Looking for a Christmas scavenger hunt to do with your kids this year? I’ve got 4 different free printable Christmas scavenger hunt ideas for you! Just print and go!
My family and I love everything about Christmas, especially the opportunities to cherish old traditions and create new ones. One of our favorite traditions has always been to bundle up, get some treats and hot cocoa, and go on a Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt together.
I thought I’d change it up a little this year and create a few more FREE Christmas activities you and your kids can do together. There are even options for toddlers, older children, and teens!
If you’re looking for a fun new activity to do both indoors and out, these four fun Christmas Scavenger Hunt printables will help make your holiday merry and bright.
How to do a Christmas Scavenger Hunt with your kids
It’s super easy to plan a Christmas Scavenger Hunt, which is important for every mom out there whose holiday plate is already overflowing with tasks, events, and the need to make their child’s Christmas as magical as humanly possible.
Here’s how to do your own Christmas hunt with your family:
1. Plan a time for your Scavenger Hunt.
The beauty of these free printable Christmas Scavenger Hunts is that you can make up the rules! If you’d like to challenge your kids to complete them all in one day, that’s great!
If you want to spread the game out over a couple of days, that’s fine too! This would work well if you’re planning on attending an event or two where your kids will see different items on their lists.
This family activity is perfect for an outdoor neighborhood walk, an indoor energy buster on cold and frosty days, or a Christmas party game.
2. Print the FREE Christmas Scavenger Hunt List.
Choose which Christmas Scavenger Hunt printable you like best, download, and print! You can use regular printer paper for this holiday activity, but I recommend cardstock. It just holds up better in little hands!
Kids can use pencils, markers, or crayons to mark items off their scavenger hunts. I suggest crayons for younger kids, but if you like living life on the edge, give them a marker!
Mom Tip: Grab a few clipboards from the Dollar Store before your scavenger hunt so that kids can easily mark off items.
3. Offer prizes for the winner!
Prizes make everything more fun, and a little healthy competition never hurt anyone…right? Let’s pretend the answer is YES.
Let’s be honest – toddlers and younger children will be thrilled with just about anything as long as you call it a prize. But it’s a little harder to impress older kids, so here are a few suggestions:
- Movie theater tickets
- Fast food gift card
- A week of no chores
- Date night with Mom or Dad
- Gaming or music gift card
*You can also check out this post for 75 Reward Ideas for Kids!
4. Make it FUN!
Doing this holiday activity with your kids is the perfect time to be the cheesiest, most tinsel-y version of yourself. So make it fun for everyone! You can:
- Play Christmas music in the background
- Decorate indoors with Christmas lights
- Dress up as Santa’s elf
- Wear reindeer antlers or a Santa hat
- Serve hot chocolate and Christmas cookies
4 Awesome Christmas Scavenger Hunt Ideas to Try
I have four FREE Christmas Scavenger Hunt printables for you to try!
Five Senses Christmas Scavenger Hunt
Challenge your kids to use all their senses with this Five Senses Christmas Scavenger Hunt! As your child smells, hears, sees, touches, and tastes items in each category, they can mark them off their list.
Click HERE for the 5 Senses Scavenger Hunt
I’ve included many of the most common Christmas items on this printable holiday scavenger hunt, and you can adapt the rules depending on where you live and what’s available.
For example, you might not be able to see real snow if you live in a warmer climate, but you could shake a snow globe, and that would count just as well.
This scavenger hunt printable is the perfect addition to family gatherings, holiday parties at school, or even holiday craft fairs as we get closer to Christmas.
Christmas Selfie Photo Scavenger Hunt
If there’s one thing that tweens and teens like to do, it’s take selfies!
Click HERE for the Christmas Selfie Scavenger Hunt
Holding a Christmas Selfie Photo Scavenger Hunt is pretty simple:
- Each person or team (if there’s a larger group) needs a phone
- Set a reasonable time limit for how long they have to complete their scavenger hunt
- The person or team with the most selfies on the list wins!
Reminding your kids not to enter private property to snap their photos is best, but they can ask a familiar neighbor for permission.
Neighborhood Decorations Christmas Hunt
This is a fun activity to do as a family, especially the closer you get to Christmas day. Print out a copy for each family member, make some hot cocoa, and walk or drive around the neighborhood.
Click HERE for the Christmas Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt
Holiday Scavenger Hunt List with Photos (for younger kids)
Get your younger kids involved with this fun Holiday Scavenger Hunt List with Photos! Help your toddler or preschooler mark off each holiday item as they find it. It’s also a great way to work on practicing new words!
Click HERE for the Christmas Scavenger Hunt List with Pictures
Other Christmas Treasure Hunt Ideas
If you’d rather create your own Christmas treasure hunt instead of using one of these free printables, that’s fine too! Here are a few creative ideas to fill your kids with the holiday spirit (and hopefully burn off some pent-up energy!):
- Create a set of Christmas clues that kids must find and solve to discover their prize
- Go on a candy cane scavenger hunt to see who can find the most candy canes
- Explore your neighborhood with a Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt
- Go on a holiday book scavenger hunt
- Set up a Christmas morning scavenger hunt, where they have to hunt for their gifts or follow clues to find their “big” gift
I hope you and your kids enjoy this fun and simple Christmas activity! And don’t forget to check out my other free printable scavenger hunts:
Happy Nesting! And the Merriest of Christmases to you and yours!
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