Scavenger hunt is an immensely popular game that people of all age groups enjoy. If you plan to organize this game, there are many unique ideas that will help you prepare a good scavenger hunt list for the players.
The game of scavenger hunt has numerous variations. The options are quite mind-boggling as they can be modified to suit a particular age group or an occasion by simply dialing up the difficulty level and increasing the distances one has to travel to collect the items to win the game. If the hunt needs to be event specific, all you need to do is compile a list of items related to the occasion, such as Christmas, a birthday party, a bachelorette party, or other such events, and ask the participants to gather the items mentioned in the list.
If you have adults playing the game, you can add a few naughty items to your funny scavenger hunt list in order to leave your guests in splits. For instance, make men collect women’s clothing around the house and the garden which they must wear on discovery in order to win! While the basic form of the game still all about collecting items on the list, the contemporary form includes tasks that are to be performed on finding the items and clicking pictures of the same. Here are some ready scavenger hunt ideas with a list of items to be collected.
Around the Town Scavenger Hunt
☞ A family recipe from a local resident
☞ The dimensions of the ice surface at the local rink
☞ The price of a piña colada at the local bar
☞ A cosmetics salesperson’s business card
☞ Picture of the smallest house you can find
☞ A team member helping a stranger
☞ Photo of graffiti art in a local shop washroom
Christmas Scavenger Hunt
☞ Acorn
☞ Bow
☞ Candy cane
☞ Lip balm
☞ Christmas card
☞ Marshmallow
☞ Cinnamon eggnog
☞ Gingerbread man
☞ Mistletoe
☞ Holly
☞ Homemade cookie
☞ Poinsettia flower
☞ A nativity scene and yarn
☞ A three-legged reindeer
☞ A “molten” Frosty the Snowman
☞ A skinny Santa Claus
Newspaper Scavenger Hunt
☞ A chocolate dessert recipe
☞ A photograph of a politician
☞ A bird
☞ Athletic footwear
☞ Ice
☞ A red bow tie
☞ A red-haired woman
Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt
In order to organize this kind of a hunt, you have to keep in mind that the players feel comfortable and safe about the houses and locations they are expected to visit to look for the items on the list. Similarly, choose only those houses whose owners are open to their premises being used for a game of this sort. Tag every item you place in the various houses and locations so that the players know the specific items they are supposed to collect. As a rule, each team needs to find and collect only one item from every house and the owner has to sign in front of the item on the list as a proof. The team that collects most items wins. Here is a sample hunt list which can be modified according to convenience.
☞ An invitation card
☞ An old CD
☞ A sock with a hole in it
☞ A chocolate chip cookie recipe
☞ A tape case
☞ A grocery receipt
☞ A balloon
☞ A 1980 penny
☞ A hanger
☞ A movie ticket
☞ An empty bottle
☞ A paper airplane
☞ A black brush
☞ An origami flower
☞ A student ID card
☞ An empty toilet paper roll
☞ A bus schedule
Glow-in-the-Dark Scavenger Hunt
A fun version of this popular game is a glow-in-the-dark scavenger hunt. It is ideal for a slumber party, and fairly easy to organize. All you need to do is paint your items with glow-in-the-dark paint that is widely available in craft stores. The kind of objects you paint could be a penny, a ball, a ruler, a banana, etc. Remember to give the items plenty of light exposure, once they dry. Alternatively, you could use actual glow-in-the-dark items, such as small toys, key chains, bracelets, tape, and erasers. You could also allow teams to take home all the items they find. With a spark of creativity, you can make this version unique and interesting. If you do not wish to paint the items, you can buy ready-made glow-in-the-dark items available at stores and hide them well. Then declare that the items found will be the prizes for the participants. This will make people more enthusiastic and energetic to play the game.
These scavenger hunt lists should give you an idea of the many different ways in which the game can be played. Other scavenger hunt ideas are a mall hunt, a road trip hunt and a bridal shower hunt. If you want truly original scavenger hunt list items, then you will have to dig deep into your own imagination, and come up with a custom list.