45 Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Kids (Ages 4 to 12)
Updated September 8, 2026 7 min read
The right scavenger hunt for a kid depends on whether they can read yet. Preschoolers need picture clues and a grown-up to hold the phone. Elementary kids can handle short text and love photo challenges. Tweens want riddles and competition. The lists are split by age so you can grab the right one.
Keep it short: 8 to 12 clues for the youngest, up to 20 for tweens. Small prizes for every team, a slightly bigger one for the winner.
Run this list as a live hunt
One click loads every clue below into the hunt builder. Edit what you like, share one link, and every team competes on a real-time leaderboard. Free for up to 20 players.
Ages 4 to 6 (picture hunts, adult holds the phone)
Read each clue aloud. Photo clues let the kid be in charge of what to find.
- 1.Photo: something red
- 2.Photo: something soft
- 3.Photo: a toy with wheels
- 4.Photo: something that makes noise
- 5.Photo: a leaf
- 6.Photo: something round
- 7.Photo: a picture of an animal
- 8.Photo: something you can wear on your head
- 9.Photo: a rock
- 10.Photo: something bigger than you
- 11.Photo: your shadow
- 12.Photo: something with the first letter of your name on it
Ages 7 to 9 (backyard and neighborhood)
- 1.Photo: a bug (do not touch)
- 2.Photo: a flower with more than five petals
- 3.Text: how many steps from the front door to the mailbox?
- 4.Photo: a house number with a 3 in it
- 5.Photo: a bird
- 6.Photo: something a squirrel would eat
- 7.Photo: a cloud that looks like an animal
- 8.Photo: the whole team jumping at the same time
- 9.Text: what color is the door of the house next door?
- 10.Photo: a stick shaped like a letter
- 11.Photo: something that was not there last year
- 12.Photo: a team member balancing on one foot for 10 seconds
- 13.Photo: a pinecone, acorn or seed
- 14.Video: the team singing a song about what they found
- 15.Photo: a dog (from a distance, with the owner's okay)
Ages 10 to 12 (riddles and challenges)
- 1.Riddle: I have keys but no locks, space but no room. Answer: keyboard
- 2.Riddle: I get wetter the more I dry. Answer: towel
- 3.Riddle: I have hands but cannot clap. Answer: clock
- 4.Photo: something that is exactly one foot long (prove it)
- 5.Text: the sum of all the house numbers on this side of the street
- 6.Photo: your team recreating a famous statue pose
- 7.Video: a 15-second news report about the hunt
- 8.Photo: an example of a right angle outside
- 9.Text: a word you can spell using only letters from street signs on this block
- 10.Photo: a stranger giving a thumbs up (adult asks)
- 11.Photo: the team forming a pyramid
- 12.Trivia: how many planets are in the solar system? (eight)
- 13.Photo: something older than your parents
- 14.Video: the team reciting the alphabet backwards, no mistakes
- 15.Photo: the finish line, everyone in frame
- 16.Text: the time on the nearest public clock, and how far off your phone is
- 17.Photo: a map anywhere, with a team member pointing to where you are
- 18.Riddle: I have a face and two hands but no arms or legs. Answer: clock
Tips for running it
- •Use one adult phone per team. Kids do the finding; the adult does the submitting.
- •Set a boundary the kids can see, like "no farther than the blue house."
- •For the youngest group, give every team the win. Points are for the older kids.