Writing Scavenger Hunt Clues: Ideas for the Treasure Hunt

Scavenger hunts are fun for kids (and adults) of all ages, but writing scavenger hunt clues can be just as puzzling as solving them. Apply your imagination to these witty ideas when writing scavenger hunt clues and your treasure hunt will be a curious adventure!

Subscribe to KLWightman.com Blog Upper Button

Scavenger Hunt Clue Idea: Word Scrambles

Mix it up by writing scavenger hunt clues with letters! Here are some word-scrambling ideas:

Scramble up the letters of the clue object or location. CANDLE turns into ADECNL

Writing Scavenger Hunt Clues 2

Or take out some letters with fill-in-the-blank. CANDLE turns into _ A _ D _ E .Writing Scavenger Hunt Clues 3Or hide the letters in Xs. CANDLE turns into XXCXXXAXXXNXDXXXLXXE .

Scavenger Hunt Clue Idea: Riddles

Writing scavenger hunt clues

That rhyme is the thing to do!

Describe the object or the place

And let your words show its face!

Weave in senses, its uses,

Or wordplay that confuses.

Many hints will help the fun

In solving the clue for everyone!

Scavenger Hunt Clue Idea: Photo Clues

Writing scavenger hunt clues doesn’t always mean writing. Get out your camera and take pictures of your clue locations! Here are some photo clue ideas to try:

  • Zoom in on a specific feature of an object in the room. For example, zoom in on the 5 of a foyer clock or the spout of a kitchen teapot.

Writing Scavenger Hunt Clues 5

  • Take a picture of a specific space of the clue location without a key object like a flowerpot or a side table. Caption the picture: “What is missing from this picture?”
  • Cut up the photo clue of the entire object into puzzle pieces.

Writing Scavenger Hunt Clues 4

Scavenger Hunt Clue Idea: Picture Equations

Drawing can be just as effective as writing scavenger hunt clues. Have the clue object or location in mind before you begin to draw, snip photos, or print clipart. Here are some examples of picture equations:

  • potato + chip = potato chips
  • steak + knives = steak knives
  • dog + park = dog park

Scavenger Hunt Clue Idea: Trivia Facts

Add some difficulty for older players by writing scavenger hunt clues as trivia facts. Remember that players aren’t meant to look up the trivia fact, so write the scavenger hunt clue so that the players can solve the clue with their knowledge of the scavenger hunt grounds and of the clue object or location. For example, if the house has a portrait of Elvis, the clue can read like this: “Don’t Be Cruel and step on my Blue Suede Shoes.”

Keep in mind when writing scavenger hunt clues the age level of the players. Make sure the players understand the location perimeters of the scavenger hunt and what rooms or places within that location are off-limits. And most importantly, have fun!

What are your tips to writing scavenger hunt clues? Share them below!

5 Comments

  1. Great post. I was checking continuously this blog and I’m impressed! Extremely useful information specially the last part 🙂 I care for such information much. I was looking for this certain information for a very long time. Thank you and best of luck.

  2. Simple yet informative article. I am in the midst of creating my third Pirate hunt adventure and maybe it’s time i took a simpler approach as you suggested. It’s very difficult to gleam ideas on the net these days. Its more advertisements than constructive, creative writing.

  3. I did a Christmas hunt and used “the night before Christmas” poem with words missing. Those words held where the next clue could be found. e.g. mouse, chimney, St. Nicholas, bed, window, sleigh, reindeer, . Each clue had the next part of the poem so it was read in entirety by the end. I used ornaments when necessary.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.