Creating scavenger hunts isn’t easy. Often the guides you find online are either extremely specific or pretty vague. Here are a few general tips to help you get your creative juices flowing to make the perfect scavenger hunt plan. You need to decide who, what, where, when and how. At first glance, it sounds pretty simple, but as everyone knows, planning is never simple.
Who
This one is actually pretty straightforward. You’ll know who you’re inviting, so just make sure to fill them in on any specifics and keep in mind who your hunters will be throughout the other stages.
What
Deciding what you’re going to do is one of the more difficult phases.
There are a few questions to ask yourself.
Will your hunt have a theme?
What type of scavenger hunt is best for your guests, location, and resources?
There are many types of hunts to consider. In some, participants are given a list of items to find or collect in order to check them off the list. A variation on this is a photo hunt where participants take photos of the items, rather than collecting physical objects. This can work well when the items aren’t actually collectible. Another alternative is to have a series of riddles or clues lead participants from point to point until they reach a final destination or a grand prize. You’ll have to plan which type of hunt will be best for the participants and incorporate any theme you’ve got in mind.
Where
Once you’ve decided who is attending and what type of hunt you’ll be doing, you’ll need to find the correct location. Make sure that it accommodates the type of hunt you’re preparing and that it’s a safe place for it to be held. When organizing and creating a list of items, ensure that the items being looked for are actually available at the location you’ve selected. If clues will lead participants from location to location, make sure that the clues are understandable, even if they are a bit challenging. If you need to, take a practice run yourself to make sure. Lastly, consider your hunters. With scavenger hunts, everything is age relevant, including your location.
When
As the date approaches, be sure to check the weather if it’s planned for outdoors. If the weather turns sour, you may need to have a contingency plan, such as an alternate date or location. Inform all participants of both the original and alternative plans you have for inclement weather.
How
Lastly, the nitty gritty details. Depending on your previous planning stages, here’s where you’ll get into specifics. What props will you need to create a themed event? How will you communicate all the details prior to your hunt? Here’s the stage of riddle and clue preparing, scavenger list creating and all-out hunt organizing.
Once guests arrive, you’ll have to provide clear instructions for them to work with. If it’s an individual hunt, make sure everyone understands the instructions. If it’s a team hunt, encourage teamwork. Creating different types of clues and tasks, will even the playing field in an individual hunt and will highlight different personal strengths in a group. Make sure everyone has what they need; the first clue, pens, lists, a disposable (or digital) camera or a receptacle for collecting items. Think ahead so you can anticipate these needs prior to the hunt.
Creating a solid plan prior to the big hunt will help things run smoothly and will make sure the focus of the day is fun.
RiddleMe helps you with all these phases of your planning including great scavenger hunt activities.
Join today at Riddle Me to get the best ideas for your scavenger hunt parties.