Are you looking for a fun way to keep your teenagers entertained? A scavenger hunt is the perfect solution! They will be entertained for hours as they try to find all of the items on the list. Not only is it a lot of fun, but it is also a great way to get them moving and exploring their surroundings with their friends. Scavenger hunts are perfect for a birthday, sleepover or just hanging out with friends. Here are our tips and ideas that your teens are sure to love!
Before we get started, lets talk about scavenger hunts. There are two ways to complete a scavenger hunt. One option is a game in which players must find and collect or take photos of specific items or actions. The other way to play requires players to follow clues in order to find the hidden prize. This scavenger hunt with clues is also called a treasure hunt. Both are great fun for kids, teens and adults alike!
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Scavenger Hunt with Clues
This scavenger hunt is sometimes called a Treasure Hunt. It can be played individually or in teams. The idea is to solve each clue or riddle which will lead you to the next clue and eventually to the prize waiting at the end.
You can either write your own clues or find a scavenger hunt already done for you. These printable scavenger hunts include suggested answers and hiding places making set up a breeze. They are a little tricky so your Teens will need to really think to solve these.
Teen and Tween Scavenger Hunt with clues
Holiday Scavenger/Treasure Hunts
Valentine's Day Scavenger Hunt
St Patrick's Day Scavenger Hunt
You can leave small prizes with each clue or leave one larger prize at the end for the team to share. If you have a large group or many teams playing, consider using 2 different printable scavenger hunts so each team solves their own clues.
Fun Scavenger Hunt Ideas to Keep Teens Engaged
Playlist Scavenger Hunt: Create a list of songs in different categories such as “songs from the 80s” or “songs with animals in the title.” Divide the teens into teams and have them search through streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube to find as many songs as they can within a certain amount of time.
The team who finds the most correct answers wins! This is a great way to get teens moving while also introducing them to new music that they may not already know about.
Photo Scavenger Hunt: For this, divide your group into teams and give each team a list of items or photos that must be found within a specific area (indoor or outdoor). The items could be anything from trash cans, graffiti art, or people wearing certain colors. Once all the items are collected, have each team draw their findings onto one piece of paper so that it looks like a collage. Whoever has made the most creative drawing wins!
Selfie Photo Challenge: For this version, have each team create a unique selfie for every item on their list. Once all the selfies are taken, the most creative and wackiest one wins! Some challenges could be to take a photo of a team member doing a handstand, posing in front of a local landmark, or finding a specific item.
Movie Quote Challenge: If you have movie buffs in your group then this game is perfect for you! Give each team a list of quotes from classic movies that they must match up with their corresponding film titles within a certain amount of time. The first team to finish with all correct answers wins! This challenge will help teens become more familiar with classic films while also sharpening their knowledge on movie trivia.
Movie Scavenger Hunt: This scavenger hunt takes place while watching a movie. Provide teams with a list of items to find or actions to perform during the movie, such as a character wearing a green shirt, a car chase scene, or a character saying a specific catchphrase. Whoever finds the most items or finishes their list first wins!
Food Scavenger Hunt: This scavenger hunt takes place in a grocery store or farmers’ market. Provide teams with a list of food items to find, such as exotic fruits, unusual vegetables, or specific ingredients for a recipe. You can also include challenges like finding the most expensive cheese or taking a group photo with a food vendor.
City Scavenger Hunt: This hunt takes place in a city or town. Provide teams with a list of clues to solve, such as finding a specific statue or solving a riddle to find a hidden landmark. You can also include challenges like taking a group photo in front of a mural or finding the best street performer.
Nature Scavenger Hunt: This Nature hunt takes place in a park, beach, or other natural setting. Provide teams with a list of items to find, such as a pinecone, a bird feather, or a seashell. You can also include challenges like taking a group photo in front of a waterfall or building a mini sandcastle.
If you decide to make your scavenger hunt one in which players must find and collect or take photos of specific items or actions there are so many things you could include on your list. Here are some printable scavenger hunt ideas.
Holiday Scavenger Hunts
How to plan an Outdoor Teen Scavenger Hunt
Location
First you will need to decide on a location. This will depend on how many people will be involved. You could do this scavenger hunt at a local park, mall, outdoor shopping center or at your home or backyard.
Send the Invitations
When you send the invitations, along with advising the date and time, you will need to include some additional information especially for the parents. Let them know where they will need to drop off their teen and explain what you have organized for the day. Also include a pick up time and location.
It is a good idea to split your guests into teams and have one adult with each team at all times. Remind your guests to charge their phones and bring them along to snap photos of things along the way.
Make your List
Have a think about your location and write down some items your groups can find and take photos of. You can create a list of tasks for your teens to complete, such as making a human pyramid, taking a selfie with someone wearing blue or finding an item that starts with every letter of the alphabet. Your teens will love the competition of seeing who can find all of the items on the list first. Get creative and make up your own list or check below for some of our ideas.
Set some rules
Read out some rules to the teams before they start their scavenger hunt. As each group will have an adult with them, this person can deduct any point if they break any rules. Keep the rules simple such as
- be respectful
- stay together as a group
- you must take a photo or video of each item on your list
On the day
If you have a large group of teens you will need split them into groups of about 5-6. A fun way to place the teens into teams is first to work out how many teams you will need. Then allocate each team a color and get some colored candy to match each team. Put the candy into a bag and one at a time your guests can take out a piece of candy. The color of their candy will determine which team they are in.
If you are having your scavenger hunt outside at a park, mall or around your neighborhood you will need to allocate one adult helper per group who will stay with the group to keep them on track and help out taking photos if needed.
Set a time limit and make sure each team knows where and when they need to be back.
Scavenger Hunt List Ideas
Here are some ideas for photos and actions you can include on your scavenger hunt list. Each photo must feature at least one member of the team.
Ideas around your neighborhood
- Photo with a stop sign
- Photo with a red front door
- Selfie with a letterbox with the number 4
- Photo of the team on a crosswalk
- Photo with an American Flag
- Team posing in front of a for sale sign
- Photo of the team making a human pyramid
Ideas in your backyard or park
- Photo with a bird
- Photo of everyone holding a leaf
- Photo of the team making a human pyramid
- Photo of the team with their eyes closed
- Photo of the whole team on a slide
- Photo of the team posing as a tree
- Photo of the team smelling flowers
- Photo of the team jumping in the air
Ideas at a Mall
You can make your own or purchase a printable Mall Scavenger Hunt
If you want to make your own, here are some other ideas for a Mall Scavenger Hunt
- Photo of your team's reflection
- Photo of everyone in your team holding a piece of candy
- Selfie with something beginning with B
- Photo of 2 team members with a 'sale' sign
- Photo of an Exit sign
- Photo of a team member in the elevator
- Photo of 2 team members wearing sunglasses
- Photo of 1 team member posing like a mannequin in a store
Scavenger Hunt Prizes for Teens
If you want to make the scavenger hunt more exciting, you can offer prizes for the winners. Here are some ideas for great prizes that your teen will love:
- A gift card to their favorite store such as Starbucks or Target
- Tickets to a movie
- A new book
- Selection of Candy
- A water bottle
- Lip balm
- Hair ties
- Dollar store items such as stickers
Whatever prize you choose, make sure it is something that your teen will be excited to win! With these ideas, they are sure to have a blast on their next scavenger hunt.
Scavenger hunts are a great way to keep your teen entertained and engaged. With these fun ideas, they're sure to have a blast! So get out there and start hunting! Happy hunting!
We hope you enjoyed our ideas for scavenger hunts that will keep your teens entertained for hours!
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