Free printable, no sign-up Birthday Scavenger Hunt

How to run a birthday party scavenger hunt

A birthday party scavenger hunt works best right after the guests arrive or in the slow stretch before cake. It gets everyone moving, mixes up kids who don't know each other yet and gives the host twenty quiet minutes to get the cake ready.

1. 1Print the sheets before the party, one per team, with the birthday person's name in the title.
2. 2Before guests arrive, leave a few party things out in the open rooms: a spare balloon, a gift bag, a roll of tape, some ribbon.
3. 3Split the guests into teams and hand each team a sheet and a pencil.
4. 4Read out the rules and the time limit, and write the time limit on every sheet.
5. 5Say go. Teams bring finds back to a party base, like the snack table, or check them off where they find them.
6. 6When time is up, gather everyone, count the boxes and let the birthday person award the prizes.

What's on the birthday scavenger hunt list

The 30 things mix party supplies, household finds and a few small tasks. There's a balloon, a bow, a paper cup and wrapping paper. There's something in the birthday person's favorite color, something older than the birthday person and something that rhymes with cake. And a few ask teams to make something, like a drawing of a cake or a birthday wish written on paper, which the birthday person gets to keep.

Every item is safe for kids and easy to find at a party at home. Nothing on the list is sharp, and nothing needs a ladder or a trip out the door. Wrapping paper means a scrap or the roll, never a wrapped present.

Your title prints in big letters at the top of every copy, with a Team line and a Time limit line under it and the list in two columns with checkboxes. It fits on one page, so it's easy to hand out and easy to check.

Teams and timing for a party

Teams of three or four keep everyone busy. Ten kids make three teams, and sixteen make four or five. Put the birthday person on a team like everyone else, or make them the judge if they'd rather run the show. To split teams without anyone being picked last, use the random team generator.

Give teams 15 to 20 minutes. That's long enough to find most of the list and short enough to finish before anyone drifts off to the snacks. Show the time on the countdown timer so nobody has to keep asking how long is left.

With a big group, print a few extra sheets. Late guests can join a team, and you'll have a spare when a sheet gets lost under a couch cushion.

Party rules

• Walk, don't run. A house full of excited kids is no place for sprinting.
• Stay in bounds. Say which rooms are open and close the doors to the rest.
• The presents and the cake are off limits. Look, don't touch.
• Ask before you open someone's bag, drawer or closet.
• Each thing can only check one box.
• Everything goes back where it came from when the hunt ends.
• Be kind about close calls. The birthday person or the host has the final word.

Prizes and variations

Give every guest a small favor, and give the winning team something they'll notice: the first slices of cake, first pick of the favors or choosing the next game. A second prize for the funniest find keeps the slower teams laughing.

Birthday scavenger hunt ideas by age

Ages 4 to 6: Play as one big team with a grown-up reading the list. Pick 10 to 12 things, skip the timer and let every find get a cheer.

Ages 7 to 10: The full list in teams of three, with a reader on each team, works well. Bring finds back to base so the birthday person can see them.

Ages 11 to 14: Mix the order on every copy, set a tight time limit and add the riddle clues. Let the birthday person make up a bonus item on the spot.

Teens and grown-up birthdays: Switch to the photo scavenger hunt, with prompts for posing, building and acting things out. For the rest of the party, see our birthday party games for every age.

Questions