How to Throw a Great Scavenger Hunt Anytime, Anywhere

Scavenger hunts are great for any occasion, be it a birthday, a wet and rainy Tuesday, or a sunny weekend. They can be specific and well-researched or vague and funny. They can serve as background games whilst you do other things, or as the main source of entertainment. They can be played in teams or as individuals. The ideas below will give you everything you need to make your perfect hunt, whatever that might be.

Be creative and use whatever comes to hand. Some of the below suggestions will make use of certain things, others will not, but it's possible to throw a great scavenger hunt without specialist supplies, just with what you have around the house or in the backyard.

The best scavenger hunt challenges don't just ask you to find something, but to make something out of what you find. Collecting leaves from different trees is all well and good, but the real fun starts when you're forced to see what you can do with those leaves. Let me illustrate with a few examples. Here are some items you could include in your hunt:

• The tallest tower made out of whatever you can find.
• A self-portrait made out of things from nature.
• The strongest bridge made out of objects from the garden.
• The prettiest flower made of anything but flowers.
• The catapult that can throw a tennis ball (or anything really!) the furthest.
• The tower with the narrowest base and the widest top.
• The boat that can carry the most things without sinking.

All of these challenges encourage players to think out of the box and use their creativity to make the most of their surroundings. What's more, you can adapt them to suit your own specific needs. You can make them competitive, by splitting into teams, or collaborative, by having everyone work together. You can make objective goals that are easily quantifiable (e.g. tallest, furthest, etc), or subjective goals that are a matter of taste (e.g. prettiest, scariest, etc).

It's always fun to have a few challenges where no-one knows what to expect. One way to do this is to add a few items to the list that are intentionally vague, e.g.

1. Something round.
2. A thing that makes a good sound.
3. Something foldable.
4. Something wobbly.

You'll know what they're for, but you won't tell anyone else until the end of the game. Then, once everyone has brought their items back, you will reveal the mystery challenges. Here's what I had in mind for the above:

1. Who can roll their round item so that it lands closest to a chosen spot. Everyone lines up and takes it in turns to try and land their item closest.
2. Who can make the best 10 second jingle using their item that makes a good sound as an instrument.
3. Who can make the best paper aeroplane out of their foldable item. Everyone makes a plane and takes it in turns trying to glide theirs furthest.
4. Who can keep their wobbly item on their head for the longest time. Everyone holds their items on top of their heads and, at the same time, lets go. The last item standing wins.

Challenges like this can be a great way to end your hunt.

One thing to consider, if playing in teams, is giving each team a bespoke 'individual challenge' that none of the other teams know about, but involves catching the other teams out. What do I mean? Here are some examples:

• Get someone in another team to join you in a sing along. Start a song and if they join in then you take the points.
• Get someone in another team to correct you. Say something obviously wrong and if they correct you then you take the points.
• Get someone in another team to give you a funny handshake.
• Get someone in another team to say something in a language they would not ordinarily use in day to day speech.

These can be a good way to add a bit of interactivity between different groups, but should be used with a little caution as they can sometimes cause frustration.

Hopefully these suggestions will inspire you to make great scavenger hunts at home or wherever you see fit. They are a wonderful and adaptable activity and can really encourage creativity and exploration when used in the right way.

One last thing, I recently did a Secret City scavenger hunt in New York and this seemed another great way to get out and about with the family and learn a bit of the history at the same time. Can't recommend them enough. And I see they've got locations in other places too. Well worth checking out if you're in any of the relevant cities

Happy hunting everyone!