I have always been a fan of scavenger hunts in education. They are such a fun and easy way to learn new skills. My girls really don’t tire of doing them. They are often asking for them, especially if we go to places like the zoo or aquarium.  I try to make them different each time, focusing on a different skill or interest. 

WHY INCLUDE SCAVENGER HUNTS FOR YOUR CHILD’S EDUCATION?

1. Scavenger hunts are experiential (hands-on)

You children will learn through hands-on learning that will give better understanding of the content, but they will also learn about their own learning processes, their strengths and weaknesses, and problem solving. Critical and creative thinking come to the forefront. 

2. Scavenger hunts create internal motivation

During a scavenger hunt, your kids get to lead and if their ideas or strategy don’t get them the results they were after, wll, they have to reflect and brainstorm ways to problem solve. This helps with developing self-directed learning.

3. You can easily customize them

Scavenger hunts are highly adaptable – they can be easily customized to your child’s learning needs, interests, and abilities. Is your child interested in animals? Go to the zoo. Do they like the outdoors? Go on a hike and hunt. Are they interested in art? Do a hunt in an art gallery. 

Scavenger hunts can take place anywhere – the backyard, parks, farms, campgrounds, grocery stores, around the neighborhood, at museums, art galleries, and malls.

You can also customize based on age, level of difficulty, and capabilities of your children. 

4. They teach different skills

Going on a scavenger hunt can mean working on different skills like collaboration, strategy, communication, critical thinking, etc. They can also develop their observational skills that can enhance language and curiosity. 

5. Scavenger hunts are fun!

When a child is enjoying what they are doing then their learning retention is so much better. It is also a great way to move around and take learning away from a desk. Often you will find that your children don’t realize they are learning because they are having fun. 

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN HUNT

You can also check out my other vlog posts on DIY scavenger hunts and Outdoor nature hunts. But here are the simple points to get you started:

• Pick your theme or purpose
  • – Indoor or Outdoor? Holiday theme? Nature? Alphabet? Math?
• List or clues?
  • Do you want to have a list of items to find or clues the children need to work out and then find?
• Write a list of items or clues
  • Work within your children’s ages. Younger children need less items and might do better with pictures. You can make it more challenging the older the children are.
• Set the guidelines and rules
  • How long do they have to complete it? Do they work on their own or in a partnership/team? Do they have to collect the items or just check a list? Is it a photo hunt where they have to take photos of the items?
• Have fun!

SCAVENGER HUNT POCKET PACK

I love putting together resources for families. One thing I have been writing (and will continue to do so) are Pocket Packs. You can check them out in the store. Most of them are based on a book or a theme. But I have also written one on scavenger hunts. It will have books you can read to get you motivated, lists and ideas, some printable pages and a variety of hunts for you. 

Get your Scavenger Hunt Pocket Pack here