Original Scavenger Hunt Ideas for a Teen

Original Scavenger Hunt Ideas for a Teen

Here's an original scavenger hunt I created for my nephew for Christmas. It rocked! At least that was my perspective and from the enthusiasm and smile that radiated off of his face, I'd say my assumption was correct. Sure, a scavenger hunt can be done for any occasion or simply just for the heck of it. This scavenger hunt was Christmas and family focused.

Due to time constraints and a 15-year old who has way too much in terms of stuff, I was at a loss for last minute Christmas gift ideas. Reluctantly, I turned to the ever popular and safe bet, gift cards.

Where's the fun in handing over a bunch of gift cards? There isn't any, unless you get creative. Plus, no one can have too much adventure and interaction in their life, especially teenagers. Naturally, my creativity came in the form of a scavenger hunt packed with riddles, family traditions and a lot of fun!

A scavenger hunt can be as elaborate or as simple as desired. It can follow an established pattern or be unique at every corner. A scavenger hunt can be strictly traditional, a mixture of social media, technology and traditional, or completely online. That's the best part, scavenger hunts are easily customized to your surroundings, audience, goals, budget, occasion and so on.

Examples

Here are a few clues I gave Kyle, my nephew. Incorporate these into your very own scavenger hunt, or use them to brainstorm and kick-start your ideas.

The scavenger hunt started off with a personalized Christmas card that was placed under the Christmas tree addressed to Kyle. The front read:

Get ready for a Christmas adventure of fun & prizes
Follow 10 clues to find your gifts of all sizes
But be warned, follow the instructions to a T
Hints are few, your Christmas gift rewards are 3

Let’s get started. Good luck Buddy!

In this rhyme I let Kyle know he would be finding his Christmas gifts and there were 3 of them, plus he had to follow 10 clues exactly. On the inside of the card, he received his first clue.

Clue#1

Venture out to see the ladies
Also stop by House of Hades
Collect the clues at each spot
They’re hints for your next trot

Clue #1 had multiple levels. The first part "ladies" is a joke in our household referring to our chickens. (Yes, actual chickens in the chicken coop.) The second part "House of Hades" referred to the 4th book from Rick Riordan, Heroes of Olympus series. Kyle was a big fan of the books. Each location contained a clue, the chickens housed the clue - Bowl, and the book contained the other clue - Punch.

You got it. Kyle had to look in our punch bowl, which was brought back from my parents when they lived in Germany while my Dad was in the service. Our family tradition is to bring out the punch bowl every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Over the years, Kyle has taken over the punch making responsibilities.

At one point my entire family ...

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