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A scavenger hunt at home needs three things: places the children know, clues that point to them, and an order. The clues below are written for the places, one rhyme each, with the answer next to it. Pick five or six, put them in an order that runs through the house, and hide each one at the answer of the clue before it.
How does a scavenger hunt at home work?
It is a chain. The first clue is handed over and points to a place, say the fridge. In the fridge waits the second clue, pointing to the next place. The last clue points to where the present is. Two rules keep it running:
- Hide backwards. Start at the present and walk the route in reverse, so a child who wanders off cannot find card 4 before card 2.
- Write down the order. On the morning itself nobody remembers which card went into the washing machine. The maker prints a hiding plan for exactly that.
Which clues work for kids? 28 rhymes with their answers
Every clue is four short lines that rhyme, for children who read. The answer is the place where the next card goes.
In the kitchen
| Answer | The clue |
|---|---|
| Fridge | I hum all night and hum all day, / I keep the milk and cheese okay. / Open my door, but don’t be slow: / it’s chilly where the leftovers go. |
| Cookie jar | Round and full of crunchy treats, / I’m where this family keeps its sweets. / Lift me up or look below: / a cookie clue is next to go. |
| Spoon drawer | Forks and spoons lie side by side, / pull me open, look inside. / Every breakfast starts with me: / a shiny spoon is what you’ll see. |
| Under the table | Four legs, but I never walk, / you eat at me, you laugh and talk. / Crawl beneath me, take a peek: / under me is what you seek. |
| Pet’s bowl | Someone with whiskers, paws or a tail / eats from me and doesn’t fail. / Look beside me on the floor: / sniff around, there’s something more. |
In the bathroom and the laundry
| Answer | The clue |
|---|---|
| Washing machine | I spin and spin and never get dizzy, / with soap and water I’m always busy. / Socks go in all muddy and brown, / and come out clean when I calm down. |
| Laundry basket | Stinky socks and muddy jeans, / T-shirts stained with juice and beans: / they all get tossed inside of me. / Dig to the bottom, what do you see? |
| Bathtub | Bubbles, ducks and splashing fun, / you sit in me when the day is done. / There’s no water now, don’t be shy: / look inside me, you’ll stay dry! |
| Toilet paper | I’m soft and white and on a roll, / I hang beside a certain bowl. / Peek inside my cardboard middle: / that’s the answer to this riddle. |
| Bathroom mirror | Look at me, and who appears? / Your own two eyes, your nose, your ears! / Brush your teeth and comb your hair: / your next clue is waiting there. |
In the bedrooms
| Answer | The clue |
|---|---|
| Under the pillow | Soft and fluffy, white or blue, / at night I’m right beneath you. / Lift me up and take a peep / where your head goes when you sleep. |
| Closet | Shirts and dresses, coats in a row, / hanging up where the clothes all go. / Open my doors, push them aside: / your next clue is hiding inside. |
| Toy box | Teddies, trucks and building blocks, / I hold them all inside my box. / Open my lid and have a look, / check every corner, every nook. |
| School bag | I carry books and pens and lunch, / I’m on your back, a heavy bunch. / Unzip me now, look all about: / your next clue will soon come out. |
In the living room
| Answer | The clue |
|---|---|
| Sofa cushions | We sit on me to watch TV, / the whole family fits on me. / Lift my cushions, look below: / crumbs and coins and a clue, you know! |
| TV remote | I have buttons small and round, / press me and the TV makes sound. / Everyone wants to hold me tight: / who gets to choose the show tonight? |
| Bookshelf | Stories of dragons, ships and kings / and robots and magical things / stand on my shelves in a row: / between two books, your clue lies low. |
| Plant pot | I sit in a pot and I’m green all over, / I’m not a tree and I’m not a clover. / Water me and I will grow: / look by my pot, your clue’s below. |
| Clock | I have a face but cannot smile, / my hands go round all the while. / Tick, tock, I never stop: / look beneath me or on top! |
| Lamp | Click my switch and I glow bright, / I chase away the dark at night. / Look under me, around my base: / your clue is hiding in this place. |
| Windowsill | Through me you see the sky and trees, / the rain, the snow, the birds, the breeze. / Look along my ledge so wide: / a clue is waiting there inside. |
| Christmas tree | I’m green and tall with lights that glow, / with shiny balls from top to toe. / Look underneath where presents go: / your next clue is down below. |
By the door and outside
| Answer | The clue |
|---|---|
| A shoe | You put your foot in me each day, / I take you out to run and play. / I come in pairs, I have a lace: / peek inside, it’s a smelly place! |
| Coat pocket | When it’s cold, I keep you warm / in the snow and in the storm. / I hang up near the door all day: / check my pockets right away. |
| Doormat | Everyone steps on me with their feet / when they come in from the street. / I say hello by the front door: / lift me up from off the floor. |
| Mailbox | Letters, cards and parcels small: / the mail carrier brings them all. / Open me up and look inside, / outside is where your clue will hide. |
| Stairs | Up and down, I go both ways, / you climb me nearly every day. / Look on my steps, the lowest one: / your next clue says the hunt’s not done! |
| Car | Beep, beep! I have four wheels and seats, / I drive you down the roads and streets. / Open my door and look inside: / your clue is waiting for a ride. |
What are harder clues for teens and adults?
Older players want a riddle that takes a moment, not a rhyme that gives it away. Ten of the maker’s riddles:
| Answer | The riddle |
|---|---|
| Fridge | A light comes on inside me only when you look, and I stay cold in every season. |
| A shoe | I have a tongue but cannot talk, and I go everywhere you walk. |
| Doormat | I am walked all over every single day, and I still say welcome. |
| Bathroom mirror | I copy everything you do, yet I always swap your left and your right. |
| Clock | I have hands but never wave, and I run all day without moving an inch. |
| Stairs | I go up and I go down, but I never move from where I am. |
| Bookshelf | I am full of stories but never say a word, and I carry more spines than any animal. |
| Christmas tree | I am the only guest who comes indoors in December, stands in a corner and gets covered in jewelry. |
| Lamp | I wear a shade indoors, and I am at my brightest when it is dark. |
| School bag | I go to school every single day and never learn a thing. |
How do you make a hunt for kids who can’t read yet?
Use pictures. A three-year-old knows what the fridge looks like long before the word, so each card shows a large drawing of the next place and one line a grown-up reads out: “Where do we keep the milk cold?” Keep the route short and in two or three rooms, and stay with them for the first card or two. The maker draws all 28 places for this; choose “Pictures” under Clues.
Where should you not hide clues?
Anywhere hot or switched on: the oven, the toaster, a running dryer. Not in the trash, where a card gets thrown out, and not where a pet chews paper. For small children, nowhere they would need to climb: a high shelf turns a game into a fall. Tape a card to the mirror or under the table instead of balancing it.
Printing the hunt for your own home
The maker at the top of this page turns any of these places into cards in the order you tap them, four to a sheet, and adds a “You found it!” card and the hiding plan. For Christmas morning it pairs with the letter from Santa; for a birthday, with a paper crown with the child’s name.
Questions
How many clues should a scavenger hunt have?
As many as there are good hiding places on the route. Each place is one card; six places, the maker's sample, make six clue cards and a 'You found it!' card on two sheets. Younger children enjoy fewer places close together; older ones can run the whole house.
Where do I hide the first clue?
Nowhere: hand it over. The first card points to the first place, and from there every card is hidden at the answer of the one before.
What if the kids can't solve a clue?
Give a hint about the room, then about the thing. If one place keeps failing, it was too hard for that age; swap it for a place from the kitchen or the bedroom, which every child knows.
Can I make a scavenger hunt for a child who can't read?
Yes. Choose picture clues in the maker: every card shows a large drawing of the place, like the fridge or the bathtub, with one line for a grown-up to read out.
Do these clues work for a birthday or Easter, not only Christmas?
Yes. The clues describe places in the home, not the holiday. The maker changes the first card's greeting and the 'You found it!' card for Christmas, a birthday, Easter or any day.