Each of these 30 scavenger hunt riddles is a clue that points to a hiding spot, such as the fridge, the garden gate or a classroom desk. Pick 8 to 10, print the cards and hide each one at the answer to the clue before it. Clues are grouped by place and written at reading levels for ages 4 to 9, with two hints to help stuck hunters.
Clues for rooms, furniture and appliances, from easy picture clues to trickier wordplay.
Open my big door and a little light pops on. I keep milk and cheese chilly. Where am I?
Look in the kitchen.
I hum quietly all day and my insides are cold.
The fridge
Why it works: A fridge has a light that comes on when you open the door, and it keeps milk and cheese cold.
Did you guess it?
Pairs of socks and pajamas sleep in my pull-out compartments. Where am I?
Go to a bedroom.
I am a piece of bedroom furniture with handles you pull.
The dresser
Why it works: Socks and pajamas are kept in the drawers of a dresser.
Did you guess it?
Splash! I am where you wash with bubbles and play with a rubber duck. Look inside me, but check that I am dry. Where am I?
Go to the bathroom.
I am the large container where you sit to wash, but check that I am dry.
The bathtub
Why it works: Bubbles, a rubber duck and washing all point to the bathtub.
Did you guess it?
Cars, blocks and dolls all sleep inside me. Lift my lid and look. Where am I?
Look in the place where you play.
I am full of cars, blocks and dolls, and I have a lid.
The toy box
Why it works: Toys are stored in a toy box, and you lift its lid to look inside.
Did you guess it?
Rows of stories rest on me. Their spines face outward, and my shelves hold them upright. Where am I?
I live in the living room or a bedroom.
A story is waiting for you on my shelves.
The bookshelf
Why it works: Books have spines but no bones, and they sit side by side on a bookshelf.
Did you guess it?
Left and right wait in pairs by the door. Each one has a tongue but cannot talk. Where do they line up?
Go to the place where you walk out of the house.
You put these on your feet.
The shoe rack
Why it works: Shoes have tongues and come as a left and a right, and they sit on a shoe rack.
Did you guess it?
I spin and splash and tumble your dirty clothes. Peek through my round window. Ask a grown-up to check that I am stopped. Where am I?
Go to the laundry room.
I use soap and water to make your clothes clean.
The washing machine
Why it works: A washing machine spins and tumbles clothes and has a round window in its door.
Did you guess it?
I hold upright brushes beside the sink, but I never clean anything myself. Where am I?
Look near where you brush your teeth.
I have openings or a cup-shaped space for the handles.
The toothbrush holder
Why it works: A toothbrush holder stores brushes upright beside the sink.
Did you guess it?
I get very hot when you bake cookies, so this clue is taped to my door handle, never inside me. Where am I?
Go to the kitchen.
I have a door and a dial, and I bake bread and cookies.
The oven
Why it works: An oven bakes cookies and gets very hot, so the clue goes on its handle, never inside.
Did you guess it?
Press my numbered buttons and the picture across the room changes. Look where the family watches shows. Where am I?
I fit in one hand.
I send instructions to a television from the sofa.
The remote control
Why it works: A remote control changes television settings from across the room.
Did you guess it?
I have bars but hold no prisoners. Lay a damp shirt across me and air helps it dry. Where am I?
Look in the laundry area.
I fold away when the washing is dry.
The drying rack
Why it works: A drying rack supports damp clothes on bars while air dries them.
Did you guess it?
Lost socks and popcorn hide under my cushions. Grown-ups nap on me during movies. Where am I?
Look in the living room.
I am soft, big and comfy, and I seat the whole family.
The sofa
Why it works: Cushions that hide lost things and a place for movie naps describe a sofa.
Did you guess it?
Clues for the garden, the yard and the playground, so a hunt can move outside.
I lie just outside the front door. Wipe your shoes on me before coming in. Where am I?
Look down at the entrance with a grown-up.
My rough surface catches dirt from your soles.
The doormat
Why it works: A doormat catches dirt from shoes at the entrance.
Did you guess it?
I have a spout like a long nose. Tip me to give your flowers a drink. Where am I?
Look beside the garden pots.
Carry me by my handle after a grown-up fills me.
The watering can
Why it works: A watering can holds water and pours it through a spout onto plants.
Did you guess it?
Up and down I go, but only when a friend sits on the other end. We take turns to rise and fall. Where am I?
Go to the playground.
I am a long plank that balances in the middle.
The seesaw
Why it works: A seesaw tips up and down as two children take turns pushing off the ground.
Did you guess it?
I wait beside the play area with a long seat and room for several resting friends. Where am I?
Look for a place to sit at the playground.
I am longer than a chair and often have a backrest.
The bench
Why it works: A bench is a long seat that several people can share.
Did you guess it?
I am long and bendy and I drink from the tap. I spray water on the flowers. Ask a grown-up to turn me off first. Where am I?
Look near an outdoor faucet.
I can be rolled up like a giant coil.
The garden hose
Why it works: A hose is a long, bendy pipe attached to a tap that sprays water on plants.
Did you guess it?
Soil and a plant live in me. I have a hole at the bottom so extra water can escape. Where am I?
Look near the flowers or on the porch.
I am usually made of clay or plastic.
The flowerpot
Why it works: A flowerpot holds soil and a plant and has a hole for extra water to drain.
Did you guess it?
I have one wheel and two handles. I carry soil, leaves and flowers around the garden. Where am I?
Look in the garden shed or by the flower bed.
You push me, and I hold a load in my tray.
The wheelbarrow
Why it works: A wheelbarrow usually has one wheel and two handles and hauls soil and leaves.
Did you guess it?
Build castles, dig tunnels and fill up your bucket. I am a square full of soft golden grains. Where am I?
Look in the play area.
Bring a shovel.
The sandbox
Why it works: A sandbox is a play area full of sand for castles and digging.
Did you guess it?
Birds drop in for lunch at me, but there is no menu and no waiter. I hang in the garden full of seeds. Where am I?
Look at a branch or a pole in the yard.
I am filled with seeds so birds will visit.
The bird feeder
Why it works: A bird feeder serves seeds to birds, like a restaurant without a menu or waiter.
Did you guess it?
I am a door in the fence. I open for visitors, but I have no roof and no room behind me. Where am I?
Look where the fence has an opening.
I swing open and shut and often have a latch.
The gate
Why it works: A gate is a door set in a fence, with no roof or room attached.
Did you guess it?
Clues that send teams around a classroom, with no hiding places that need an adult.
Your name is on me, and your pencils and books sleep inside me. You sit at me all day. Where am I?
Look at the place where you sit to work.
Open my lid or my drawer and peek inside.
Your desk
Why it works: A classroom desk often has a name tag, holds pencils and books, and is where you sit.
Did you guess it?
The teacher writes on me with colorful markers, and an eraser wipes me clean. Where am I?
Look at the front of the room.
I am big, flat and white, not black.
The whiteboard
Why it works: A whiteboard is written on with markers and wiped clean with an eraser.
Did you guess it?
Stick a pencil in me and turn the handle. I turn blunt into pointy. Where am I?
I am small, and I am found where pencils go to get fixed.
I make shavings.
The pencil sharpener
Why it works: A pencil sharpener turns a blunt pencil into a pointy one.
Did you guess it?
I am a round map of the whole world that spins on a stand. Where am I?
Look near the geography shelf or the teacher's desk.
Give me a spin and find the oceans.
The globe
Why it works: A globe is a round map of the world that turns on a stand.
Did you guess it?
Backpacks and jackets hang from me by the door, each one under a name. Where am I?
Look where you hang your bag in the morning.
You will find me in the hallway or by the door.
The coat hooks
Why it works: Coat hooks hold backpacks and jackets, usually with a name above each one.
Did you guess it?
Beanbags and picture books wait in my cozy corner. Be quiet and come and sit. Where am I?
Look for cushions and a shelf of books.
This is where the class goes to read quietly.
The reading corner
Why it works: A cozy spot with beanbags and picture books is the reading corner.
Did you guess it?
Old paper scraps go into me so they can become something new. Where am I?
Look near the trash can, but I am a different bin.
I am often blue or green.
The recycling bin
Why it works: Paper goes in the recycling bin so it can be made into new products.
Did you guess it?
I am a ledge at the bottom of the glass where plants sit to soak up the sun. Where am I?
Look at the sunny side of the room.
I sit under the glass, at the bottom of the window frame.
The windowsill
Why it works: A windowsill is the ledge below a window where plants catch the sun.
Did you guess it?
No riddles match both filters. Try another age or difficulty.
Pick 8 to 10 clues from one group, or mix groups for a hunt that moves between rooms and the yard.
Print the cards and cut them apart. Put them in order, so card 1 leads to the spot where you hide card 2, and so on.
Hide each card at the answer to the previous clue. Card 2 goes at the answer to card 1, card 3 at the answer to card 2, and so on.
Give the first card to the children by hand, then end the hunt at a small prize hidden at the answer to the last clue.
Safety spots such as the oven, washing machine, bathtub and hose need an adult. Check that the oven is off and cool before the hunt starts.
Match the clue to the reader: clues labeled 4 to 6 need an adult reading aloud, and clues labeled 7 to 9 suit children who read on their own or race in teams.
Eight to ten clues is about right. Six is plenty for the youngest hunters, while older children can manage twelve or more. Add a final prize at the end of the last clue so every hunter has something to find.
Work backwards from the prize. Hide the prize at the answer to the last clue, hide the last card at the answer to the clue before it, and keep going until you hold the first card, which you hand out.
They cover ages 4 to 9. Each clue is labeled with a reading level, so a 4 to 6 clue uses short, simple sentences for an adult to read aloud, while 7 to 9 clues use wordplay and trickier descriptions.
Yes. The indoor group uses rooms and furniture you probably have. Swap in your own spot if you do not have one, such as using a cupboard instead of a dresser.
The oven, washing machine, bathtub and hose need a grown-up. Check that the oven is off and cool before the hunt, or choose a different clue. Never hide cards where a child must climb or reach.