Kids Scavenger Hunts - that are quick and easy to organise

Kid’s scavenger hunts are a really good way to occupy the kids for an afternoon.  And the good news is that as children’s games go they do not get much more adaptable than this.

So continuing my theme on entertaining the children during the holidays, here are some scavenger hunt ideas and tips that are easy and require virtually no planning.  Ideal for busy mums and dads.

A kid’s scavenger hunt can be played in the house, garden, park or even on the beach. 

Do keep in mind though that the younger the children, the more supervision and boundaries as to where they are able to search for clues must be put in place.

The one advantage that a scavenger hunt has over a treasure hunts is that you don't need to run round hiding clues. With a kids scavenger hunt you just have to think of items the children can "scavenge" for.

You just give them the list of items they need to find and they then bring the items back to you.

Even small children can play a scavenger hunt game.  The key here is to keep it small and simple. Not too many clues and not too large a place to wonder.

If thinking of the clues is the problem and not the hiding of them, then hiding items, like a few toys or simply pieces of paper or foil in the garden or house for the kids to search for, can be great fun. However it is probably a good idea for young children to choose which toys they want to play hide and seek with.

For older children and when you haven't time to think of clues, you can also suggest they find things beginning with letters in the alphabet. But a word of warning, do stipulate the size of objects that can be scavenged. It may cause some raised eyebrows when Dad's toolbox gets raided or a lawnmower is dragged out of the shed.

So some simple scavenger hunt clues for kids could consist of: A daisy, a dandelion, a round stone, a pink flower, a snail, an empty flower pot, a pink petal.

A scavenger hunt in the house, might consist of a hairbrush, cotton reel, tape measure, cup, towel and so on.

Really all you need to do is look at the environment where the scavenger hunt is going to take place and write a list of items or clues the kids need to find.

For older children setting a time they need to complete the hunt by and a reward, adds an air of excitement to the game too.

Kids scavenger hunts are really good fun, pretty much free and can be played in different places and times – so it is definitely one idea a busy mum should keep up her sleeve.