If you are in charge of putting together an evening of fun with family and friends you will find scavenger hunt ideas in books, magazines and online. If you need an activity that will be enjoyable and challenging, give some serious thought to a scavenger hunt, because there are dozens of ideas available.
This great party activity has been around for years, with both children and adults searching for everything from an apple to a photo of a zebra. In fact, that’s one of the great things about having a scavenger hunt instead of playing cards or using a ready-made board game – almost anything goes.
One of the first, and most important, steps in planning this activity is to understand who will be participating. Not only should you plan a hunt for an adult group or a children’s group, you should also take into consideration the interests of the adults, the age level of the children etc. A few minutes devoted to this step will go a long way toward ensuring that your hunt is a success.
At first glance, it may seem that planning and hosting a scavenger hunt will be too difficult. But with the scavenger hunt ideas available on the Internet, in magazines and in special guides written just for this activity, you will be able to find all the help you need.
One great idea that has been used during the holiday season is the scavenger-hunt clue list. For example, small gifts can be hidden in various places throughout the house and simple clues of one or two sentences can be written on separate pieces of paper. These clues are given to those who are to receive the gifts and they have to determine the location based on the clue. *This will be fascinating for children and great fun for adults.
Why not take this “clue” idea and apply it to a party or family gathering that is not associated with one of the major holidays? Even when you have an evening gathering of adult friends, clue lists are a great way to organize a scavenger hunt. You just have to make sure the clues are simple enough to figure out in a reasonable amount of time yet mysterious enough to be enjoyable. Make your clues rhyme or put them in riddle form!
Things to Find
In the past three or four years, scavenger hunts have made something of return to popularity. In the 1950s and 1960s, this activity was often first on the list of party possibilities, but interest dropped off for a time. Because of the increased interest enterprising individuals have developing lists and books of Scavenger Hunt Ideas.
Creating a list of items to find can be one of the more challenging parts of being the scavenger hunt organizer. Choosing a theme is one way to narrow the focus of a party, family gathering or even a company picnic. Establish a category for the hunt such as objects that start with a particular letter of the alphabet, items to be found only in the yard or outside the house or within 300 feet of the picnic site.
Go one step farther and give the activity a theme such as a birthday, a specific holiday or one of the many random themes that can be gleaned from party-planning magazines and Internet sites. If the children at your party are currently interested in a particular singer or movie star, use that as the idea that ties the scavenger hunt together. A group of adults might have music, books, sports or outdoor activities as a common interest. Build your day or evening around one of these themes.
Add a final twist to your scavenger hunt ideas by asking the players to not only find the objects but also have them photograph them. Then judge the photos and award an additional, “special” prize for good photos. The new technology of small, digital cameras makes it easy to view and judge photos immediately.
A free guide put together by Brad Younger, Scavenger Hunt Secrets, is designed to take the frustration out of putting together a successful afternoon or evening. This small guide offers assistance with the basic steps to planning a hunt and even offers suggestions for writing riddles and clues to be used as mentioned earlier.
Whether you are planning a children’s party, a company activity, an adult evening party or a few hours of fun for your church group, scavenger hunt ideas are literally everywhere. Just turn your imagination loose and have fun.
