Christmas Scavenger Hunt: Ideas and Riddle Clues for Any Age

Published · 9 min read

Spin the Christmas scavenger hunt wheel
Five Christmas scavenger hunt ideas, one each for home, outdoors, class, toddlers and a riddle clue: a stocking, a pine needle, a red crayon, something soft and a clue that leads to the fridge

A Christmas scavenger hunt sends players after festive things, such as a pine cone or something that jingles, either from a list or by following riddle clues to a treat. Here are lists for every place and age, 18 riddle clues with their answers, and how to set one up and run it.

Indoor Christmas Scavenger Hunt Ideas at Home

Things most homes have out in December, for a cold afternoon or the hour before dinner. Read them from the list, or put the Christmas scavenger hunt wheel on a phone and let a spin choose the next one.

  1. A stocking
  2. Wrapping paper
  3. A roll of tape
  4. A Christmas mug
  5. A Christmas book
  6. A cozy blanket
  7. A pair of slippers
  8. A cookie cutter
  9. A photo from last Christmas
  10. Something that jingles
  11. Something shaped like a star
  12. A bow or a ribbon
  13. A Christmas card
  14. Something red and green
  15. Something with a snowman on it
  16. A candy cane

Outdoor Christmas Scavenger Hunt Ideas

For a yard, a park or a walk round the block with a grown-up. Agree on where the edges are before you start, and count a thing as found when you point to it, so plants, animals and other people’s decorations stay where they are.

  1. A pine cone
  2. A pine needle
  3. An evergreen tree
  4. A smooth stone
  5. A stick shaped like a Y
  6. A bird
  7. A feather
  8. A brown leaf
  9. An animal track
  10. Frost or snow
  11. A wreath on a door
  12. Christmas lights on a house
  13. A cloud shaped like something
  14. Something that crunches underfoot
  15. A star in the sky, if you go out after dark

Classroom Christmas Scavenger Hunt

Things every classroom has, so nobody leaves the room or opens a classmate’s desk. Call one out, and the first table group to hold one up scores. If some of your class don’t celebrate Christmas, the snow and winter ones work for everyone.

  1. A red crayon
  2. A green marker
  3. A glue stick
  4. A white eraser
  5. A paper clip
  6. A sticky note
  7. A ruler
  8. A triangle, like a tree
  9. December on a calendar
  10. A word that rhymes with snow
  11. A book with snow on the cover
  12. Something with the letter J
  13. A number bigger than 25
  14. A map of a cold place

Christmas Party Scavenger Hunt

A team race for a room full of guests, with things people carry or can find without leaving the party. The host calls one out, and the first team to show it scores. To make fair teams in a few seconds, use the random team generator.

It fills 20 minutes between dinner and presents. For more to play once it’s done, see our Christmas party games.

  1. Someone wearing something red
  2. A phone photo of last year’s tree
  3. A coin from this year
  4. A Christmas song playing on a phone
  5. A napkin folded into a tree
  6. A gift tag
  7. A selfie of the whole team with the host
  8. A cookie with sprinkles
  9. Three different shades of green
  10. Something from every person on the team
  11. A paper snowflake, cut on the spot
  12. A team member wearing a bow

Christmas Scavenger Hunt for Toddlers

Keep it to one room and five or six things, and hunt together rather than race. Toddlers find colors and soft things faster than words, so hold up a picture or a sample of each one. For more that little ones can join, see our Christmas games for family.

  1. Something red
  2. Something green
  3. Something soft
  4. A ball
  5. A teddy bear
  6. A sock
  7. A book
  8. A hat
  9. Something round
  10. Something that rings
  11. A star
  12. A spoon

Christmas Scavenger Hunt for Teens and Adults

Harder finds that take some thinking or a little creativity. Play in teams of two or three, with a time limit, and give a point for the funniest answer as well as the right one.

  1. The oldest ornament in the house
  2. Something older than the youngest player
  3. A song title with snow in it, found in a playlist
  4. Something for each letter of NOEL
  5. A photo recreating an old family Christmas photo
  6. Something that could be a gift for under five dollars
  7. Something with a number from The Twelve Days of Christmas
  8. A recipe that uses cinnamon
  9. A team photo in the shape of a tree
  10. Something you’d use to build a snowman
  11. A word that rhymes with Rudolph, or your best try
  12. Something that sounds like sleigh bells

Christmas Scavenger Hunt Riddles

For a clue-by-clue hunt at home, each riddle names the hiding place of the next one. Hide them backwards: put the treat in the last place, its clue in the place before, and so on, then hand over the first clue. Twelve are plenty for an hour, and the last one leads to the treat.

  1. I keep the milk cold, and Santa’s snack waits behind my door. Answer: the fridge
  2. I hang up empty all December and get filled on Christmas Eve. Answer: a stocking
  3. I have a face and two hands, but no arms and no legs. Answer: a clock
  4. I have four legs but never walk, and Christmas dinner sits on me. Answer: the table
  5. Everyone squeezes onto me to watch a Christmas movie. Answer: the sofa
  6. I’m made from a tree, and I’m full of stories. Answer: the bookshelf
  7. I say welcome to everyone who comes in from the snow. Answer: the doormat
  8. Presents wait under me until Christmas morning. Answer: the Christmas tree
  9. You rest your head on me and dream of Santa’s sleigh. Answer: a pillow
  10. You wear us on your feet, and we wait in pairs by the door. Answer: the shoes
  11. I’m full of toys waiting to be played with. Answer: the toy box
  12. Santa’s favorite snack lives in me, and so does your prize. Answer: the cookie jar

Riddle Clues for a Classroom Hunt

Six places every classroom has. Tape each clue where the one before points, and send table groups out one at a time so the room stays calm.

  1. I have a face but no eyes, and I tell you when it’s time for lunch. Answer: the clock
  2. You write on me with a marker, and I’m wiped clean every day. Answer: the whiteboard
  3. I eat your pencils and give them back sharper. Answer: the pencil sharpener
  4. I’m full of stories and stand against the wall. Answer: the class library
  5. Your teacher checks your work sitting at me. Answer: the teacher’s desk
  6. Throw your paper scraps in me, but never a clue. Answer: the recycling bin

How to Set Up a Christmas Scavenger Hunt

Pick the kind of hunt first. A list hunt gives every team the same things to find, and the first team back with all of them wins. A clue hunt hides one riddle in each place, so players follow them in order to a treat. A wheel hunt calls out one thing at a time, which works best with everyone in one room.

Then get it ready in about 15 minutes:

  1. Set the area: which rooms, the yard or the classroom only, and which places are off limits
  2. Write or print the list, one per team, or hide the riddles backwards, starting with the treat
  3. Pair each young child with an older partner
  4. Agree that pointing counts, so nothing gets taken from a neighbor or knocked off a shelf
  5. Choose a prize the whole group can share, such as cookies or first pick of the Christmas movie
  6. Set a time: 15 minutes for a list, 20 to 30 for a riddle hunt, a minute a round on the wheel

How to Run the Hunt

Read the rules out loud, start everyone together, and stay where players can find you. Count points as teams come back, and check each find before it scores.

For wheel rounds, put the 1 minute timer on a screen everyone can see, and give toddlers as long as they need. When a riddle stumps a team, give them the first letter of the answer rather than the place.

How the Wheel Picks the Next Thing to Find

With a wheel, nobody has to think up the next thing, and nobody can say the host picked an easy one for their own team. Everyone sees it land at the same moment, and the race starts.

Open the wheel on a TV, a laptop or a phone, then:

  1. Choose a set under the wheel: indoor, outdoor, classroom, or the mixed 30
  2. Press SPIN and read out what to find
  3. Give everyone a minute, and the first one back with it scores
  4. Click Hide & Respin, so nothing comes up twice
  5. Spin again until the wheel is empty or the cookies are ready
Spintastico’s Christmas scavenger hunt wheel with 30 things to find, such as a pine cone, something that jingles and a candy cane

How to Write Your Own

A good thing to find is quick to understand and turns up in more than one place: “something that jingles” beats “the blue bell from Grandma”. Leave out anything sharp, hot, high up or outside the area you agreed on.

To put yours on the wheel, click “Create your own scavenger hunt picker” on its page and type them in. Things only your family would know, such as the ornament from your first Christmas, make the best rounds.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should be on a Christmas scavenger hunt list?

Festive things most places have: something red and green, a pine cone, a candy cane, something that jingles, a bow and a Christmas card. Add a few that fit your home, class or yard.

How do you make a Christmas scavenger hunt for kids?

Pick one area, write 10 to 15 things to find, and pair younger kids with older ones. Agree that pointing counts, set a 15-minute limit, and have a treat at the end that everyone shares.

What are good riddles for a Christmas scavenger hunt?

Riddles that name a hiding place, such as “I keep the milk cold, and Santa’s snack waits behind my door” for the fridge. Hide them backwards from the treat, so each one leads to the next.

How long does a Christmas scavenger hunt take?

About 15 minutes for a list hunt, 20 to 30 for a riddle hunt with 12 clues, and a minute a round when the wheel calls out one thing at a time.

Can I run a Christmas scavenger hunt in a classroom?

Yes. Use things every classroom has, such as a red crayon or December on the calendar, and let table groups race to hold one up, so nobody leaves the room.

Spin the Christmas Scavenger Hunt Wheel

Put it on the TV and race to find what it lands on: 30 festive things, with sets for indoors, outdoors and class.

Spin the Christmas scavenger hunt wheel

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