for the grown-ups
Hunt ideas for every kind of day
Things that actually work with children, written by someone in the middle of it rather than someone describing it from a distance. Mostly about filling the gaps: the car, the airport, the wet afternoon, the walk between two things nobody wanted to walk between.
All guides
For parents
Scavenger hunts when your kids are different ages
How to run a scavenger hunt when your kids are four and ten. Practical ways to keep both interested at once, without making either feel patronised.
6 min readRead itSeasonal
Autumn scavenger hunt for kids
An autumn scavenger hunt for kids: thirty things to find on a walk, sorted by how hard they are, plus what to do when it rains.
7 min readRead itTravel
Car journey games that survive longer than ten minutes
Games for long car journeys with kids: what works at what age, what to do when the tablet dies, and how to get more than ten minutes out of each one.
7 min readRead itTravel
Games to play with kids on holiday
What to actually do with kids on holiday: games for the airport, the pool, a new city and the long afternoon when everyone has had enough of sightseeing.
8 min readRead itAt home
Rainy day games for when nobody can go outside
Indoor games for a wet afternoon with kids, using things you already own. What works at what age, and how to get an hour out of them rather than ten minutes.
6 min readRead itParties
How to run a birthday party scavenger hunt
How to run a scavenger hunt at a kids' birthday party: timings, team sizes, what to do about the child who cries, and how to end it before it sags.
8 min readRead itLittle ones
Scavenger hunts for toddlers
How to play a scavenger hunt with a two, three or four-year-old: what they can actually do at each age, and why most hunts are pitched far too high.
6 min readRead itDays out
Museums with kids, without the meltdown
Museums with children: how long to stay, what to skip, and the trick that turns a gallery from something they endure into something they search.
6 min readRead itSummer
Beach games for the hour after sandcastles
Beach games for children that need no equipment: what to do in the third hour, games for the tide line, and how to make the walk back bearable.
5 min readRead itFor parents
Using a screen to get kids outside
A phone app that gets children outdoors is still a phone app. An honest look at when screen-led outdoor play helps, when it does not, and what to watch for.
6 min readRead it
Rather print it, or let the app run it?
Every printable sheet is free, with no email and no sign-up. Or get Scavvi: snap each find and the app checks it, so nobody has to referee.