Free printable, no sign-up Indoor Scavenger Hunt

How to run an indoor scavenger hunt

An indoor scavenger hunt is one of the easiest rainy day games there is. Each team gets a list of things to find around the house. The first team to find everything wins, or the team with the most boxes checked when time runs out. You don't need to hide anything ahead of time, because the house is already full of buttons, spoons and lonely socks.

1. 1Print one sheet per team. Check "Mix the order on every copy" so teams start at different spots on the list.
2. 2Write each team's name on the Team line and the minutes on the Time limit line.
3. 3Walk through the bounds together: which rooms are open, which are off limits and where everyone meets at the end.
4. 4Say go. Teams either bring each thing back to a base, like the kitchen table, or check it off where they find it.
5. 5When time is up, everyone meets at base. Count the checked boxes and look over the finds together.
6. 6Put everything back where it came from. Make it part of the game: the first team to finish putting things away gets a bonus point.

Bringing things to base makes checking easy, and everyone gets to see the funny finds. Checking off in place is calmer and keeps the house tidier. Pick whichever suits your group and your floors.

What's on the scavenger hunt list

The sheet lists 30 things that most homes already have: a spoon, a button, a puzzle piece, a stuffed animal, a cardboard box. Some are exact items. Others leave room to think, like something fuzzy, something that makes a sound or something smaller than your thumb. The open ones are where the debates and the laughs come from, so decide up front who gets the final say. Usually that's the grown-up running the hunt.

Everything on the list is safe for kids to pick up. There's nothing sharp, nothing from the medicine cabinet and nothing that needs a step stool. If a room has things you'd rather kids left alone, call it off limits before you start.

The things print in two columns with a checkbox next to each one, under lines for the team name and the time limit. Type your own title, like "Rainy Day Hunt" or "Grandma's House Hunt", and it prints at the top of every copy. Leave it blank and the sheet says Indoor Scavenger Hunt.

Team sizes and timing

Teams of two or three work best. One person holds the sheet, one searches, and a third can argue the close calls. With four or five kids, make two teams or let everyone hunt on their own. With a bigger group, print up to 30 copies so each team has its own sheet, and use the random team generator to split everyone up fairly in a few seconds.

For timing, 15 to 20 minutes suits most kids for the full list of 30. Younger kids may need 25 minutes, or a smaller goal like the first 15 things on the sheet. Older kids can race a 10-minute clock. Put the countdown timer on a tablet or laptop where everyone can see the big digits, and they'll check it on every trip past base.

If ages are mixed, mix the teams too. Pair an older kid who reads with a younger one who loves to dig, and both of them get to do the part they're good at.

House rules for a calm hunt

Read these out before you say go. Thirty seconds of rules saves a lot of refereeing later.

• Walk, don't run. Hallways, stairs and corners are where indoor hunts go wrong.
• Stay in bounds. Name the rooms that are open and close the doors to the ones that aren't.
• Ask before you open anything that belongs to someone else, like a sibling's backpack or a grown-up's desk.
• No climbing on furniture or counters. If something is up high, it doesn't count.
• One thing, one box. A single spoon can't count for a spoon, something round and something that makes a sound.
• Everything goes back where it was found, in the same shape it was in.
• The host settles every argument, and the decision stands.

Prizes and variations

Small prizes keep it friendly: a sticker, first pick of the snacks or choosing the next game. Add a prize for the most creative find, so a team that finishes last still has something to aim for. Once everyone knows how it works, try one of these.

Heading outside next time? Try the outdoor scavenger hunt. For a party, the birthday scavenger hunt adds balloons, bows and a few silly tasks.

Indoor scavenger hunt ideas for different ages

Ages 3 to 5: Hunt as one big team with a grown-up who reads the list out loud, one thing at a time. Start with the easy ones, like a spoon, a stuffed animal and something red. Skip the timer and cheer every find.

Ages 6 to 8: Teams of two, with at least one reader on each team, work well. Set 20 minutes and let them bring finds back to base. Carrying a cardboard box across the house is half the fun at this age.

Ages 9 to 12: Mix the order on every copy, set 10 to 15 minutes and add a rule that the open items need a good reason. Something older than you is a fun one to defend.

Teens and grown-ups: Use the photo proof version and a short clock, or play it at a family gathering with cousins against parents. You'll find more printable scavenger hunt lists and party sheets on our printables page.

Questions