Free printable, no sign-up Halloween Scavenger Hunt

How to run a Halloween scavenger hunt

This printable scavenger hunt works two ways. At a Halloween party, teams search the decorated house or yard for the things on the list. On a trick-or-treat walk, the whole family carries one sheet and checks things off on porches, in windows and in the costumes passing by. Either way, nobody needs to hide anything ahead of time.

1. 1For a party, set out a few extras the night before: a plastic spider, some googly eyes, a glow stick, a bowl of candy corn.
2. 2Print one sheet per team, or one per family for a walk, plus a pencil each.
3. 3Write the team names and the time limit at the top. For a walk, the time limit is the end of the route.
4. 4Say go, or start walking. Check off each thing when you spot it. Decorations stay where they are.
5. 5At the end, count the boxes. On a walk, do it at home while you sort the candy.

What's on the Halloween scavenger hunt list

The 30 finds are Halloween classics: a jack-o'-lantern, a ghost, a witch's hat, a broom, a spider web, real or fake. There are treats, like a lollipop and a piece of candy corn, and costumes, like someone in a cape and someone dressed as an animal. A few belong outside, like the moon, purple lights and a house that looks haunted.

Everything is spooky, not scary. The skeleton is a smiling one, the monster is the one-eyed, goofy kind, and there's nothing gory anywhere on the sheet. It works for little kids in costumes and for older kids who think they're too old for Halloween.

Some finds suit a party and some suit a walk, so not every team will get all 30. Agree that the most checked boxes wins. Add your own title, like "The Garcia Halloween Hunt", and it prints on every copy above the Team and Time limit lines.

Teams and timing

At a party, make teams of two or three and give them 15 to 20 minutes. Put a big kid with a little kid so someone can read the list and someone can spot the googly eyes at knee height. Mixing the order on every copy sends teams to different rooms first.

On a trick-or-treat walk, the hunt lasts as long as the route. One sheet per family is easiest. If you're walking with friends, give each family its own sheet and compare at the end. Keep the sheet and pencil in the treat bucket so they're handy at every house.

Rules for a safe, spooky hunt

• Walk, don't run. Costumes, capes and long hems trip people up, and so do porch steps in the dark.
• Stay in bounds at a party, and stay with your grown-up on a walk.
• On a walk, stay on the sidewalk. Spot decorations from the path and never walk onto lawns or into anyone's house.
• Look, don't touch. Decorations stay where they are, at your house and everyone else's.
• Spot costumes from a friendly distance. Nobody needs to be stopped or asked to pose.
• Carry a flashlight or a glow stick on a walk after dark.
• Save the candy for later, after a grown-up has looked it over.

Prizes and variations

Prizes can be Halloween-sized: an extra piece of candy, choosing the movie or wearing the witch's hat for the rest of the night. Once kids know the list, try one of these.

Halloween scavenger hunt ideas for every age

Ages 3 to 5: Play in daylight at home, with a grown-up reading the list. Point out the pumpkins, the cat and the orange things, and stop when they lose interest.

Ages 6 to 10: This is the age for the trick-or-treat walk version. Kids love being the one who spots the haunted house first.

Ages 11 to 14: Try the glow hunt or the riddle clues, and give them the timed relay at a party. Let them name their teams after monsters.

Teens and adults: At a costume party, use it as a mingling game, or switch to the photo scavenger hunt. For more ideas for the night, see our Halloween games and the printable Halloween bingo cards. Every Halloween printable is on the printables page.

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