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Ideas for Scavenger Hunts for Teens

Scavenger hunts are great ice-breaking games that can encourage teamwork and build communication skills, all while being a fun way to get some exercise. Scavenger hunts are typically competitive races to see who can complete a set of tasks, find different items or complete challenges in a set amount of time. Often, scavenger hunts have a secondary function; for example, they help students on a campus orient themselves to different services, buildings and useful locations or to better acquaint participants with a topic. Usually scavenger hunts have a theme.

Photos
- With the invention of digital and cell phone cameras, photo scavenger hunts have become incredibly popular. A photo scavenger hunt is simply a scavenger hunt where teams take photos of different landmarks, items, people or of themselves completing tasks and activities. When the scavenger hunt is complete, the photos are shown to the judge. This type of scavenger hunt is popular with tech-savvy teens, and adding in a few silly challenges that groups must complete together can increase the effectiveness of this type of scavenger hunt as an ice-breaking activity.
The Classic
- The classic form of scavenger hunt involves teams or individuals gathering different items from a list. This form of scavenger hunt is most useful in an educational setting. For example, if students are studying botany, a teacher can create a list of clues to help students discover different types of plants by challenging them with clues and sending them off into the wilderness to collect them.
Clue-Based
- Clue-based scavenger hunts use wordplay and hints to conceal what each question or challenge is asking for. The type of scavenger hunt is more challenging to organize, and it encourages teams to work together to solve the clues. If you're organizing this type of scavenger hunt, fewer clues are needed because of the higher difficulty level.
Internet
- Internet scavenger hunts are a recent addition to the list and function as a great teaching tool. Often used by teachers, Internet scavenger hunts usually involve a list of questions that require students to use the Internet to find the answers. Bonus points can be awarded for creative answers. Using the clue-based scavenger hunt is a great way for teens to engage with a topic or theme and think critically about it.

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