• 121 ideas

Family Scavenger Hunt Ideas

A printable rainy-day hunt for rooms you already have: pick an age, press Pick 10 new ideas, then print.

Family Scavenger Hunt Ideas

Team

  1. Every find is shown to the judge, then put back.
  2. Nothing on the list is up high, under the sink or by the stove, so nobody climbs.
  3. Nobody goes out of the front door.
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All 121
  1. Someone who remembers a house phone with a cordAsk what happened when two people wanted to call at once.
  2. I hold shelves of stories and have never read one.Answer: the bookshelf.
  3. Three generations in one photoGrandparent, parent and child, or any three steps of the family.
  4. I hang on the wall and keep one moment still forever.Answer: a framed photo.
  5. Something that rattles when you shake itA box of pasta or a tub of rice, lid on. Shake gently.
  6. Your head lands on me every night. I am soft, and I never complain.Answer: your pillow.
  7. A recipe that uses an ingredient you have never tastedFrom a cookbook or a recipe card. Say the ingredient out loud.
  8. I have a window and no walls, and a bill looks out of me.Answer: a window envelope. An empty one, or mail already opened.
  9. Something softer than your pillowThe judge tests both with a cheek.
  10. The oldest-looking book on the shelf, and the year printed inside itThe year is usually on one of the first four pages.

Next step Trivia questions for kidsA clue for any other hiding place

All 121 ideas

Ages 3 to 5 55

  • A blanket big enough to hide two people Prove it. Both heads under.
  • A book with an animal on the cover Bring it to the sofa. It gets read aloud when the hunt is over.
  • A box with an animal on it Cereal boxes and cracker boxes are the first places to look.
  • A cousin, and one food you both like Keep asking until a food matches.
  • A cushion you can balance on your head for five steps Walk from the sofa toward the door. Hands stay down.
  • A grown-up who will show you their funniest face You show yours back. That is the deal.
  • A hat, and someone to wear it The someone can be a teddy bear.
  • A hello from the oldest relative here A hug, a handshake or a wave, whichever they choose.
  • A lid, and the pot or tub it belongs to Try it on. It has to fit to count.
  • A mirror low enough to make a silly face in The silliest face of the hunt gets a cheer.
  • A photo with you in it On a wall, a shelf or a phone. Say how old you were.
  • A shoe bigger than both of yours put together Try the hall. Stand your own pair beside it to check.
  • A sock with no partner The laundry basket and the floor under the bed are the places to start.
  • A spoon big enough to see your face in Look in both sides. One of them turns you upside down.
  • A stuffed animal that needs a hug Give it one. Then carry it to the finish line.
  • A window you can see a tree from Look, do not lean. Feet stay on the floor.
  • The biggest spoon in the kitchen and the smallest, side by side Wooden and plastic spoons count. The knife drawer stays shut.
  • The cup or mug with the most colors on it On the drying rack or a low shelf. Pointing is enough.
  • I am round, I bounce, and I roll away under the chair. Answer: a ball.
  • I am soft and square and I live on the sofa. Squeeze me. Answer: a cushion.
  • I go around your neck when the wind is cold. Answer: a scarf. Try the coat hooks.
  • I have a lid, and I eat whatever nobody wants. Answer: the trash can. The prize waits beside it, never inside.
  • I have bristles and a handle, and I meet your teeth twice a day. Answer: your toothbrush.
  • I have four legs and a back, and you sit on me to eat. Answer: a kitchen chair.
  • I have pages and pictures, and someone reads me to you before sleep. Answer: a bedtime book.
  • I hold your juice, and my handle sticks out like an ear. Answer: a cup or a mug.
  • I keep the milk cold and hum a little song all night. Answer: the refrigerator.
  • I keep you warm in bed, and you kick me off by morning. Answer: a blanket.
  • Knock, knock. Open me and you are outside. Answer: the front door. Players stop on the inside of it.
  • Pajamas with a pattern on them Stripes, spots, stars or animals. Say which.
  • Someone wearing stripes Point and wave. Shirts, socks and hats all count.
  • Someone who can whistle a tune One verse is enough. You guess the song.
  • Someone who can wiggle their ears or roll their tongue Try it yourself while they show you.
  • Someone who has a pet, and the pet's name Ask what kind of animal it is, too.
  • Someone whose first name starts with the same letter as yours Say both names out loud, one after the other.
  • Someone with eyes the same color as yours Stand side by side so the judge can compare.
  • Something bumpy and something smooth A hairbrush and a mirror would do it. One in each hand.
  • Something cold you can hold in one hand From the refrigerator door, with a grown-up holding it open.
  • Something held to the refrigerator door by a magnet A drawing, a list or a photo. Say who put it there.
  • Something in the fruit bowl that is not round A banana is the usual winner. Point, do not squeeze.
  • Something softer than your pillow The judge tests both with a cheek.
  • Something that has rolled under the sofa A grown-up shines the light. You do the reaching.
  • Something that makes a noise when you press it A toy, a bell or a squeaky cushion. One press is proof.
  • Something that rattles when you shake it A box of pasta or a tub of rice, lid on. Shake gently.
  • Something that smells nice A bar of soap or a clean towel. Bottles stay closed.
  • Something with wheels that is smaller than your hand A toy car, a toy train or a roller skate that fits a doll.
  • The tallest person here, and a high five from them They may have to bend.
  • Three relatives who will sing one line of a song with you You pick the song. They pick how loud.
  • Turn my handle and out comes water, warm or cold. Answer: the kitchen sink.
  • You draw with us, and we live in a box of many colors. Answer: the crayons.
  • You fill me with water and bubbles, and then you climb in. Answer: the bathtub. It stays empty for the hunt.
  • The youngest person at the reunion Wave hello. Babies do not have to wave back.
  • Your feet go in us, left and right, before you go out to play. Answer: your shoes.
  • Your head lands on me every night. I am soft, and I never complain. Answer: your pillow.
  • Your toothbrush, and the color of everyone else's Point and name. Nobody touches the other brushes.

Ages 6 to 10 66

  • A book with a number in its title Spelled out or in digits, both count.
  • A book you have read more than twice Tell the judge the best part in one sentence.
  • A can or jar with a best-before date in a later year than this one Read the date out loud. Day, month and year all have to be there.
  • A clock with hands, and the time on it said the long way Twenty past four, not four twenty.
  • A coat pocket with something forgotten in it Your own coat, or ask the owner first. Report what you found.
  • A drawer tidied until it closes without a push Your own drawer. Ten things straightened is enough.
  • A family recipe, and the name of the person it came from Write the dish and the name. Nobody has to give up the secret.
  • A food made in another country, with the label to prove it Name the country, then find it on a map or a globe afterward.
  • A food whose ingredient list is five items or fewer Count them aloud. Water counts as one.
  • A game or puzzle box that says how many pieces are inside Read the number aloud. Nobody has to count them.
  • A houseplant, and a guess at how many leaves it has Guess first, then count together. The closest guess wins the round.
  • A job held by someone here that you had never heard of Ask what they do all day, then explain it to the judge.
  • A key from the hooks or the bowl, and the lock it opens A grown-up tries it with you. Car keys do not count.
  • A kitchen tool whose job you cannot guess Nothing sharp. Hold it up and ask: the grown-up explains or admits defeat.
  • A label that says what a piece of clothing is made of Cotton, wool, polyester. Read the percentages aloud.
  • A map, a globe or an atlas, and the place you live on it A finger on the right spot is the proof.
  • A measuring cup or spoon marked with a fraction One half, one third or one quarter. Say which of them is biggest.
  • A piece of clothing with writing on it, read out loud A T-shirt slogan or a washing label. Both count.
  • A recipe that uses an ingredient you have never tasted From a cookbook or a recipe card. Say the ingredient out loud.
  • A relative who can name all of their own cousins They count on their fingers. Slowing down is allowed.
  • A signature from someone in every decade of age the family has Tens, twenties, thirties and up. Signers may round down, and the judge does not check.
  • A story about your parent as a child, from someone who was there One sentence, written down. The parent may object.
  • A towel folded so neatly a hotel would keep it In thirds the long way, then in half. A grown-up inspects.
  • A word on a food label in a second language Read it as well as you can, then guess what it means.
  • Every remote control in the room, lined up by size Count them. Then put each one back where it lives.
  • I am a bed for dirty plates, and I wash them while you sleep. Answer: the dishwasher. Tape the prize to the front.
  • I am a closet that holds nothing but food, and I am never cold. Answer: the pantry or the food cupboard.
  • I am a roll of soft paper squares, and spills are my whole job. Answer: the paper towels.
  • I am a roll that gets thinner every day, and everyone notices when I run out. Answer: the toilet paper.
  • I am full on Monday and empty by Friday, and the laundry fills me again. Answer: the sock drawer.
  • I carry the whole family's coats and never feel warm. Answer: the coat rack or the coat hooks.
  • I hang on the wall and keep one moment still forever. Answer: a framed photo.
  • I have a back, two arms and room for three, and coins fall asleep inside me. Answer: the sofa.
  • I have a screen and a lid, and I fold shut like a book. Answer: a laptop.
  • I have a window and no walls, and a bill looks out of me. Answer: a window envelope. An empty one, or mail already opened.
  • I have twelve pages, a picture on each, and I am out of date every January. Answer: a wall calendar.
  • I hold shelves of stories and have never read one. Answer: the bookshelf.
  • I hold water for flowers and not a drop for you. Answer: a vase.
  • I hold your shirts by the shoulders, in the dark. Answer: the closet.
  • I live under the bed or in the closet, and I only come out for trips. Answer: a suitcase.
  • I open flat, I am covered in squares and rules, and I start arguments. Answer: a board game.
  • I stand in the corner with a shade on my head, and I shine only when asked. Answer: a floor lamp.
  • I swallow dust and roar about it. Answer: the vacuum cleaner.
  • The longest word printed on the toothpaste tube Count the letters. Ten or more is a strong find.
  • My only job is to wake you, and all I get for it is a slap. Answer: an alarm clock.
  • The oldest photo anyone has with them, and who is in it A phone picture of a paper photo counts. Write down the names.
  • The oldest-looking book on the shelf, and the year printed inside it The year is usually on one of the first four pages.
  • The person here with the most brothers and sisters Write down the number. Step and half siblings count.
  • Pull us apart and morning comes in. Close us and it is night again. Answer: the curtains.
  • The relative who traveled farthest to be here, and how far Ask around before you decide. Write the distance down.
  • Someone who came to the last reunion, and one thing that has changed since A haircut, a house, a new baby. They choose what to tell.
  • Someone who remembers a house phone with a cord Ask what happened when two people wanted to call at once.
  • Someone who shares your middle name or your initials Ask at least five people before you give up.
  • Someone who speaks a language you do not, and one word of it Learn the word well enough to say it to the judge.
  • Something in the kitchen that runs on a battery A clock, a scale or a timer. Nobody opens it to check.
  • Something in this room that is older than you are A grown-up confirms it, and says where it came from.
  • Something on your shelf that was a present, and who gave it Say the name and the occasion if you remember it.
  • Something that glows or shines in the dark A night light, a star sticker or a watch face. Test it under the covers.
  • Something with your family's name written on it An envelope, a label or a doormat. Mail stays unopened.
  • Something you have outgrown Hold it up against yourself to show by how much.
  • Three generations in one photo Grandparent, parent and child, or any three steps of the family.
  • Turn my pages and everyone in the family gets younger. Answer: a photo album.
  • Two packages that weigh exactly the same, going by the labels Look for grams or ounces on the front. The numbers must match.
  • Two relatives born in the same month Write down both names and the month.
  • Two socks that do not match, worn for the rest of the hunt One on each foot. The stranger the pair, the better.
  • We come as a pair, we love puddles, and we wait by the door. Answer: rain boots.

How it works

Nothing here is up high, under the sink or by the stove. These 121 family scavenger hunt ideas are 57 indoor finds, 38 riddles to read aloud and 26 reunion tasks, for ages 3 to 5 and 6 to 10.

Read the full guide

Two age sets, one house

Ages 3 to 5 holds 55 ideas that need no reading. Ages 6 to 10 holds 66 that ask for reading, counting or a question for a grown-up. For home scavenger hunt ideas in one room, choose More filters: Kitchen has 28, Living room and hall 38, Bedrooms and bathroom 29, and each combines with an age.

Riddles, and the grown-up's job

Riddles to read aloud, under More filters, holds 38 with the answer in the note. Press Hide all notes and the answers move to a last printed page, so a child who reads can hold the sheet. For younger ones, read a riddle out and have a sticker waiting at the answer.

  • Family reunion scavenger hunt ideas sit under More filters: press Family reunion for 26 tasks that get relatives talking.
  • Pair each small child with a teenager or a grandparent, and shut the door of any out-of-bounds room.

Questions and answers

How long does a family scavenger hunt take?

Plan on two minutes an idea, so ten fill a rainy half hour once every find is shown off and put back. For a second round, press Pick 10 new ideas: nothing repeats until the set runs out.

Can a 4 year old and a 9 year old play together?

Yes, on two sheets. Pick Ages 3 to 5 in the menu and press Print, then pick Ages 6 to 10 and print again. Let the older child read the little one's list aloud.

How do I use these at a family reunion?

Press Family reunion under More filters. Every task is a reason to talk to a relative: who traveled farthest, who remembers a house phone with a cord. Relatives may say no, and the 12 tasks for ages 3 to 5 need no writing.

Is there a family scavenger hunt game with a clue trail?

The 38 riddles here each name one thing to find. For rhymes that send children from one hiding place to the next, the scavenger hunt riddle generator has 240 clues for 60 household places.

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