My kids could do scavenger hunts every day of their life and not bored. There’s just something about the words scavenger hunt that gets them excited and makes things seem fun. So it’s probably no surprise that I have tons of scavenger hunt ideas on my site! In the past, I’ve done mostly holiday scavenger hunts but I figured it was time to branch out and start doing some more generic ones, like this summer scavenger hunt that’s perfect for doing anytime during the summer! This summer scavenger hunt is a fun activity to do during summer break when you’ve run out of things to do on your summer bucket list or just need a fun way to break up the day.
Two Summer Scavenger Hunt Printables
I’ve created two different free printables – one with cute pictures for younger kids and one with the actual word items for older kids. They don’t have different items on them, just different presentation depending on whose doing the scavenger hunt. You could use one or both to do this as an activity for the whole family during summer vacation either at home, at a pool party, or even on a beach vacation!
How to Do a Scavenger Hunt
This scavenger hunt is simple to do! If you’re doing this all together as a group, it’s even easier than if you want to do it in teams as a little competition. If you’re doing it all together, just print out one of the scavenger hunt printables you can download at the bottom of this post. Then work together to find all of the items on the list, crossing them off as you go. If you want to do it in teams and make it a little competition, print out one for each team. When you say go, teams have to go and find each of the items on the list and bring them back to be crossed off or take a picture of them to show later. First team to find all of the items (with proof) is the winner. This would be a great activity to do together as a family (or have the kids do together) and then get a reward together once you finish – fun things like eating ice cream, watching a movie, or even going to the pool!
More Summer Scavenger Hunt Ideas
If you need more scavenger hunt ideas to do this summer, here are some other great options to add to your summer adventures!
Nature scavenger hunt – search for different things that you’ll only find in nature! Outdoor scavenger hunt – this backyard scavenger hunt will have you looking for things you can only find outdoors!Road trip scavenger hunt – a great activity for any road trips this summer!Camping scavenger hunt – perfect for any real or backyard camping trip! 4th of July scavenger hunt – this is one of my family’s favorites because it’s actually a clue based hunt rather than list based!
Expert Tips
Laminate the scavenger hunt and use dry erase markers to mark things off as you go. Then instead of throwing away the scavenger hunt, do it again later in the season or next year! Make it a competition and have people take photos of the items they find to prove that they found them! First person to return to the house with all of the items (and photos of the items) wins a prize!
More Fun Summer Activities
If you need more outdoor activities to do this summer, these are perfect for children of all ages!
Water games – tons of great water games for the entire family! Fun outdoor games – perfect outdoor games for backyard parties and fun ideas for summer days! Summer bingo – a free printable summer bingo game that’s great for a little summer fun! Summer lego challenge – a printable LEGO challenge with a summer theme, this one’s great for those handmade days when you want something to do that’s hands-on! Camp games – tons of fun games to play at summer camp!
Download the Printable
Enter your first name and email address in the form below to get the printable PDF. You will receive a link to download the PDF to your email within minutes. The PDF will include:
A summer scavenger hunt with images and words A summer scavenger hunt with a word based checklist
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