Have you been taking more neighborhood walks lately? I know we have!

With the lockdowns, stay at home orders, and social distancing you might find yourself going for more neighborhood walks with kids. If your little kids are anything like mine, they get bored with walking and need to be engaged to keep their energy and spirits up! While on our latest walk, I came up with the idea to make them a scavenger hunt for kids to add some variety to our outings. Searching for things in our neighborhood has been one of the best things to do with kids at home.

Why Scavenger Hunts are Good for Kids

Scavenger hunts are a tried and true way to keep kids’ attention focused. They also promote reading skills, fine motor skills, and attention to detail.

They also promote problem solving and creative thinking. If they can’t find one item, can they think about it in a different way and find something that would be close?

Use scavenger hunts as a way to build in math skills as well! Instead of simply checking off items, your child can tally how many of each they see. Add up the tallies and find the greatest/fewest number.

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Ways to Use Your Scavenger Hunt

These scavenger hunts are ready to go! Just print it out and head out for your walk. You can use a clipboard to carry them around. Or to make them reusable, you could laminate them and use dry erase markers. If you don’t have a laminator, throw them in a plastic page protector and head out the door.

Give the kids your phone (or an old phone) to take pictures of items as they find them. The photos could then be made into an “In My Neighborhood” picture book on Shutterfly. The possibilities are endless!

GET YOUR FREE SCAVENGER HUNTS FOR KIDS

Below are two FREE scavenger hunt printables. One is generic for any neighborhood, and one is made tailored for kids in Texas. Click the button to download and print yours!

If you would like a printable tailored to your state, I’m happy to adapt the Texas one to your state if you submit your request in the form below! Please include the state and the substitutions you’d like.

Have fun! Tag me on Instagram or Facebook if you use these, share with your friends, Pin It on Pinterest for later! Happy Hunting!