6 Fun Birthday Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Adults and Kids

Looking for a fun way to celebrate a special birthday? A scavenger hunt is a great option since it allows everyone to indulge in friendly competition and be active. Plus, it’s easy to customize it to fit a theme or age level, making it ideal for adult and kid birthday celebrations. 

Here, you’ll find creative birthday scavenger hunt ideas for kids, teens, or adults celebrating their birthdays. From theme suggestions and clue creation to prize ideas, we’ll cover everything so you can ensure everyone has a blast. 

How to Plan a Successful Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is a fun activity that can be used to celebrate all types of events from team-building outings and bachelorette parties to birthdays. If you’re planning a scavenger hunt for a birthday celebration, the first thing you need to do is decide what type of scavenger hunt you’re having.

You can host an outdoor scavenger hunt if you live in an area where the weather is cooperative. If the birthday celebration is during a time of year with inclement weather, an indoor scavenger hunt is a great alternative.

Next, you’ll want to consider if you want a scavenger hunt theme — more on that in a minute! A theme can help you simplify decorations and create a cohesive treasure hunt. For a kids scavenger hunt, you can do a princess theme, space theme, or animal-inspired theme. Popular adult scavenger hunt themes include neighborhood, nature, and photo quests. 

Once you have a theme, you’ll want to look for a printable scavenger hunt list or create your own. These lists should include several items as well as clue cards you can hide along the way.

Finally, on the day of the hunt, you’ll need to explain the birthday party game rules. Decide on a time limit for the scavenger hunt. You can also set a time frame for teams or individuals to solve each clue. 

For adult scavenger hunts, you can create a point system and award more points for harder clues. At the end of the scavenger hunt, you can crown a winner. To do this, you’ll want to decide if everyone votes on a winner or if the team that finishes the fastest takes home the prize. Now all that’s left to do is send the searchers on their way! 

6 Fun Birthday Scavenger Hunt Ideas

Have fun solving clues and completing challenges on a bday quest with these birthday scavenger hunt ideas. From clever themes to tips on crafting clues, you’ll find ideas to pull off a memorable scavenger hunt.

1. Match the Scavenger Hunt to a Birthday Party Theme

Choosing a birthday party theme is the perfect way to make planning your hunt even easier. If your child wants a pirate-themed birthday party, a treasure hunt is a natural fit. If it’s an adult bash, you can consider a sports- or movie-inspired theme.

Here are some theme ideas for your scavenger hunt:

• Zoo animals
• Superheros
• Nature (forest, beach, mountains, tropical)
• Stuffed animals
• Casino night
• Black & white or any color theme
• Destinations (Paris, Italy, London, New York)

2. Choose a Holiday-Themed Scavenger Hunt 

If the birthday is around a holiday, try a holiday-themed scavenger hunt. Halloween birthdays pair perfectly with spooky quests while Easter birthdays are ideal for woodland-inspired hunts. A Christmas-themed scavenger hunt is lots of fun for December birthday celebrations or a Christmas in the summer twist.

3. Map Out Your Clues

Your birthday scavenger hunt clues should match your party theme. If you’ve chosen a zoo animal theme, you can hide stuffed elephants, tigers, and bears along with clues on how to find each item. For a nature scavenger hunt, you can ask participants to collect or take pictures of elements like pine cones, specific types of trees, or a certain colored flower.

Try to create clues that go in order if you’re hiding things around your yard or home. The first clue should be easy to solve and you can make each one harder until the end. You can choose to use free printable clues and hide each one with an item or print off a list of clues that participants can work through in any order if your hunt involves going out into the city or nature.

4. Make Your Clues More Fun

Have fun with your clues by using rhyming and riddles. You can use an AI generator to develop ideas. It’s also a good idea to use themed words. For example, birthday treasure hunt clues could include pirate-inspired wording like, “Ahoy matey. Here’s your quest” and “Arrgh, you found me! But the next sea monster will slow you down.” 

5. Hide Birthday Gifts With the Clues

For young kids, add rewards along the way to keep the scavenger hunt interesting, instead of just offering one big prize at the end. You can hide small birthday presents for your own kid or leave goodie bags for an older kid hunt. As each child solves a clue, they can collect a goodie bag from the pile. To make the scavenger hunt extra special, consider giving each participant a themed basket to hold clues and goodie bags as they move through the game.

6. Do a Photo or Video Scavenger Hunt

Popular for adult scavenger hunts, this game requires participants to record videos or snap pictures of items mentioned in clues. It’s a modern way to do a scavenger hunt and you don’t have to hide individual items.

Instead, you can ask participants to:

• Take a picture of the best garden in the neighborhood
• Film an animal 
• Do a viral TikTok dance
• Take a photo with a bartender
• Reenact a movie poster or album cover

Establish a meeting point where everyone should head when they complete the list of items. Share your photos and videos and enjoy laughing over everyone’s experiences.

Birthday Scavenger Hunt Invitations

Now that you know how to plan the perfect birthday scavenger hunt celebration, it’s time to ask guests to attend! Choose a stunning design from our selection of birthday invitations to match your treasure hunt theme. Whether it’s a woodsy celebration or pirate-themed bash, there’s an invite that pairs perfectly. Here are some of our favorite scavenger hunt invitations.

1. Scavenger Hunt Invitation

Design: Mint Parcel

This kid’s birthday invite features sweet elements like teddy bears, toy cars, and storybooks. Use it to invite guests to your child’s scavenger hunt celebration and customize the design by changing the color scheme. In the Greenvelope dashboard, you can even send game instructions and updates to make it easier for guests to prepare to attend.

2. Fantasy Map Invitation

Design: Becky Nimoy Stationery

Perfect for a pirate-themed party, this fantasy map invite features a map pointing toward hidden treasure. The supported backside leaves plenty of room for all of the scavenger hunt details.

3. Nature Kid Invitation

Design: Pedaller Designs

Planning a woodland- or nature-themed scavenger hunt? This botanical invite features greenery, florals, and forest creatures to match the theme. There are four artist-curated designs so you can find a color scheme that matches your party decor.

Plan the Perfect Bday Scavenger Hunt Bash 

With these birthday scavenger hunt ideas, you have what you need to plan and execute a fun and memorable celebration. From festive themes to tips on making your clues more fun, it’s easy to put together a scavenger hunt that guests are sure to enjoy.

Ready to invite people to your scavenger hunt birthday party? Explore our collection of birthday party invitations to match any theme. Each one is completely customizable and since they’re digital, it’s easy to send them off in seconds.

For more birthday planning ideas, continue browsing our Stationers blog. It’s full of fun ideas for celebrating kid and adult birthdays including games, decorations, and themes.