Birthday Scavenger Hunt Ideas

The best scavenger hunt is a birthday scavenger hunt. Encourage your guests to indulge their sense of adventure by playing a fun scavenger hunt game. It is a very versatile kind of activity that can work for younger children as well as for adults and teens. It can also be used for team events and for individual events. Here is a very brief list of a few ideas that will make your next birthday bash a lot more exciting with the addition of a scavenger hunt.

Treasure Hunt:

This is probably the most popular type of scavenger hunt for birthdays that there is. Whether you are planning a family or child treasure hunt or an adult treasure hunt, this is a great way to go for any kind of birthday. Have the birthday boy or birthday girl respond to clues in search for his birthday presents. Their friends and family could even join in on designing and writing out the clues themselves, so that they feel a part of it. Have the loved ones of the birthday boy or girl cheer them on as they search for the coveted presents. You could either have all of the presents piled up at the end of the trail or leave smaller gifts along the way for the guest of honor to find before getting to the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the proverbial rainbow. This is a great activity for a children’s birthday party, but could also make for a great birthday scavenger hunt for adults.

Find Your Party:

This is probably one of the most fun and exciting ways to throw a birthday party ever. It’s sort of like a surprise party, but the person for whom it is being held sort of gets the hint that there is a party being thrown since you have to tell him or her to look for it. Have the birthday boy or girl respond to a list of clues that lead him or her to the place where the event is being held. You could even have him or her stop by a few places and grab supplies, just so they feel like they are even more a part of the event. The birthday boy or birthday girl will be so delighted to see what a great party you have thrown them once they answer the final clue and step through the door!

Memory Lane:

This makes for a great birthday scavenger hunt for adults. Have the guests of the party (the friends and family of the birthday boy or birthday girl) bring one item each which serves to represent a happy time or that is a memento of a time they had with their loved one who is about to celebrate a birthday. Design clues for the birthday boy or girl that allow them to find each memento. Clues should be indicative of each memento. For example, you could write a clue that reads like this: “Look around on the ground and you will find something to remind you of the best concert you ever attended.” This clue could lead to a pair of ticket stubs from a memorable concert the birthday boy or birthday girl attended with a friend. A memory lane hunt is a great way for old friends and family to bond all over again over the memories that they share.

Pirate Hunt:

Pirates go hand-in-hand with treasure hunts and scavenger hunts, and for good reason. Indulge in this fantastic swash-buckling fantasy by having X mark the spot for your treasure and leading players on a fantastic trail through the area and straight to the treasure with clues. Design clues that will lead to other clues, sending your aspiring pirates off onto a journey in search of loot. You can also design clues that are tricky or take a while to think your way out of. A good clue for this challenge might read: “Find a booby trap on the north side of the beach and dig through it for something small and round.” This clue could lead to a round container that holds the next clue, continuing the trail. This is a great option for anyone who has ever fantasized about having a pirate’s life.

Detective Hunt:

This is an obvious choice for a themed scavenger hunt, but that makes it no less fun at all. Have the players of your game play detective by hunting for clues and following the trail of evidence. This version of a scavenger hunt can be done in teams, individually, or just by the birthday boy or birthday girl. You can even make the theme complete by equipping the guests and birthday boy or girl alike with a trench coat, Sherlock Holmes-style hat, and magnifying glass for good measure. This is a great way to get kids engaged, but is also a great adult scavenger hunt idea, as well. It is a ton of fun and is well worth the effort for an amazing birthday celebration.

Nature Hunt:

Nature hunts are great for the outdoorsy type of birthday boy or birthday girl. Anyone who has a passion for Mother Nature should definitely have no problem enjoying themselves on an awesome outdoor scavenger hunt that features the beautiful wilderness. You can host this type of scavenger hunt in a park or other similar place where there is a lot of greenery and lots of natural resources to enjoy. You can prompt the players of this game to respond to clues that lead them along a nature path or other kind of outdoor environment. The players can play the game to collect rocks, leaves, or other natural items or they can just play for the chance to find little treats that could be left on the path in places where the clues give hints about. This is a great way for nature-loving people to enjoy their beloved outdoors while having fun with a scavenger hunt.

Prizes:

The best part of having a birthday is all the presents that the birthday boy or birthday girl is showered with, right? But why should they be the only ones to go home with something nice on this very special day? Make this a major component of your next birthday scavenger hunt game by emphasizing prizes. Have the players of your game hunt around in search of little trinkets that they can take home with them. That could be anything from little toys and bags of candy for smaller children (although candy bags are always welcome at adult parties) to unique items that teens or adults would be more interested in. This is a great way to encourage all of your guests to have fun and to be competitive, making the game that much more exciting.

Some Tips

o Be Safe: Safety is, as always, the number one priority for any event or party. Keep the guests and the birthday boy or birthday girl safe by making sure that children are always supervised. Also make sure that you are only holding such events in venues where you have express permission and where you are following all of the rules.

o Serve Refreshments: You don’t want to be the person that leaves a room full of guests hungry for birthday cake and ice cream in the lurch, do you? Make sure to serve plenty of refreshments for the guests. This is a very important part of any birthday. Also, make sure to get a spectacularly decorated cake for the occasion, complete with candles for the birthday boy or girl to blow out. Can you even have a birthday without that?

o Be Sensitive With the Budget: If you are throwing a birthday party in which the guests are expected to bring gifts, try to be sensitive with people’s budgetary restraints. If you like, you can put a price range limit on all of the gifts that the guests buy. For example, you could express to the guests that they should keep the prices of their gifts to a maximum of thirty dollars. This is also a good idea to do with parents in the neighborhood, too, so that no one feels embarrassed at the caliber of gift they are able to afford. This will go a long way to avoid hurt feelings or embarrassment at your next birthday party.

o Make Rules Clear: Make sure that you let guests know exactly what to expect when they attend your party and take part in your scavenger hunt game. Laying out a set of rules ahead of time limits the number of arguments or squabbles you are likely to have, making the day more fun for everyone involved.

o Have fun!: This is the main reason for throwing events such as this and it is also the best part of having a scavenger hunt. Enjoy every minute of this fantastic celebration and have a blast!