• 106 clues
  • Checked October 2026

Scavenger Hunt Riddles for Junior High

Riddle clues for ages eleven to fourteen: a trail around the school, a trail at home, codes and an icebreaker.

Scavenger Hunt Riddles for Junior High

All 106
  1. Every afternoon the longest vehicles in town line up beside me. What am I?Trail
  2. Your work goes into me on time or it goes into me late. I am full by Friday. What am I?Trail
  3. I eat old quizzes and paper airplanes, and I give them all a second life. What am I?Trail
  4. Behind me a whole room practices the same four bars. Close me, please. What am I?Trail
  5. Everyone looks up at me in the last minute before the bell. I never hurry. What am I?Trail
  6. I hold a class set of brains that only do math, each in a numbered pocket. What am I?Trail
  7. I am a shelf of shelves where wet work waits. Nothing on me is finished yet. What am I?Trail
  8. I am the biggest picture in the building, and nobody can take me home. What am I?Trail
  9. I show every ocean and I am completely dry. I hang flat and never fold. What am I?Trail
  10. Hunt over. What you were hunting for is ____.Finish

Next step Find, crack and build tasks for tweensRiddles with no trail attached

All 106 clues

Riddles for a school 33

  • A few numbers open me, and you are the only student who knows them. What am I? Hide the next clue: your own locker. Each hunter checks only their own. Tape the strip to the outside of the team captain's locker.
  • Before any experiment, eyes come to me first. I hold a pair for everyone. What am I? Hide the next clue: the goggle cabinet. Ask the science teacher. Tape the strip to the wall beside it. The cabinet stays shut.
  • Behind me a whole room practices the same four bars. Close me, please. What am I? Hide the next clue: the band room door. Ask the band teacher. Tape the strip to the hall side of the door frame.
  • Bend down to me and I rise to meet you. My line is longest after gym. What am I? Hide the next clue: the drinking fountain. Tape the strip to the wall beside it, out of the splash.
  • Every afternoon the longest vehicles in town line up beside me. What am I? Hide the next clue: the bus lane sign. For a hunt held while no bus is due. Tape the strip to the post on the sidewalk side.
  • Everyone looks up at me in the last minute before the bell. I never hurry. What am I? Hide the next clue: the hallway clock. Tape the strip to the wall under it, where a hand can reach. Nobody climbs.
  • Feed me something dull and I hand it back with a point. I only eat wood. What am I? Hide the next clue: the pencil sharpener. Tape the strip to the wall beside it, clear of the handle.
  • I am a book with more maps than words, and I am too tall for most shelves. What am I? Hide the next clue: the atlas. Ask the librarian where it lives. Let the strip stick out of the top like a bookmark.
  • I am a cage on wheels, full of things that bounce. What am I? Hide the next clue: the ball cart. Ask the gym teacher. Tie the strip to the handle.
  • I am a floor that stands above the floor. Step onto me and everybody looks. What am I? Hide the next clue: the stage. Tape the strip to the front edge, near the steps.
  • I am a pole with a pulley at the top, saluted far more often than climbed. What am I? Hide the next clue: the flagpole. Ask the office first. Tape the strip around the pole at waist height.
  • I am a shelf of shelves where wet work waits. Nothing on me is finished yet. What am I? Hide the next clue: the art room drying rack. Ask the art teacher. Tape the strip to the side of the rack. No artwork is moved.
  • I am a shelf too thin for books. I hold caps, dust and one working marker. What am I? Hide the next clue: the marker tray under the board. Lay the strip flat in the tray, at one end.
  • I am a table with benches attached, and the only one that gets rained on. What am I? Hide the next clue: the outdoor lunch tables. Tape the strip under the edge of the tabletop, where rain misses it.
  • I am covered in pins and other people's best work. Yours may be on me. What am I? Hide the next clue: the student work bulletin board. Pin the strip in a bottom corner. Cover nobody's work.
  • I am full of gold that is not gold, won by students who left years ago. What am I? Hide the next clue: the trophy case. Tape the strip to the wall beside the case. The case stays shut.
  • I am the biggest picture in the building, and nobody can take me home. What am I? Hide the next clue: the mural. Tape the strip to the wall beside it, on bare paint only.
  • I am the softest seat in the building, and you have to be reading to earn me. What am I? Hide the next clue: the library reading chairs. Ask the librarian. Tuck the strip beside a cushion with one corner showing.
  • I eat old quizzes and paper airplanes, and I give them all a second life. What am I? Hide the next clue: the paper recycling bin. Tape the strip to the outside. Nothing goes in and nothing comes out.
  • I go up and down all day without moving, and everybody keeps to one side of me. What am I? Hide the next clue: the main stairs. Tape the strip to the wall at the foot of the stairs, never on a step or the rail.
  • I have more keys than the custodian, and not one of them opens anything. What am I? Hide the next clue: the music room piano. Ask the music teacher. Lay the strip on the closed lid. The lid stays down.
  • I hold a class set of brains that only do math, each in a numbered pocket. What am I? Hide the next clue: the calculator holder. Ask the math teacher. Pin the strip beside it, not in a pocket.
  • I hold every country there is, and one finger can spin them all. What am I? Hide the next clue: the globe. Ask whose room it is in. Slide the strip under the base.
  • I keep two numbers and a clock, and half the gym wishes I said otherwise. What am I? Hide the next clue: the gym scoreboard. Ask the gym teacher. Tape the strip to the wall below it, at reaching height.
  • I show every ocean and I am completely dry. I hang flat and never fold. What am I? Hide the next clue: the wall map of the world. Ask whose room it is in. Tape the strip to the wall beside the map, not on it.
  • I wait in a stack at the start of the line, and I always come back sticky. What am I? Hide the next clue: the stack of lunch trays. Ask the cafeteria staff. Tape the strip to the wall beside the stack, not on a tray.
  • I wear a net that catches nothing for long. Whatever I catch falls through. What am I? Hide the next clue: the basketball hoop. Tape the strip to the wall or the post under the hoop. Nobody jumps for it.
  • Locks hug me from first bell to last, and by evening I stand empty. What am I? Hide the next clue: the bike rack. Tie the strip to the end bar with string. No bike is touched.
  • Read me before you leave or regret it tonight. I change daily in one corner. What am I? Hide the next clue: the homework corner of the board. Ask the teacher. Tape the strip to the frame of the board, beside that corner.
  • Take me and you may leave. Lose me and nobody else can. I hang by the door. What am I? Hide the next clue: the hall pass. Ask the teacher. Hang the strip on the same hook, behind the pass.
  • You send me your work from across the room, then come to collect it warm. What am I? Hide the next clue: the library printer. Tape the strip to the table beside it. Nothing goes into the paper tray.
  • You walk through me first every morning, and roll call happens on my far side. What am I? Hide the next clue: the homeroom door. Tape it to the frame on the hall side, at shoulder height.
  • Your work goes into me on time or it goes into me late. I am full by Friday. What am I? Hide the next clue: the turn-in tray. Ask the teacher. Tape the strip to the front of the tray. No paper in it is touched.

Riddles for a home 21

  • Four wheels, no engine and no seat: I wait by the door for dry weather. What am I? Hide the next clue: the skateboard. Tape the strip to the top of the board. No skateboard? A scooter will do.
  • I add a foot to your height, and I spend most of my life folded against a wall. What am I? Hide the next clue: the step stool. Lean the strip against it where it is stored. It stays folded.
  • I am a hard hat for a soft head, and I hang by my straps near the door. What am I? Hide the next clue: the bike helmet. Tuck the strip inside the helmet. No helmet? Take this clue off the list.
  • I am one button with one job, and the dog always answers me first. What am I? Hide the next clue: the doorbell. Tape the strip beside the button, on the door frame.
  • I am small, I sit on a shelf, and I am the loudest thing in the room. What am I? Hide the next clue: the speaker. Slide the strip under it.
  • I am split into lanes, and the spoons never stay in theirs. What am I? Hide the next clue: the silverware drawer. Lay the strip on top of the forks.
  • I am the biggest bowl in the kitchen, and I only come out on movie night. What am I? Hide the next clue: the popcorn bowl. A grown-up says which cupboard. Lay the strip inside the bowl.
  • I am the cord everybody borrows and nobody returns. Phones starve without me. What am I? Hide the next clue: the phone charger. Loop the strip around the cable, at the end away from the plug.
  • I blink all night in a corner and get blamed for everything slow. What am I? Hide the next clue: the wifi router. Lean the strip against it. No cable is moved.
  • I hold what locks the house, and I am bare when everybody is out. What am I? Hide the next clue: the key hook. Hang the strip on an empty hook. The keys stay where they are.
  • I know the whole house's plans, and I hang where everyone can argue with me. What am I? Hide the next clue: the family calendar. Clip the strip to the bottom edge.
  • I shrink a sheet at a time, and every spill makes me thinner. What am I? Hide the next clue: the paper towel roll. Tuck the strip inside the cardboard tube.
  • I spin your hoodie warm, and I am accused of stealing one sock a load. What am I? Hide the next clue: the dryer. Tape the strip to the outside of the door. Nobody opens it mid-cycle.
  • I stand by the door holding things that only matter when the sky leaks. What am I? Hide the next clue: the umbrella stand. Drop the strip in beside the umbrellas.
  • I turn a flat bag into a full one in a few loud minutes. What am I? Hide the next clue: the microwave. Tape the strip to the outside of the door. Nothing goes inside.
  • Pull my cord and the morning comes in stripes. What am I? Hide the next clue: the window blinds. Tape the strip to the windowsill. The cord stays as it is.
  • Report cards and takeout menus cling to a cold door because of me. What am I? Hide the next clue: the refrigerator magnets. Pin the strip under a magnet.
  • Set me and walk away. I will shout when it is done. What am I? Hide the next clue: the kitchen timer. Stand the strip behind it on the counter.
  • Someone here gets excited whenever I leave my hook, and it is not a person. What am I? Hide the next clue: the dog's leash. Hang the strip on the same hook. No dog? Take this clue off the list.
  • Two thumbs steer me, and the couch is my race track. I nap on a shelf. What am I? Hide the next clue: the game controllers. Set the strip under the controllers on their shelf.
  • We are a tower of boxes, and every one of us has a piece missing. What are we? Hide the next clue: the stack of board games. Slide the strip under the lid of the top box.

Code clues 18

  • Every letter has moved three places forward. Move them back: DWODV Hide the next clue: the atlas. Count three letters back for each one (D becomes A), and DWODV turns into ATLAS. Ask the librarian where it lives. Let the strip stick out of the top like a bookmark.
  • Every letter has moved three places forward. Move them back: EDQG URRP Hide the next clue: the band room door. Count three letters back for each one (D becomes A), and EDQG URRP turns into BAND ROOM. Ask the band teacher. Tape the strip to the hall side of the door frame.
  • Every letter has moved three places forward. Move them back: JOREH Hide the next clue: the globe. Count three letters back for each one (D becomes A), and JOREH turns into GLOBE. Ask whose room it is in. Slide the strip under the base.
  • Every letter has moved three places forward. Move them back: OXQFK WUDBV Hide the next clue: the stack of lunch trays. Count three letters back for each one (D becomes A), and OXQFK WUDBV turns into LUNCH TRAYS. Ask the cafeteria staff. Tape the strip to the wall beside the stack.
  • Every letter has moved three places forward. Move them back: VWDLUV Hide the next clue: the main stairs. Count three letters back for each one (D becomes A), and VWDLUV turns into STAIRS. Tape the strip to the wall at the foot of the stairs, never on a step or the rail.
  • Every letter has moved three places forward. Move them back: WURSKB FDVH Hide the next clue: the trophy case. Count three letters back for each one (D becomes A), and WURSKB FDVH turns into TROPHY CASE. Tape the strip to the wall beside the case. The case stays shut.
  • The letters swapped places two by two. Swap them back: AHLL LCCOK Hide the next clue: the hallway clock. Swap the first letter with the second, the third with the fourth and so on, and AHLL LCCOK turns into HALL CLOCK. Tape the strip to the wall under it, where a hand can reach.
  • The letters swapped places two by two. Swap them back: LFGAOPEL Hide the next clue: the flagpole. Swap the first letter with the second, the third with the fourth and so on, and LFGAOPEL turns into FLAGPOLE. Ask the office first. Tape the strip around the pole at waist height.
  • The letters swapped places two by two. Swap them back: OFNUATNI Hide the next clue: the drinking fountain. Swap the first letter with the second, the third with the fourth and so on, and OFNUATNI turns into FOUNTAIN. Tape the strip to the wall beside it, out of the splash.
  • The letters swapped places two by two. Swap them back: RPNIETR Hide the next clue: the library printer. Swap the first letter with the second, the third with the fourth and so on, and RPNIETR turns into PRINTER. Tape the strip to the table beside it.
  • The letters swapped places two by two. Swap them back: TSGAE Hide the next clue: the stage. Swap the first letter with the second, the third with the fourth and so on, and TSGAE turns into STAGE. Tape the strip to the front edge, near the steps.
  • The letters swapped places two by two. Swap them back: UMARL Hide the next clue: the mural. Swap the first letter with the second, the third with the fourth and so on, and UMARL turns into MURAL. Tape the strip to the wall beside it, on bare paint only.
  • Number code, A is 1 and Z is 26: 2-1-12-12 / 3-1-18-20 Hide the next clue: the ball cart. Each number is a letter's place in the alphabet, so the code spells BALL CART. Ask the gym teacher. Tie the strip to the handle.
  • Number code, A is 1 and Z is 26: 2-9-11-5 / 18-1-3-11 Hide the next clue: the bike rack. Each number is a letter's place in the alphabet, so the code spells BIKE RACK. Tie the strip to the end bar with string. No bike is touched.
  • Number code, A is 1 and Z is 26: 12-15-3-11-5-18 Hide the next clue: your own locker. Each number is a letter's place in the alphabet, so the code spells LOCKER. Each hunter checks only their own. Tape the strip to the outside of the team captain's locker.
  • Number code, A is 1 and Z is 26: 16-9-1-14-15 Hide the next clue: the music room piano. Each number is a letter's place in the alphabet, so the code spells PIANO. Ask the music teacher. Lay the strip on the closed lid.
  • Number code, A is 1 and Z is 26: 19-3-15-18-5-2-15-1-18-4 Hide the next clue: the gym scoreboard. Each number is a letter's place in the alphabet, so the code spells SCOREBOARD. Ask the gym teacher. Tape the strip to the wall below it, at reaching height.
  • Number code, A is 1 and Z is 26: 23-1-12-12 / 13-1-16 Hide the next clue: the wall map of the world. Each number is a letter's place in the alphabet, so the code spells WALL MAP. Ask whose room it is in. Tape the strip to the wall beside the map.

Find a classmate who 16

  • Find a classmate who can name a capital city you cannot Trade: give them one back.
  • Find a classmate who can name the school colors and the mascot Check the answer against a banner or a shirt.
  • Find a classmate who gets to school a different way than you do Bus, bike, car or on foot. Ask what the best part of the trip is.
  • Find a classmate who has cooked a whole meal Ask what it was and who ate it.
  • Find a classmate who has performed on a stage Music, a play or a speech. Ask what went wrong, because something always does.
  • Find a classmate who has the same first class of the day as you Or the same last class, if nobody matches.
  • Find a classmate who is in a club or on a team you have never tried Ask what happens at the first meeting.
  • Find a classmate who is partway through a book right now Ask for the title and whether it is any good so far.
  • Find a classmate who knows where the lost and found is Ask them to describe the way without pointing.
  • Find a classmate who likes a subject you find hard Ask for their best tip.
  • Find a classmate who went to a different elementary school than you Ask what they miss about it.
  • Find a classmate who would pick the opposite elective from you Art or music, shop or cooking. Each of you gives one reason.
  • Find a classmate whose birthday is in the same season as yours Season only. Nobody has to give a date.
  • Find a classmate whose favorite school lunch is the same as yours Then find out what they would never eat.
  • Find a classmate whose first name has as many letters as yours Count on your fingers together.
  • Find a classmate whose locker is in a different hallway from yours Compare which one is closer to lunch.

Find out together 10

  • With a classmate you do not know well, find a song, show or game you both like Three tries each.
  • With a classmate, agree on the best thing the cafeteria serves A tie is not an answer.
  • With a classmate, agree on the quietest place in the building Then the loudest.
  • With a classmate, find a teacher you have both had Then find one neither of you has met yet.
  • With a classmate, find one food you both like and one you both would skip Keep asking until you have one of each.
  • With a classmate, walk to a room neither of you has been inside and read its sign Stay in the hall and leave the door as it is.
  • With four classmates, line up by birthday month without talking Hold up fingers for the month. Check out loud at the end.
  • With three classmates, put yourselves in order by first name, A to Z Say the names in order to check.
  • With two classmates, find something all three of you can do Whistle, juggle, touch your toes, name the planets.
  • With two classmates, invent a handshake with three moves Show it to the teacher to finish.

Final clues 8

  • Count the clues you solved. Bring that number to ____. The closing strip. Write the finish in the gap by hand, for instance the gym doors or the kitchen table.
  • Hunt over. What you were hunting for is ____. The closing strip. Write the finish in the gap by hand, for instance the gym doors or the kitchen table.
  • Last stop. Everyone on the team has to arrive together ____. The closing strip. Write the finish in the gap by hand, for instance the gym doors or the kitchen table.
  • Nothing left to solve. Walk, and mean it, to ____. The closing strip. Write the finish in the gap by hand, for instance the gym doors or the kitchen table.
  • That was the last one. Whoever is waiting ____ has your prize. The closing strip. Write the finish in the gap by hand, for instance the gym doors or the kitchen table.
  • The trail ends where it began. Look ____. The closing strip. Write the finish in the gap by hand, for instance the gym doors or the kitchen table.
  • You cracked all of them. The finish line is ____. The closing strip. Write the finish in the gap by hand, for instance the gym doors or the kitchen table.
  • Your team is done. Report to ____ and say the password. The closing strip. Write the finish in the gap by hand, for instance the gym doors or the kitchen table.

How it works

These scavenger hunt riddles for junior high students send teams around their own building, from the hall pass to the bike rack. The page opens on nine school riddles and a final clue; three more sets cover a home, codes and an icebreaker.

Read the full guide

Four sets for four kinds of hunt

School deals middle school scavenger hunt riddles for 33 places a student passes every day. Home has 21 for a party. Codes trades riddles for number codes, shifted letters and swapped pairs. Icebreaker is a middle school scavenger hunt icebreaker with no trail: classmates to find and things to find out together.

From the list to the hallway

Take away any clue whose place your building lacks with ×, and the next press fills the gap. On paper the places stay covered: the clues print alone and the places print after them as a numbered list, for you to keep. Tape each strip where the strip before it leads, starting from the finish.

  • For a first-week icebreaker, pair students who came from different elementary schools.
  • Ask the office before you tape anything in a hallway, and say when the strips come down.

Questions and answers

What are good middle school scavenger hunt clues?

Ones about places students know, where the answer takes a second thought. I have more keys than the custodian, and not one of them opens anything: the music room piano. I am a cage on wheels, full of things that bounce: the ball cart.

How do you design a treasure hunt for middle school students?

Choose places in one wing, get a yes from the office, and pick riddles for a mixed group or codes for a class that wants a harder trail. End in a room with space for everyone, and time the teams.

Does a treasure hunt for middle school kids work at home?

Yes. Home has 21 riddles for places a party guest can reach without opening anything private: the wifi router, the popcorn bowl, the doorbell. Take away what your house lacks, such as the dog's leash.

How do the code clues work?

Each one spells the name of a place. Number codes count letters from A as 1. Shifted codes move every letter three places forward, so D stands for A. Swapped codes trade each pair of letters. The note under the clue gives the answer.

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