As promised in my previous post, TRICKS & TREATS for a Happy Homeschool Halloween, today I am sharing with you our printable Spooky Scavenger Halloween Hunt! I hope that this printable will help you and your kids make some unforgettable Halloween memories together! If your family enjoys this printable, please share the fun with another family or on social media!
About this SPOOKY SCAVENGER HALLOWEEN HUNT
If you have been following this blog since it began, you may recall from my How to have a Hopping Indoor Easter post that scavenger hunts were a big deal in my family growing up. And since these hunts were a favorite of my childhood, I have passed on the tradition to our son who is now an experienced (and obsessed) scavenger. If he had his way, every day would feature a clue-laden path leading him to some kind of treasure or victory. His enthusiasm has resulted in practically every holiday and special occasion in our family being marked by some kind of scavenger hunt. But when our son asked me a few weeks ago if we could have a Halloween Hunt, I honestly didn’t have a . . . clue.
Since my family didn’t really celebrate Halloween growing up, I’m kind of clueless when it comes to anything spooky. Plus, I’m not really on board with all that gory and ghoulish Halloween stuff anyway. But . . . I do try to honor our kids’ interests and passions as much as I can, and truth be told . . . I hate disappointing our lovely and spirited son. So in the end I just had to put something together for our little BOO! And, of course, I decided to share it with you! (Hey, that rhymed!)
Here’s what I went for:
*vintage illustrations (with special thanks to thegraphicsfairy.com and olddesignshop.com for these amazing finds! They just make me super happy.)
*black and white, paintable options for a two-in-one painting project + activity hunt
*full color “riddle-me-this” clue card options especially for older kids
*spooky images versus downright terrifying ones (I don’t want to have nightmares . . . I mean I don’t want the kids to have nightmares, of course)
*no blood, gore, or devilish stuff (I did include a few images of ghosts and witches that are optional)
How to HAUNT HUNT YOUR HOUSE with this printable Spooky Scavenger:
First, choose between the simple black and white picture clue cards, or the full-color riddle-me-this cards, or use some of each! (For kids under seven, I recommend exclusively using the simple black and white picture clue cards, and for kids older than ten I recommend exclusively using the full-color riddle-me-this cards.)
~For the black and white PICTURE CLUE CARDS~
1.) From the pdf included at the end of this post, select only the picture clue cards for which you have a match somewhere in and/or around your home. Examples: lantern, candlestick, chandelier, tree, teapot, etc.
2.) Print onto cardstock (woven white linen cardstock is best if you are planning to have your child color or paint the cards).
3.) Allow your child to paint or color the black and white cards prior to the hunt if you so choose, but be sure to refuse to explain anything about the cards just yet! Suspense is the name of this game!
4.) Cut out the cards.
5.) Purchase, make, or designate a prize. See my prize ideas at the end of this post!
6.) When it is time for the hunt, decide which clue will come first and hold onto that clue. Then, according to the picture of the reserved clue, hide the rest of the clue cards according to the images on the clues. Example: you hold on to the candle card and hide the pumpkin card under a candlestick. You hide the spider card under the pumpkin. You hide the teapot card inside the pages of a favorite book about spiders. And so on and so on until you have hidden all the clues and the prize at the resulting location of the final clue. If you get confused, go through the hunt yourself before you turn it over to your child.
7.) Give your child the first clue to begin the hunt.
IMPORTANT: Please continue reading for my TRICKS & TREATS to get the most out of your Spooky Scavenger Hunt!
~For the full color “RIDDLE-ME-THIS” CARDS~
1.) From my pdf included at the end of this post, read through the riddles and clues on each card and select which cards you are able to come up with a match in and/or around your home that you think your child will be able to decipher.
Examples:
This clue could perhaps lead the scavenger to the pages of a book of Cinderella:
This clue may lead the scavenger to the family car in the garage or driveway:
This clue may lead the hunter to a bag of apples in the refrigerator:
This riddle could lead the scavenger to a book of bees, or a jar of honey in the pantry:
2.) Print onto cardstock (woven white linen cardstock will give it an extra vintage feel but is not necessary)
3.) Cut out the cards.
4.) Purchase, make, or designate a prize. See my prize ideas at the end of this post!
5.) When it is time for the hunt, decide which riddle-me-this card will come first and hold on to that clue. Then, according to the riddle of the reserved clue, hide the rest of the clue cards according to the riddle results for each clue. Example:
6.) Give your child the first riddle to begin the hunt.
IMPORTANT: Please continue reading for my TRICKS & TREATS to get the most out of your Spooky Scavenger Hunt!
Here is the printable PDF!!
TRICKS & TREATS for a Spectacularly Spooky Scavenger:
1.) Make it PUZZLING!
Print out one of the optional puzzle pages at the end of the pdf provided onto cardstock to be used as the final clue. Write a final clue or riddle on the back (or just let the image speak for itself), cut out the puzzle, and hide a piece of the puzzle with each picture clue or riddle-me-this card. When your child has found every clue, he or she can then put the puzzle together in order to solve the final clue and claim his or her prize!
2.) Make it SPOOKY!
- Turn off the lights, and make it a flashlight or candlelit hunt!
- Play spooky music (click here for my Slightly Spooky Halloween Playlists)
- Wear costumes or play detective
- hide a little spooky friend with each clue, like these Spooky & Silly Pipe-Cleaner Spiders
3.) DON’T HELP!
At some point during the hunt, your child will most likely tell you that the hunt is too hard, or that he cannot possibly solve this riddle! Your natural inclination will probably be to help your child solve the riddle or hunt. But in my experience, this robs from the scavenger the satisfaction of solving each riddle or clue for him or herself. It’s ok if it takes her a few minutes (or maybe hours!) to solve a few clues! It’s the whole point of the hunt! If your child absolutely needs help solving a clue, don’t let it be elicited from you. Have your little (or big) scavenger call Grandma, or run over to the neighbor’s for some off-site help. When I have assisted in solving a clue . . . whether for my son, the kids I used to nanny, or my middle school students in one of my classroom scavenger hunts . . . I have almost always been told that the hunt was “too easy” and to “make the next one harder!” This response almost always comes from a child who will have twenty minutes earlier been begging in near tears for help.
4.) Save it for next year!
Repeated holiday traditions will give your child a rich and secure holiday heritage, and it will make your life easier each year! I have a plastic tote for each holiday where I store special holiday books, games, and activities that I only bring out once a year. Our son looks forward to the old and familiar favorites and it makes my life a lot easier, affording me the time and energy to create new family traditions! This hunt can easily be re-printed year to year and/or switched up/made more difficult as your child grows.
Keep your eyes on the PRIZE (ideas for a rewarding finish)
The prize is not really the point of a scavenger hunt . . . but it’s kind of integral to the whole concept. After all, what is a hunt if you aren’t hunting for . . . something? So although the scavenger hunt itself will probably be more fun than the prize at the end of it, having your hunt anchored to a goal or flourishing finish is very helpful to motivate the hunter and provides a nice sense of satisfaction in solving the last clue. However, this does not mean that the prize has to be incredible or expensive. In fact, I encourage you not to go too hog-wild with the prize you choose because you may very well be suckered into setting up this spooky scavenger hunt “again!!” and “again!!!” So, I recommend choosing something you can duplicate or “match” in greatness for repeated hunts.
Here are a few ideas to get you going:
- a new book or two (click here for our BOO! Book List for Halloween!)
- Halloween candy or treats (click here for our Homemade Halloween Candy Tutorial!)
- a new card or board game (click here for our list of Slightly Spooky Games for Halloween!)
- a few extra Book Bucks (click here for our free Book Buck printable!)
- a freebie movie ticket (click here for our free Movie Ticket printable!)
- new art or craft supplies
- a homemade coupon for an outing or experience (like to a corn maze, pumpkin patch, family dance party, apple cider social, family movie night, or family game night!)
HAPPY HUNTING! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Thanks for reading! You made our day!
Love, ~Our Holistic Homeschool~
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