: the hat and glove basket. Inside one mitten, near the top of the pile.
  • I open for rain and I fold when it's dry. Look inside me and give it a try. Answer: an umbrella. Drop the clue inside a folded umbrella in the stand.
  • I run beside the stairs, smooth and long. Look where I end and you can't go wrong. Answer: the stair railing. Tie it to the bottom post with ribbon.
  • I swallow the party crumbs with a roar. Find me parked behind a door. Answer: the vacuum cleaner. Tie it to the handle wherever the vacuum is stored.
  • Keys get dropped in me every night. Look in the bowl, the clue's in sight. Answer: the key bowl. Under the keys. A hook by the door works the same way.
  • Left and right, we wait by the door. Your party shoes hold something more. Answer: the hunter's shoes. Push it into the toe so it has to be felt for.
  • Party guests wipe their feet on me. Lift my corner and you will see. Answer: the doormat. The inside mat keeps the hunt indoors on a wet day.
  • Turn me to leave and turn me to come in. Look on the handle, that's where to begin. Answer: the front door handle. Hang it from the inside handle on a loop of string.
  • Up and down, I creak when you climb. Check my bottom step this time. Answer: the bottom stair. On the first step, tucked against the wall.

Yard and garage 12

  • Back and forth, I fly you high. Look on my seat before you try. Answer: the swing. Tape it under the seat so the wind cannot take it.
  • Birds stop here for a seed or two. Look at my pole, there's a clue for you. Answer: the bird feeder. Tied to the pole at the hunter's height, not on the feeder.
  • Birthday cards arrive in me. Open my door and you will see. Answer: the mailbox. Only a mailbox on your own side of the street. Set it after the day's mail has come.
  • Buckle up in me before we go. Check the back seat, the clue's below. Answer: the car. Parked in the driveway, engine off. An adult holds the keys, unlocks it and stays beside it. Under the hunter's usual seat.
  • Climb my steps and then whoosh, you're down. At my bottom a clue is found. Answer: the slide. Tape it to the end of the slide.
  • Flowers grow in me beside the door. Look behind my pot, down near the floor. Answer: a flower pot. Behind the pot, held down with a pebble.
  • I coil like a snake but I only spray. Look where I'm wound up and put away. Answer: the garden hose. In the middle of the coil, in a bag if the ground is wet.
  • I sprinkle the garden from my spout. Tip me over and a clue falls out. Answer: the watering can. Empty and dry inside.
  • Kick me, throw me, bounce me high. Under the ball is where clues lie. Answer: a ball in the yard. Leave the ball on the lawn in plain sight.
  • Sit on me out in the evening air. Look underneath the patio chair. Answer: a patio chair. Taped under the seat.
  • Two wheels, two pedals, a bell to ring. Look on my seat for the next thing. Answer: the bicycle. Rubber-band it to the seat or the handlebar.
  • Write HAPPY BIRTHDAY in driveway art. Look in my bucket, that's where to start. Answer: the sidewalk chalk bucket. Under the chalk. Leave a stick out so the hunter can mark the stop as found.

Grown-up hiding places 14

  • Birthday or not, you shuffle my way. Look where the coffee lives today. Answer: the coffee maker. Inside the coffee tin or under the machine. A strong opening clue for an adult's morning.
  • I go to work with you, zipped up tight. Check my front pocket before tonight. Answer: the work bag. Set it the night before and the hunt can start at the office.
  • I only come out when there's somewhere to go. Unzip me, there's something you should know. Answer: the suitcase. The natural last stop when the present is a trip.
  • Leaves and bags for a calmer brew. Lift my lid, there's a note for you. Answer: the tea tin. On top of the tea bags, folded once.
  • Napkins, a manual, an old parking slip. The box by the passenger hides the next tip. Answer: the glove box. In the parked car. For an adult hunter, hand over the keys with the clue before it.
  • Needle down and the old songs play. Look in the sleeve of one today. Answer: the record shelf. Inside the sleeve of the album they play most. Let the corner show.
  • Open the case where the music sleeps. Under the lid is where this one keeps. Answer: an instrument case. Guitar, violin or trumpet: lay the clue on top of the instrument, not under the strings.
  • Pens that don't work and a stapler too. The junk drawer's hiding a note for you. Answer: the junk drawer. Every home has one. Fold the clue around the dead pens.
  • Rolled up tight until the morning stretch. Unroll me slowly, there's a note to fetch. Answer: the yoga mat. Roll the clue into the last turn of the mat so it drops out.
  • Sneakers, a towel and a lock with a key. Unzip the gym bag and you will see. Answer: the gym bag. In a shoe, so it is found at the locker if not before.
  • Spices in rows from A to Z. Turn the cinnamon jar around and see. Answer: the spice rack. Tape a small folded clue to the back of the cinnamon jar.
  • We help you read the smallest print. Open our case to find a hint. Answer: the glasses case. Works only while the glasses are on their face.
  • You read me each night for a page or two. Where the bookmark sits is a clue for you. Answer: the book on the nightstand. Swap their bookmark for the clue and keep the page.
  • You wear us to weed and to plant each spring. A note in a finger's a curious thing. Answer: the gardening gloves. Rolled into one finger of a glove.

Final clues 9

  • Another year older and sharper too. Look ____, the last surprise is for you. Final clue. After printing, write the present's hiding place in the blank, such as in the hall closet.
  • Count your candles, then count to three. Look ____ and shout when you see. Final clue. After printing, write the present's hiding place in the blank, such as in the hall closet.
  • Everyone's waiting to watch you find it. Look ____, and check behind it. Final clue. After printing, write the present's hiding place in the blank, such as in the hall closet.
  • Happy birthday, the trail ends here. Your gift is hiding ____, very near. Final clue. After printing, write the present's hiding place in the blank, such as in the hall closet.
  • The hunt is over, the last clue is done. Your present is waiting ____. Go on, run. Final clue. After printing, write the present's hiding place in the blank, such as in the hall closet.
  • No more riddles and no more rhyme. Look ____, because it's present time. Final clue. After printing, write the present's hiding place in the blank, such as in the hall closet.
  • One last stop before we cut the cake. Look ____, there's a gift to take. Final clue. After printing, write the present's hiding place in the blank, such as in the hall closet.
  • You followed each clue and solved every one. Now look ____ and the hunting is done. Final clue. After printing, write the present's hiding place in the blank, such as in the hall closet.
  • You've been all over, upstairs and down. Look ____ for the best gift in town. Final clue. After printing, write the present's hiding place in the blank, such as in the hall closet.

How it works

A birthday trail needs birthday clues. In these birthday scavenger hunt ideas, 45 of the 103 rhymes are about the day itself, from the cake stand to the gift table. Nine final clues carry a blank for the present.

Read the full guide

Lay the trail backward

Press Pick 10 new clues, keep nine rhymes your home can use and take the tenth away with ×. Choose Final clues in the menu and press Add another: a closing rhyme joins your nine. Switch the menu back, and only your ten remain. Press Print: each rhyme prints over a blank line, with the answers on a last page for you. Hide the present first, then each strip at the answer to the one before.

Birthday party scavenger hunt ideas for kids and for adults

At a party, number the strips and pass the reading around, so every guest solves one. Grown-up hiding places holds 14 clues for an adult's birthday, such as the coffee maker and the glove box.

  • The candle clue has a blank too: write the new age in it after printing.
  • Walk the finished trail yourself: one strip at the wrong stop breaks every clue after it.

Questions and answers

How long should a treasure hunt game for a birthday party be?

Six stops for ages four to six and ten for older children. Scavenger hunt party games drag when guests wait, so with more than six hunters print two trails and race them.

Which clues suit a hunter who is learning to read?

The easy ones: 40 of the 89 room and party rhymes name their hiding place in the last line. The nine hard ones never name it. Read the rhyme aloud and let the hunter point.

How does the final clue work?

Each of the nine has a blank, such as: No more riddles and no more rhyme. Look ____, because it's present time. After printing, write the present's hiding place in it. Scavenger hunt gift ideas of any size end this way, even a bicycle.

Can the hunt go outside?

Pick Yard and garage for 12 rhymes, among them the mailbox, the bicycle and the garden hose. An adult walks along for anything near the street or in the garage.

What if my hiding place has no clue?

The riddle generator covers 60 household places, the toy box and the piggy bank among them, in four styles from easy rhymes to number codes. For more treasure hunt party ideas, print its word puzzles for the older guests.

More tools

Show 8 more

Browse Word Games