Apart from being a holiday, Christmas is all about togetherness and boundless love of the family. The Christmas Scavenger Hunt, participating kids, parents and grandparents, is a way to create timeless cherishable memories. With a little retouch from the designed Scavenger Hunt App, everyone can create festive and heartwarming moments. We’ve tailored some ways to help you host the perfect Christmas scavenger hunt for kids and families.
Here’s what you’ll find:
1. Teaming up to involve everyone.
2. Design and plan the Game.
3. Create a hunt checklist and tasks seamlessly with scavenger hunt app.
4. Prepare the festive treats.
The idea of the Christmas Scavenger Hunt is for everyone to participate and have fun in the game. Even the grandparents can get involved by sharing stories, giving clues, and offering the kids extra help, just like they often do. Creating mixed-age teams and making the game multi-generational is crucial, as participants need to be tech-friendly, knowledgeable, and creative.
Perfect team ideas include duets like grandparents with teens, dads with daughters, moms with sons, or siblings teaming up together.
A specific Christmas idea sets the tone for your scavenger hunt and makes it extra special. Whether it's finding hidden presents, uncovering ornaments, or solving festive puzzles at home, the fun is just beginning. Here are some game ideas to inspire you:
Fill Santa’s Sack
Participants solve clues to find Christmas toys, gifts, and decorations hidden around the house to fill their designated Santa’s Bag.
Decorate Your Gingerbread House
Participants solve clues to collect festive items like candy canes, marshmallows, and licorice strings, then use them to decorate a gingerbread house.
Collect and Reveal - Your Christmas Movie
Participants will find and solve the clues in a specific order, with each clue leading to the next. They must find the clues one after another to finally reveal the name of the hidden Christmas movie.
Do You Want to Build a Snowman?
Participants will search for missing pieces of a snowman picture by solving clues, and then place the found pieces correctly before time runs out.
Keep Santa’s Sleigh Moving!
Search for pictures or figures of all 9 reindeer that pull Santa’s sleigh and place them in a particularly assigned location without overlapping the reindeer names, all before time runs out.
Tips: You can enhance the theme by incorporating costumes, props, or decorations to match. For example, set up Santa hats or elf ears for participants to wear or decorate the area with items that reflect the theme.
Choosing the right location to hide the clue is an important step in creating a successful scavenger hunt. The space should align with your game idea, comfortably fit all participants, and offer plenty of hiding spots for clues and items. Here are some ideas:
Tips: Ensure locations are safe, kid-friendly, and easy to navigate, i.e., hide the clues and items away from the fireplace in the living room, the stove in the kitchen, and high shelves. Ensure hiding spots are creative but not too difficult for kids to find.
To make your Christmas scavenger hunt exciting for kids and fun for the whole family, it’s important to plan your clues carefully. Think about different age groups so everyone can join in the holiday fun!
Older kids and adults love a good challenge, so add clues that make them think. Riddles are a great way to keep the hunt interesting.
For example: "I’m colorful and sweet, a treat you’ll adore, Look where dishes rest, behind the door!"
The answer is “In the Cupboard where the plates are stored”
You can customize yours here.
Simple rhymes with visual hints work best for little ones.
For example: "I’m tiny and quick with pointy ears, Find me where the shoes appear!"
The answer is “On or in the Shoe Cabinets”.
Check this out to customize yours.
Use printed or hand-drawn pictures to guide toddlers or pre-readers. For example, show a picture of a candy cane to indicate where to look.
Add a twist by requiring participants to perform a task, before moving to the next clue, like singing a Christmas song or hopping to the next spot.
To make the Christmas scavenger hunt more engaging, mix in some fun challenges.
Before getting the next clue, the group must sing a verse of “Jingle Bells” or another popular song. Otherwise the group can sing one song together, taking turns with each participant singing a line.
For example, sing 'The 12 Days of Christmas,' assigning one day to each participant.
Ask participants to take a selfie or snap a creative photo with specific items.
For example; “Take a group photo with Christmas Tree Props” or “Take a selfie wearing Reindeer Antlers decor”
Answer a Christmas trivia question correctly to receive the next clue.
For example; “Name Santa's reindeers whose name starts with the fourth of the alphabet!”
The answer is “Dasher, Dancer, Donner”
You can choose your difficulty Trivia Question according to participants’ level, easy for kids, intermediate for older kids, and hard for adults.
Hide QR Codes in different locations for participants to scan and unlock the next clues.
With all the brainstormed clues, it's time to bring them to life with a scavenger hunt app. PlayTours app makes creating and organizing tasks easy and fun.
This is how PlayTours enhances your Christmas scavenger hunt experience:
Customizable Tasks: Tailor each task to suit the age group, from simple clues for kids to more challenging ones for adults.
Smooth Workflow: Organize clues in the correct order, ensuring a seamless transition from one task to the next.
Family-Friendly Features: This scavenger hunt app makes it simple to create activities suitable for kids, adults, and even grandparents, ensuring everyone feels included.
Multimedia Challenges: Capture holiday moments with photo, video, and audio tasks. PlayTours also offers Presentation Mode, where you can showcase photos and completed tasks in a slideshow, adding extra fun as you relive the best moments.
With PlayTours, creating and managing your scavenger hunt will be easier, ensuring a memorable and enjoyable experience for the whole family.
Besides, you can enhance your Christmas scavenger hunt by combining the PlayTours app with a printable template. The app manages tasks and tracks progress, while the template adds a hands-on, visual element for checking off clues or displaying riddles. This mix of tech and tradition keeps everyone engaged, creating a fun and memorable holiday experience.
No Christmas scavenger hunt is complete without thoughtful treats that celebrate love and warmth between family members. Incorporating festive gifts along the way can help create joyful moments and strengthen the spirit of togetherness.
Here are some ideas to inspire you:
Small surprises along the way keep participants excited and connected to the holiday spirit. Here are a few ideas that will make the journey sweeter:
Homemade Holiday Cookies or Snacks: Offer a small bag of Christmas cookies or holiday-themed snacks at each stop for everyone to enjoy.
Personalized Holiday Cards: Handwritten cards or mini notes with heartfelt messages of gratitude or fun riddles for the next clue can make participants feel special.
Warm Drink Surprises: A small mug of hot cocoa, spiced cider, or even a travel-sized holiday coffee blend can add warmth and cheer to the hunt.
By sharing sweet surprises along the way, your scavenger hunt creates joyful moments that bring everyone together, making the holiday season even more memorable and full of cheer.
When the Christmas Scavenger Hunt ends, let the participants share the experiences during the games to relive the best moments while drinking a cup of hot cocoa or having family dinner. Toast with a glass of Eggnog or Apple Cider, the Christmas Family Dinner will be full of cheerful conversation and laughter.
No matter what you want to create, PlayTours and this guide will make your planning a lot easier this Christmas. We hope you have the perfect holiday and that PlayTours becomes a part of your memorable moments.
Don’t forget to grab your Christmas Scavenger Hunt Template to add even more excitement and joy to this festive season.
Exciting and user-friendly scavenger hunt experiences are always available when you create a free scavenger hunt account on PlayTours.
That's it! If you need help, do email us at hello@playtours.app
