Scavenger Hunt Clue Ideas

Archive for the ‘Birthday Party Games’ Category

Select “water” locations from the Riddle Me home inventory list, for example: pool, bathroom sink, kitchen sink, sprinkler, watering can, or bathtub. Hide a toy water creature in each location.
Give the children the first clue. Once they have found the creature. Read them the second clue and so on.
At the end, the children could play with the creatures in the pool or sprinkler.

Select three locations from the Riddle Me home inventory list.
Make a “map” of the locations by putting the three clues on one page and drawing lines from one clue to the other.
Give each child a backpack to collect something from each location.
At each location set up a “problem” for the explorers to solve.
For example: 
The first location could lead to the coffee table. Here they will have to put together a simple puzzle of an animal. They could then put that in their packs.
The second location could lead a pile of toy bugs. Here they will have to sort the bugs into ones that are alike and then sort them so each child gets one of each to put in their pack.
The third location could lead to the picnic table. Have some little toy birds. At this location, they have to make a nest out of playdough for the little birds to live in. Give each child a bag of playdough to put in their pack.

You remember the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Goldilocks found things that were “just right” for her. This is a game for you to find what is “just right” at your house.
Give the children the three clues for the first set. Tell them that they have to go find out where each clues leads. After they figure out all three clues, they have to return and tell which item best answers the question.
Set A. Clues to: 1. Fireplace 2. Freezer 3. Refrigerator
Question: What would be just right for a glass of milk?
Set B. Clues to: 1. closet 2. garbage can 3. toy box
Question: What would be just right for playing?
Set C. Clues to: 1. telephone 2. piano bench 3. pillow
Question: What would be just right for a nap?

There is a mystery to be solved. Who took the piece of the cake? And what room did they eat it in? Was it Mrs. Peacock in the bedroom? Or Mr. Mustard in the kitchen?
Choose the items for the children to look for from the Riddle Me home inventory list.
Give each child a printed page of all the Riddles Me clues (but blank out the locations above each clue). They should each have the same ones.
Let them choose which place they want to look and in what order.
They will be looking for a clue to help them figure out who it was and where.
In each location, you could hide a puzzle piece to a puzzle that once they put it together would give them the answer.
Or, they could find a paper with a letter on it which they could write down. Once they find all the clues, they can unscramble the letters to spell the answer to the mystery.

Birthday Baseball – (based on Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on first”)
Who’s on First: The first clue leads to “first base” where they have to identify the person in a picture (a baby picture of the birthday child).
What’s on Second: The second clue leads to “second base”. Here they have to put their hands in a bag without looking and identify what they feel. (some of the birthday child’s favorite things)
I Don’t Know’s on Third: The third clue sends them to “third base” where they have to answer questions they “don’t know” about the birthday child, ie. How many toy cars do they have? What cereal did they eat that morning?
The final clue sends them to “home plate” where everyone enjoys a delicious treat.

Help the princess find her gown, jewels, shoes, crown so she can get ready for the Ball.
Select locations from the Riddle Me home inventory list. Hide one of the princess items in each place.
Give the children the clues so they will be able to find all that the princess needs to be ready for the Ball.

Make a treasure hunt out of the birthday child’s favorite things. Create a list from Riddle Me’s scavenger hunt list. For example, they may have to find a soccer ball, a sea shell, and a movie with a horse. Then give each child the list of the items and see how quickly everyone can find them.

Using the object list hunt feature on Riddle Me, print a list of US history related items, for example; cherry tree leaf, something with a star, candlestick, book on history, or you can put your own ideas on the list. Divide the children into red, white and blue teams. See how fast each team can find all the items.

Have a paper representing the Declaration of Independence. Select locations you want the children to go to from Riddle Me’s hunt inventory.
On the back of your declaration paper put the first clue and only half of the clue for each of the other locations. Then hide the other half of the clues with an item in each of the other locations. The items with the clues could be something like sunglasses, paper money, a piece of carved wood – items similar to the movie. Give the children the map and have them read the first clue. It will send them to the first location and the rest of the second clue.
The final clue would lead them to the “treasure”.  It could be a cake decorated like the flag or gold coin candies.