The holidays may be over, but these great winter scavenger hunts can be a great way to have some family fun during the coldest time of the year!
Here at Jen Bradley|MOMs, we love scavenger hunts for several reasons:
- They appeal to a variety of ages
- You can do them over and over again and have a different experience every time
- They help your kids get some time off of screens
- You can do them individually or as a team
- You can use them as a party activity if needed
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Free winter scavenger hunt printables for kids
There are 5 different winter scavenger hunts for you and your kiddos to choose from, so it’s a great idea to print these out now so you have them on hand when you need them.
Simply click right here or on the image below to gain access to the Jen Bradley|MOMs Free Printable library and download your free winter scavenger hunts!
Here are the 5 different winter scavenger hunt printables you’ll get:
- Snow Day Fun
- Winter Activities
- Winter Nature
- New Year’s Celebration
- Valentine’s Day Fun
Let’s run through a quick explanation for each of the images your kids will need to find on each of the different winter scavenger hunts.
Snow Day Fun
This Snow Day scavenger hunt is perfect for the first snowfall or a snow day from school and work.
Simply print out the page and let your kids circle as many things as they see.
Here’s a list of all of the things to find for the Snow Day Scavenger Hunt! The list is formed by following the pictures left to right, from top to bottom.
- snowflake
- snowdrift
- scarf
- snowman
- mittens
- snowball
- shovel
- sled
- hat
- icicle
- tree with snow on the branches
- falling snow
- snow angel
Related article: The Best January National Days to Celebrate With Your Kids
Winter Activities Scavenger Hunt
It’s a great idea to print out this winter scavenger hunt at the beginning of the season and have your kids circle each item that they either do or observe throughout the winter months!
The thirteen activities to look for on the Winter Activities scavenger hunt are:
- snow tubing
- ice skating
- snowboarding
- hiking in the snow
- having a snowball fight
- playing board games
- skiing
- drinking hot chocolate
- playing hockey
- sitting by a fireplace
- building a snow fort
- sledding
- building a snowman
Winter Nature Scavenger Hunt
This free scavenger hunt is ideal for going on a hike or a walk with your kids during the winter. Circle all the things you see as you observe nature!
The items to find for this Winter Nature Scavenger Hunt are:
- falling snow
- acorns
- berries
- bare tree
- cardinal (or bird, if there are no cardinals where you live!)
- icicles
- animal tracks
- squirrel
- empty nest
- frozen puddle
- evergreen tree
- feather
- pinecone
New Year’s Celebration
Help your kids have a super fun New Year’s Eve by giving them this fun scavenger hunt to do together or in teams.
(Check out our recommendations for some great party variations for these scavenger hunts at the end of this article!)
Have your kids look for these items on New Year’s Eve:
- balloons
- people dancing
- fireworks
- party hat
- calender that says January 1st
- confetti and streamers
- party blower
- Happy New Year sign
- clock
- fancy drinking glasses
- New Year’s cake (or other festive dessert)
- 2022
- disco ball
Related post: 21 Great Ideas for Your At-Home Family New Year’s Eve Celebration
Valentine’s Day Fun
After Christmas and New Years, there aren’t a ton of big holidays in the winter, which is why creating a fun Valentine’s Day celebration can be a lot of fun for your kids! Why not have your kids do this cute Valetine’s scavenger hunt in the week leading up to the day of love?
Here’s the list of items to find for the Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt:
- box of chocolates
- festive cupcakes
- candy conversation hearts
- balloons
- Valentine’s card
- February 14th
- XOXO written out
- heart-shaped cookie
- Valentine’s gift
- chocolate-covered strawberry
- bouquet of roses
- Happy Valentine’s Day sign
- cupid
Related post: 21 Awesome Valentine’s Day Ideas for Kids You Need to See
Fun variations for these printable winter scavenger hunts
While you can simply print out the scavenger hunt pages and have your kids find the items, you can also make this extra fun with a couple of easy changes:
1. Have a scavenger hunt competition
To have a scavenger hunt competition, divide your family, guests, or friends into several small groups.
Then you’ll need enough copies of the same scavenger hunt page for each group.
Give each group the same amount of time to work on the scavenger hunt. They can either cross items off the list as they see them, find and bring back the physical items, or do a photo scavenger hunt (more on that in a minute!).
The group that finds the most items on the page in a specific amount of time is the winner!
2. Organize a photo scavenger hunt
A photo scavenger hunt is lots of fun! For each item on the scavenger hunt checklist, players need to take a picture of themselves with the item.
This means each team will need a phone or other type of camera. Encourage teams to take silly or funny photos for extra points.
And if they can’t find a specific item, they could always take a photo of themselves impersonating it.
For example, if players can’t find the upside-down witch legs on the Halloween Decorations Hunt or the mummy on the Halloween Costumes hunt, they could act them out and take a picture instead.
At the end of the scavenger hunt, it’s best to have each team share their collection of photos by screen sharing to a larger screen, such as a television. This way everyone can see each other’s photos.
You could even give a small prize to the team for the most creative or goofiest photo!
Final thoughts on these printable winter scavenger hunts for kids
Whether you add some extra challenges to these fun winter scavenger hunts, use them for a classroom or at-home party, or do them all at once or one at a time is totally up to you!
Whatever way you choose to use them, we hope you and your kids really enjoy them and that they help you find some great ways to connect as a family this winter season!
(If you haven’t downloaded them yet, you can do that right here!)
Related posts about winter time family fun
–The Best January National Days to Celebrate With Your Kids
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What are your thoughts on these winter scavenger hunts for kids?
