Hobbies And Interests
Princess Scavenger Hunt
A princess scavenger hunt is appropriate for girls in elementary school. To put together a princess scavenger hunt, compile an assortment of princess-themed items and hide them throughout your home. These could include plastic tiaras, wands, costume bracelets and necklaces, costume rings, a toy frog, princess dress and plastic mirror. If the girls are very young, do not hide the items so carefully that they will not find them. Write out a list or compose a list of pictures of the items for the girls to look for. Give a specified amount of time for the girls to look for the items to make the game more interesting. Award a small prize to the girl who finds the most items by the end of the hunt.
Picture Scavenger Hunt
This scavenger hunt is appropriate for older children or preteens and works best if the group will travel outside of the house during the party--for example, if the group will take a trip to a mall or another shopping area. Give each guest a disposable camera and a list of things she needs to take pictures of during the hunt. For example, an item priced $1.99, a pink sweater, a football, a pair of jeans, a water fountain and a dog. Break the group up into teams so the kids are not running around alone. At the end of the hunt, take the cameras to a one-hour photo developer. Award a prize to the team that found the most items from the list.
To play this game in home, simply make a list of small objects that are hard to find around your house.
Backyard Scavenger Hunt
If your backyard is large enough and the weather is warm, hold the scavenger hunt outside. Hide a variety of objects around the yard for the children to look for. Give each child a flashlight to use if the party is taking place at night. This will heighten the suspense, and all of the children will have fun running around with their lights in the dark. For young children, hide larger objects around the backyard that will be easy for them to find. For older children, add a challenge to the game by having them look for small items, such as spare change.
Beach-Themed Scavenger Hunt
If you want to use a theme for the hunt, try using a beach theme. Hide objects around your home and yard that you would take to the beach, such as a water bottle, sunscreen, sunglasses, bathing suit, sandals, beach ball and sand shovel. This idea can be used with children of all ages.
Color and Shape Hunts
Instead of assigning a set list of items for the children to find, assign them each a color to look for. Choose common colors such as red, yellow, blue and green and have them set out to look for objects of the color they were assigned. Award a small prize to the child who collects the most items in her color.
This idea can also be used with shapes. Assign each of the children a basic shape to look for, such as circles, squares, triangles and rectangles. These ideas are best for very young kids, as they will help the children continue working with their colors and shapes.