Every task here is about the squad itself: its colors, its chants, its gym and the people who keep it running. These cheer scavenger hunt ideas score 1 to 3 points, and no stunt counts for any of them.
Read the full guide
Pick the sets that fit the night
A sleepover suits Spirit finds, Chants and motions and Kindness. At school, add Gym and field. Choose a set in the menu and deal a list for each small team, then print it or tick tasks off on a phone.
A set for a dance team
Dance team is written for a studio or a school dance team: counts, formations, the mirror and the music. It mixes well with Team photos and Kindness, which fit any team.
Tips
Split the squad so that every small team has a first-year and a senior.
Read the fourth printed rule aloud before anyone starts: no stunts, lifts, jumps or tumbling count.
Questions and answers
What are good tasks for a cheer squad hunt?
Tasks only a squad can do: An eight-count said backward, together, the mascot drawn from memory by every member, a new two-line chant about tonight's host, and A cheer written for a team that never gets a crowd.
Is it safe for a sleepover or a camp?
Every task keeps both feet on the ground. The printed rules say no stunts, lifts, jumps or tumbling count for points, and photos show the team only.
How do you score it?
Each task carries 1, 2 or 3 points at the start of its note. Mark a task done on the sheet, add the points at the finish time, and take one point off for each minute a team is late.
A hair bow nobody is wearing1 point. In a bag, on a shelf or tied to something.
A megaphone1 point. Hold it up for the photo. Nobody shouts through it indoors.
A pom with two colors in it1 point. Shake it once for the judges.
A poster for the next game2 points. Write the day printed on it.
A sign with the word spirit, pride or go on it2 points. Write the whole sign down.
A teammate's name written on a water bottle1 point. The owner has to agree it is theirs.
A trophy with a year from before the squad was born3 points. Write the year and what it was won for.
Last season's team photo2 points. On a wall, in a yearbook or on a phone the coach holds up.
The mascot drawn from memory by every member2 points. Pin the drawings up side by side and vote for the closest.
The oldest piece of uniform the coach can find3 points. Ask the coach. Write the year if anybody knows it.
The school's initials stitched onto something2 points. Stitched, not printed.
The school's name spelled out somewhere outdoors1 point. On a sign, a wall or the field itself.
The thing the squad passes round for luck3 points. A stick, a stuffed mascot, a ribbon: every squad has one. Name it.
Three things in the team colors that nobody is wearing1 point. A water bottle, a folder, a car in the lot: clothing does not count.
Team photos 14
Each member holding up the number of seasons they have cheered2 points. On fingers. A first-year holds up one.
Every left shoe on the team in a row, smallest first1 point. Shoes back on before the next task.
Every pom the team owns, laid out as one heart1 point. On the floor, with the squad standing round it.
Everyone caught in the middle of a clap2 points. Hands almost touching. It takes a few tries.
Hands stacked in the middle, shot from above1 point. The photographer holds the phone up, standing on the floor.
The megaphone in the middle with the squad in a ring round it1 point. Feet on the ground, everybody facing in.
The squad frozen in the last pose of a cheer2 points. Feet on the ground. Hold it for a slow count of three.
The squad seated on the bleachers in the shape of a triangle2 points. Everybody sitting. Nobody stands on a seat.
The squad spelling the school's initials with their arms2 points. The judges have to be able to read it.
The squad's shadows in one long line3 points. Outdoors, or under a bright gym light.
The team with the scoreboard in the background2 points. The whole board has to fit in the frame.
The team's best game face1 point. One photo, everybody serious, nobody laughing.
The whole squad reflected in one window2 points. Every face has to show in the glass.
The whole team's hair bows clipped along one railing2 points. Unclipped and back in the bags before you leave.
Chants and motions 13
A chant that uses every member's first initial3 points. Written out, with the initials underlined.
A clapped rhythm passed round the circle without a miss2 points. One full lap. A miss sends it back to the start.
A new two-line chant about tonight's host2 points. Kind words only. Written on the sheet and performed once.
A whole sideline chant in a whisper2 points. The words have to stay together to score.
An eight-count said backward, together2 points. Eight down to one with no gap and no giggles.
Four arm motions mirrored by a partner2 points. Face each other. The partner copies each one like a reflection.
The mascot's name spelled out loud with a motion for each letter3 points. Every member uses the same motion for the same letter.
The newest member's favorite chant, taught to everyone1 point. The newest member leads it.
One chant done in slow motion1 point. Arms and voices both slow. Filmed by a teammate.
One motion done as sharply as you can, then as softly1 point. The judges have to see the difference.
One voice calling and the squad answering, three times over1 point. The answer has to come back as one voice.
Three arm motions hit in unison2 points. Both arms up in a V, both straight out, both down in a V, on one count each.
The words of the school song with no music3 points. Spoken or sung, start to finish.
Gym and field 13
A pad wrapped round a goalpost or the base of a basket2 points. Say what color it is.
A row number on the bleachers1 point. Write the highest one you can find.
A school record that has stood for ten years or more3 points. From the record board. Write the event and the year.
The announcer's table or the press box2 points. Seen from the floor or the stands. Nobody goes up.
The door the team runs out of on game night1 point. Walk through it together, once.
The home team's bench1 point. The squad sits on it for the photo, if nobody else is using it.
The lane numbers on the running track2 points. Count the lanes and write the highest number.
The mascot painted on the court or the field2 points. Stand round it, never on a wet floor.
Midfield, on the line marked 502 points. Stand on it for the photo if the field is open.
The numbers lit on the scoreboard tonight1 point. Write them down, even if it is blank.
The oldest year on any banner in the gym2 points. Write the year and the sport.
The sign that marks the student section2 points. If there is no sign, write what the section is called.
The spot where the squad stands at kickoff or tip-off1 point. Everyone stands on their own spot.
Kindness 12
A cheer written for a team that never gets a crowd3 points. Pick a team and write four lines for it.
A good-luck sign for another team2 points. Any team at the school. Hang it where they will see it.
A note for the custodian or the groundskeeper2 points. Say thank you for one thing you have noticed.
A thank-you for whoever washes the uniforms2 points. A parent, a coach or the squad itself: say it in writing.
A thank-you note for the coach, signed by everyone2 points. Left where the coach will find it tomorrow.
A welcome card for next season's newest member2 points. Signed by the whole squad and given to the coach to keep.
The equipment bag carried for somebody else1 point. From the gym door to the car or the closet.
Every water bottle on the squad refilled1 point. By somebody other than its owner.
The mat room or the storage closet left tidy1 point. Everything back on its shelf. The coach signs it off.
One section of bleachers wiped down after practice1 point. A before photo and an after photo.
One written compliment for every teammate3 points. On slips of paper, handed over before you leave.
Three jobs the captain does that nobody thanks them for2 points. List them, then say thank you.
Dance team 14
A barre, or whatever the team uses as one1 point. A railing or a chair back counts.
A costume piece with sequins on it1 point. Held up, not worn.
A dance shoe with a worn spot3 points. Its owner names the step that wore it.
A formation drawn on paper, with a spot for every dancer3 points. Initials only on the drawing.
A program from a show with the team's name in it2 points. Paper or a photo of it.
A whole routine marked with hands only, sitting down2 points. No music. The counts have to match.
The count-in, said by the quietest member1 point. Five, six, seven, eight, loud enough for the back row.
Eight counts of a routine, facing the back wall2 points. The whole team, with no mirror to help.
Every dancer's feet in one photo, heels together2 points. Toes turned out, shoes on.
The last eight counts of a routine in slow motion2 points. On the floor. Nothing that leaves the ground.
One pose held for a slow count of eight2 points. Both feet on the floor, no wobble.
The speaker, and the one person trusted with the music1 point. A photo of both.
The studio mirror with every dancer's face in it1 point. One photo, nobody hidden.
The team's entrance walk, in step, across the floor2 points. Filmed from the front.
How this list was compiled
Written for this site by its editors in September 2026: original tasks for a school cheer squad's bonding night, sleepover or camp, with a set for a dance team, sorted into Spirit finds, Team photos, Chants and motions, Gym and field, Kindness and Dance team. Nothing was copied from another list, and no league, competition, uniform brand or film is named. Every task is done with both feet on the ground: no stunt, lift, jump or tumbling counts for points, and the rule is printed on every sheet. Every task involves only the squad's own members: nobody outside the team is approached or photographed, nothing is bought, taken or climbed, and no task asks for a name on the sheet. Arm motions are described in plain words and not named. English Wikipedia's Cheerleading article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheerleading, read on 2026-09-30) was read for a list of named motions and gives none, so none is named here; it does say that teams build routines on an eight-count, which two tasks use. The notes are judging rules in the editors' words, not coaching or safety instruction. Points and levels are the editors' judgment. Licence: own work