Whenever it’s about enjoying a fun activity with your kids, you don’t necessarily need to go far from your house. Getting outdoors and making your kids explore the backyard with a scavenger hunt is always a great idea to consider.

Every backyard features a variety of interesting leaves, bugs, and other natural things that you can find in your backyard.

A backyard scavenger hunt is more than just fun!

A backyard scavenger hunt is not only an activity to keep your kids busy. This fun activity can help your kids in multiple ways.

For instance, a backyard scavenger hunt can promote the following:

• The skill of understanding and exploring the surroundings of your kids.
• Literacy, especially when using printable pictures and words for your clues.
• A sense of accomplishment. When your kids find the clued objects, it will ultimately help them develop a sense of accomplishment.
• Team Play. When your kids play with their siblings or friends to hunt the clues, it will help your kids learn how to work in a team. This practice can also improve their communication and social skills more effectively.

Different scavenger hunt ideas for kids to know

Kids usually enjoy scavenger; your backyard is the best place to set it up. You can use different backyard scavenger hunt ideas here to give your kids the perfect excuse to explore their surroundings.

Look at three scavenger hunt ideas here to put your kids on a mission.

So, here we go:

Photography backyard scavenger hunt for kids

Do your kids love photography? Then a photography backyard scavenger hunt is arguably the best idea for you to consider here. This idea will involve the idea of taking pictures of different objects. The clues for this scavenger hunt may range from educational to artsy.

For example,

• You can ask your kids to capture an interesting sky view.
• Capture a bumpy growth on a tree or plant.
• Find and capture a tree where bugs have laid eggs. And more.

In addition, various backyard scavenger hunt clues can have multiple meanings. For instance, something green could be a leaf, a fence, or a backyard shed. So, it would be exciting to see what your children have come up with.

Educational backyard scavenger hunt for kids

If you parent older kids, you can make them partake in an educational backyard scavenger hunt. Create a set of clues that are a bit challenging to find. For example, collect leaves in five different shapes or sizes, find onion grass, and more.

You can use this backyard scavenger hunt as an interesting activity to make your kids learn about nature, local critters, habitats, ecosystems, and more.

Easy backyard scavenger hunt for kids

Opting for an open-ended scavenger hunt is good for younger kids. Considering scavenger hunt riddles that are easier to find is important to keep them interested in the play. You can consider options such as:

• Find something thin
• Get something rough
• Find something brown 
• Bring something flat, etc.

Consider simple clues that can teach your kids about textures, colors, or shapes. This type of scavenger hunt is easy for them to find and offers a good learning experience.

Tips for creating an amazing scavenger hunt for kids

A scavenger hunt is a fun activity worth considering for multiple reasons. Kids would love exploring your backyard, discovering new things, and using their deduction power to complete the hunt. If you don’t know how to create an amazing scavenger hunt for kids, look no further.

Here are some important tips you can consider as an easy-to-follow guide for this.

So, here we go:

1. Decide the location for the scavenger hunt for kids

Before creating a scavenger hunt and its clues, you should decide its place. The backyard is usually the best place to play a scavenger hunt with your kids. You can easily set up an interesting scavenger hunt for a few kids at home.

However, if participants are multiple and belong to different age groups, you can consider visiting a local park near your home.

2. Choose a theme or format for the scavenger hunt.

If you are setting up a scavenger hunt as a part of regular activities, educational and simple treasure hunts are usually the best option. However, if you want to set it up for a special, even like your kids’ birthday, then decide on a particular theme for this. You can adapt the format to your party motifs to make it more interesting.

3. Plan a route and scout out locations.

Every participant wants to be a winner here. So, you must think of everyone participating in the activity. Plan your route and clue locations that are accessible and guessable for everyone.

It is always better to take some time to plan out everything.

4. Create some interesting clues for your kids.

Now it is time to get together some interesting and guessable clue ideas for your kids. You can also find clues, ideas, or riddles online to make your scavenger hunt more exciting.

Don’t make your clues harder. Otherwise, your kids will start feeling tired quickly. For non-reader kids, images would be great to consider.

Another important thing here is always number your clues or put them in envelopes with numbers for added convenience.

5. Set everything up

Distribute the clues all across your backyard securely. You can also use scissors and packing tape to put these clues on trees or plants.

Keeping your kids out of the backyard while setting up a scavenger hunt is always better. Otherwise, they will get to know your entire plan.

6. Add some rewards to keep your kids interested.

Encouraging your kids to keep going to the final stage is always important. For this, you must keep candies, toys, juice boxes, or other treats at every third or fourth station. This practice will make it easier for you to keep them interested in the activity.

Before starting the scavenger hunt, always check for the clues to ensure they are placed where you left them. In addition, you should also consider being with your kids to keep everything going well.

Image by Gregor Ritter from Pixabay