How good are you at finding things? Whether you’re on a road trip, strolling through the neighborhood, or having a fun beach day with the kids, a photo scavenger hunt is a great activity for kids and adults to further explore their surroundings! Take it a step further and document the day for a family photo book, next year’s Christmas cards, or a framed print.
What you’ll need for a photo scavenger hunt
- Camera or smartphone
- Writing instrument
- Scavenger hunt list or print outs
- A prize for the winner
Photo scavenger hunt rules
Scavenger hunt rules are pretty easy. You can set your own rules depending on how many players will be participating. You can choose to play as a team, as competing teams, or as individuals.
Each player will have a list of items they are able to find in the area they are in. Whoever finds the items and photographs within the time allocated first, wins.
- Choose a location and theme.
- Assign someone to be the moderator or judge.
- Decide how you want to separate your players into teams. Always pair kids with adults in every team.
- Make sure you set boundaries within the location—assign parameters and let each player know.
- Set a timer. An hour should be plenty of time.
- Give a prize to the winner.
1. Zoo Scavenger Hunt
Visiting the animals is so peaceful and fun. As you say hi to the tigers, monkeys, and zebras…make sure to also snap a photo of the friendly zookeeper!
2. Road Trip Scavenger Hunt
What can be more fun than a road trip? A road trip scavenger hunt! Adventure through gas stations, lookout points, bridges, and trains. Make sure you pay attention to your surroundings—you may zoom through one of the challenges!
3. Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt
You don’t have to travel far for adventure. You can do it right in your neighborhood. Round up the kids and their friends and have fun discovering all the ins and outs of your community.
4. Nature Scavenger Hunt
There’s nothing more relaxing than being in nature. Nature watching is always exciting especially when surrounded by beautiful trees, leaves, and sunshine—a perfect weekend activity for the whole family.
5. Home Scavenger Hunt
No need to leave your house to have fun. If you have markers, puzzles and spare change, then you’ve got the perfect scavenger hunt setup! Make sure to put everything back in its place or you’ll have a messy home.
6. Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt
Keeping the kids entertained at the grocery store can be a bit tricky. But if you incorporate a scavenger hunt into the mix, you’ll have a happy crew and get your shopping done as well. The challenging part will be to not purchase those cookies.
7. Farmer’s Market Scavenger Hunt
Farmer’s markets are a great place to get your seasonal goods and mingle with your neighbors. The kids will have a great time finding sweet strawberries, beautiful flowers, and freshly baked bread.
8. City Scavenger Hunt
Going into the city is always an adventure. The hustle and bustle, loud noises and groups of tourists keep things exciting. Navigate your way through the streets while snapping fun pictures of taxis and bikes.
9. Beach Scavenger Hunt
A beach scavenger hunt is fun for any age. There are many common items that can be found in just about any beach and the best part of all is everyone gets to splish-splash around. Make sure not to drop your phone in the water!
10. Airport Scavenger Hunt
Traveling can be a little stressful and hectic. But once you’ve made your way through the security line, you’ll have to kill some time before your flight. Have fun snapping someone sleeping, suitcases, and laptops.
There are endless possibilities to scavenger hunts, from birthday parties and holidays to vacation adventures. If a friend hosts one for a kid’s birthday party, be sure to send a thank you note so they know how much fun you and your little ones had.
