Same walls, same toys, same people... day in day out. That has been life for
many in 2020.
Certainly was the craziest year to date!
For many of us, we were "stuck" inside and that gets old real quick, real
fast. Especially when 30 days of quarantine has lasted, in some degree, into
2021 (which is when this post got a facelift). To change up the monotony
of same ol' same ol', spice up your indoor routine with the kids with these
fun indoor scavenger hunt ideas!
And if you are a follower of my blog, you know how I roll.... these scavenger
hunt ideas are educational, too!
Can't stop. Won't stop.... LEARNING!! (HA!)
Scavenger hunts make any learning concept a little bit more fun, don't you agree? Scavenger hunts are the PERFECT way to learn & play today-- two elements I try to infuse into our days.
WHAT IS A SCAVENGER HUNT?
A scavenger hunt is a game of hidden "clues" or gathering of a list of
items. Sometimes there is a time limit, sometimes not. If played
in a group, they can be team-building exercise, but can be made for
individuals as well.
Scavenger hunts are adaptable to all ages and themes. And they make a
great way to sneak in the reinforcement of whatever your child is learning
in school.
So for whatever the reason you may be "stuck inside," set up one of these
easy and FUN indoor scavenger hunts for kids!
INDOOR SCAVENGER HUNT IDEAS FOR KIDS
Get the kiddos moving, thinking, learning, laughing, playing (and so on) with
these low-prep scavenger hunts. They are guaranteed to break the
boredom!
INDOOR SCAVENGER HUNTS FOR (YOUNG-ISH) KIDS
- Work on an important pre-reading literacy skill with your preschooler with this Egg hunt for opposites scavenger hunt. Such a fun way to repurpose those Easter eggs!
- Set up a 'dinosaur egg' scavenger hunt to work on beginning sounds (Fantastic Fun & Learning).
- Practice letter recognition with this simple Name Scavenger Hunt for toddlers and preschoolers.
- Your toddler will love this Shape Scavenger Hunt for Kids and matching activity.
- Explore 2D (and 3D) shapes with your preschool, Kindergarten, and/or 1st grader with this fun and simple Find and Color Shapes Scavenger Hunt from Rock Your Homeschool.
- Have fun reading simple CVC words with this Read Your Way Scavenger Hunt.
- Practice reading sight words with this DIY color scavenger hunt for preschoolers and/or Kindergarten kiddos! (Days with Grey)
- Work on fine motor skills and letter recognition with this Alphabet Scavenger Hunt and Matching Game. Your child will love "hatching" the letters of the alphabet!
- This clever rainbow color hunt is a great way to get kids of all ages working together.... and you might just find a pot of gold at the end, too! (RedTedArt)
- Your preschooler will be able to search around the house with little help from you with this helpful Indoor Scavenger Hunt using pictures from Messy Little Monster.
- You can set up this Emoji Scavenger hunt, inside or out, BUT either way here's a fun way to brighten up your rooms with bright yellow emojis!! (Fireflies & Mudpies)
INDOOR MATH SCAVENGER HUNTS FOR KIDS
- Practice number recognition and writing numbers 1-20 with this simple math scavenger hunt printable (Fantastic Fun & Learning).
- This creative Measuring Scavenger Hunt from Organized31 is a great way to practice important math skills! And what child doesn't love playing with a ruler and/or tape measure?! (Ok. ok... maybe only mine!)
- For an introduction to the concept of measurement, just print and go with this Measurement Scavenger Hunt from The STEM Laboratory.
- Work on counting and/or adding change with this Counting coins scavenger Hunt.
RIDDLE-BASED INDOOR SCAVENGER HUNTS FOR KIDS
- Add some rhyming fun to your scavenger hunt with these Rhyming Riddle Scavenger Hunt Cards (Celebrate Everyday with Me)
- These riddle-based LEGO Scavenger Hunt Cards are a great way to get kids reading and having fun! (Frugal Fun 4 Boys)
- Just print & search around the house for this at-home science scavenger hunt filled with riddles to help you find your items. Sounds like a fun way to see that science is all around us! (LeftBrainCraftBrain)
INDOOR ALPHABET SCAVENGER HUNTS FOR KIDS
- Love words? Your kids will love this Dictionary Scavenger Hunt! (Moms & Munchkins)
- Alphabet noun Hunt can be played inside or out, and is a fun way to spot the nouns you see.
- For an older child, he/she might enjoy this Indoor ABC Scavenger Hunt from Play Party Plan. Your child will be working on writing, spelling, and thinking skills as they find things around the house that begin with a letter of the alphabet.
- Instead of in the house, do an Alphabet Scavenger Hunt in a book your child is reading! Such a creative idea to encourage your readers! (Rock Your Homeschool)
MORE INDOOR SCAVENGER HUNTS FOR KIDS
- Doing school over ZOOM? Get your kiddos moving with this ZOOM Scavenger Hunt-- lots of ways to adapt to all ages! (Box of Ideas)
- This flashlight scavenger hunt may not be educational, but it is FUN!! Turn off the lights and search for items around the house... or in this case, decorations on the Christmas tree! (Best Ideas for Kids)
- Another fun print and go scavenger hunt is a printable from Made With Happy; a great way to get kids moving and it'll be fun to see what items everyone collects for each task!
- Take a break from schoolwork to pause and observe your surroundings with these fun Color Hunt ideas from Rock Your Homeschool.
- Turn your child's spelling list into a Spelling Egg Hunt!
- Get your child thinking 'outside the box' with this indoor scavenger hunt; instead of looking for a 'ball,' your child will be tasked with finding something 'soft.'
- Visit your local library (or search your home) for different genres of books with these Library Scavenger Hunts (123Homeschool4Me).
- Practice geography skills in your own home with a fun Treasure Hunt Geography Game!
- Another way to reinforce nouns is by setting up a Post It Notes Noun Hunt.
- This scavenger hunt idea was meant for groups to do in their communities, BUT it's service starts at HOME. Turn this Service Scavenger Hunt into a game between siblings... and you'll end up with a really clean house, too! (One Creative Mommy)
- For some laughs, get your kiddos involved in this Selfie Scavenger Hunt! (The Christmas Games Shop)
- Look inward and think about things you are thankful for in this 'out-of-the-box' Gratitude Scavenger Hunt from Natural Beach Living ; it's ALWAYS a good idea to be reflective, but especially when our days have been turned upside down (AHEM! 2020-2021).
- Sneak in U.S. geography with this 50 States Scavenger Hunt printable activity from Little Bins for Little Hands.
Who knew scavenger hunts could be so educational? I mean, of
course we all know they are fun... but they are GREAT for:
- thinking skills
- collaboration skills
- reading skills
- letter recognition
- math skills
- geography skills
- spelling skills
- writing skills
- ....
You get the picture, right?! Please tell me I don't have to keep listing
things.... I could, but I won't! (ha!) And bonus that MANY of
these indoor scavenger hunt ideas are pretty simple to put together...
most of them require more "work" from the kids than you!!
Happy hunting!
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