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Plus tips to plan scavenger hunts for holidays, anniversaries & more
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- Easy |
- Hard |
- Indoor |
- Outdoor |
- Home |
- Office |
- For Adults |
- For Kids |
- For Teens |
- Rhyming Riddles |
- Easter Egg Hunt Riddles |
- Creating Riddles |
- Planning a Hunt
There’s nothing like a good scavenger hunt—the satisfaction of puzzling out clues, the thrill of racing to the next location, the excitement of finding the final surprise…we love it all! However, if you’re the planner of the scavenger hunt, coming up with enough riddles for your epic event can be a tricky task. That’s why we’ve swooped in with this extensive, ultimate list of the very best scavenger hunt riddles for any type of event or age group. We’ve got treasure hunt clues for kids , adults , and teens , as well as clues that are suitable for indoor , outdoor , at-home , and in-the-office gameplay. Wherever you’re hunting, you can use these clues to lead players to wherever you choose !
Great Scavenger Hunt Riddles
- In a bowl, on a hook, or in a pocket, you need me near so you can lock it. (Keys)
- I get smaller when I take a bath. (Bar soap)
- You buy me for eating but you cannot eat me. (Plate)
- I’m a bed without sheets and always dirty. (Flowerbed)
- I greet every guest but never say a word. (Welcome mat)
- I can’t be used until I’m broken. (Eggs)
- If you open me up and take a peek, inside you’ll find a frozen treat. (Freezer)
Steps
Section 12 of 13:
How to Come Up with Good Scavenger Hunt Riddles
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1Write a 1 or 2 line phrase that describes a specific location without giving it away. A good scavenger hunt riddle can be super simple or more complex. For instance, if you want to give a clue that leads to “sink,” it could be as simple as “Find your next clue in the place where you wash your hands.” Or, you could go with something more tricky and complex like “I hold water, but I’m not a glass. I have a plug, but I’m not a lamp.” [12] X Research source
- Tailor the difficulty level of your clue to who you’re playing with—go for more straightforward clues when playing with kids and more challenging riddles with older teens and adults.
- Just make sure your clue accurately describes the location you’re leading players to without saying the name of that location itself.
- Also, consider whether your clue could easily lead someone to the wrong location—in this case, your clue may be too vague.
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2Add a rhyme to make your riddle feel more fun and authentic. While it’s not required to have rhyming clues, it can be more fun and lead to more amusing and interesting clues. Some people can write rhymes easily, while others need a little more help. If you’re struggling to come up with a rhyme, use a rhyming dictionary like RhymeZone or read some nursery rhymes to get yourself into the rhyming headspace. [13] X Research source
- If you’re still struggling, borrow part of a nursery rhyme or poem to start off your clue. For example, you might get inspired by “Roses are red, violets are blue” to write a clue like “Roses are red, violets are blue, I’m both of those colors, but I have white stars and stripes, too!”
- This clue would lead to an American flag, of course!
- If you’re still struggling, borrow part of a nursery rhyme or poem to start off your clue. For example, you might get inspired by “Roses are red, violets are blue” to write a clue like “Roses are red, violets are blue, I’m both of those colors, but I have white stars and stripes, too!”
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3Get creative with the format of your clue by using codes, images, or puzzles. If you want to level up from your basic rhyming clue, consider varying the types of clues you include in your scavenger hunt. For instance, you can use an image as a single clue or many images of one thing to lead to a single location. For the first option, take an extremely zoomed-in picture of the location of a clue (e.g., a clock). Give the player this picture instead of a clue. If your hunt only has one final location, take a normal picture, cut it up into 10-20 pieces, then hide those images as clues to be pieced together. [14] X Research source
- You can also use rebus puzzles as clues. For instance, an image of an apple followed by a minus sign, ape, plus sign, and ant would give you “plant.” (i.e., 🍎 ➕ 🦍 ➖ 🐜 → “Apple” - “A-p-e” + “A-n-t” = “Plant”).
- Or, use a secret code so that players have to decipher the numbers on a clue in order to find a location. Supply the players with a code (like this one ) or, if you’re playing with adults, make them figure out the code as long as it’s easy enough to deduce.
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Section 13 of 13:
How to Plan an Amazing Scavenger Hunt
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Write down a list of 10-20 clues leading to different locations. Start by identifying which locations you want to lead your player(s) to. Depending on the type of scavenger hunt you’re planning, these locations may all be in one contained location (e.g., house, office, classroom, park) or spread out throughout a city or neighborhood. Then, write or find a clue that would lead someone to each one of those locations. Remember that the player should be sent to that specific location, where they’ll find the next scavenger hunt clue, ultimately leading them to the final location. [15] X Research source
- Depending on the type of hunt you’re making, you might want to make your clues more personal. For instance, maybe you’re creating a scavenger hunt
for a loved one’s birthday that takes them to all their favorite spots in the city. In this case, your clues would probably be more personal and specific.
- For example, maybe your friend celebrated their engagement party at a specific park in your town. You could write a clue like, “In this big city I’m just a little patch of green, but you threw a party in me when you first got your ring.”
- Depending on the type of hunt you’re making, you might want to make your clues more personal. For instance, maybe you’re creating a scavenger hunt
for a loved one’s birthday that takes them to all their favorite spots in the city. In this case, your clues would probably be more personal and specific.
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Take your written clues and hide them in each location. Keep the first scavenger hunt clue, which you’ll hand to the player(s) yourself at the start of the hunt. Then, hide the second clue in the location that the first clue will lead players to. Then, hide the third clue wherever the second clue leads to. Continue hiding clues in this pattern until all of them are hidden in their appropriate locations. [16] X Research source
- Kids camp leader Jeremiah Thomas recommends writing your clues on popsicle sticks instead of paper slips if you're playing with kids. He says to write letters of the alphabet on one side and clues on the other. Take the sticks and hide them. When the kids collect all the sticks, have them put them in alphabetical order so they’re also working on their alphabet skills!
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Place a prize or surprise at the final location. The final clue of your scavenger hunt should lead the player(s) to the final hiding spot, which usually contains some sort of surprise. If you’re playing with kids or doing an Easter egg hunt, this surprise may be a piece of candy, a small toy, or an Easter basket. If you’re planning a romantic scavenger hunt for a birthday, anniversary, or engagement, the surprise may be a special gift or an engagement ring (!). [17] X Research source
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References
- ↑ https://www.splashlearn.com/blog/scavenger-hunt-riddles-for-kids/
- ↑ https://www.bookelevent.com/blog/the-best-scavenger-hunt-clues-for-adults
- ↑ https://riddlesacademy.com/indoor-scavenger-hunt-riddles/
- ↑ https://www.treasure-hunt-clues.com/
- ↑ https://riddlesacademy.com/indoor-scavenger-hunt-riddles/
- ↑ https://www.wgu.edu/blog/why-managers-should-do-team-building-exercises1907.html
- ↑ https://www.bookelevent.com/blog/the-best-scavenger-hunt-clues-for-adults
- ↑ https://riddlesacademy.com/indoor-scavenger-hunt-riddles/
- ↑ https://www.allmomdoes.com/blog/easter-scavenger-hunt-riddles-for-older-kids/
- ↑ https://www.treasure-hunt-clues.com/
- ↑ https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/mother-and-baby/20220406137174/easter-egg-hunt-ideas/
- ↑ https://www.scavenger-hunt-fun.com/scavenger-hunt-clues.html
- ↑ https://www.scavenger-hunt-fun.com/scavenger-hunt-clues.html
- ↑ https://www.scavenger-hunt-fun.com/scavenger-hunt-clues.html
- ↑ https://www.constructedadventures.com/how-to-build-a-treasure-hunt/2021/8/2/the-architects-guide-on-how-to-build-a-treasure-scavenger-hunt
- ↑ https://www.constructedadventures.com/how-to-build-a-treasure-hunt/2021/8/2/the-architects-guide-on-how-to-build-a-treasure-scavenger-hunt
- ↑ https://www.constructedadventures.com/how-to-build-a-treasure-hunt/2021/8/2/the-architects-guide-on-how-to-build-a-treasure-scavenger-hunt
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