The Ultimate Guide on Creating An At Home Scavenger Hunt
An indoor scavenger hunt at home is a great way to surprise someone with a fun adventure that takes place mostly indoors. At home scavenger hunts are often easier to set up because you don't need to scope out new areas or hiding spots, you're familiar with all of the places where you'll be placing your clues, and you don't need to worry too much about the weather or other factors outside of your control. We've compiled some key tips and tricks so that you can create an epic scavenger hunt that takes place at home.
Make it personal
This is the number one piece of advice for anyone creating a scavenger hunt. We truly can't emphasize enough how making the scavenger hunt personalized for the solver will make it an amazing and unforgettable experience. If you're doing an at home scavenger hunt, then there's no excuse to not personalize it because all of your surroundings and hiding spots are things that are very personal to you! For example, you can create clues that describe hiding spots around the house based on your personal memories and shared experiences. There's something really special about creating a scavenger hunt where the solver is the only person with the knowledge to solve each clue.
Hide your clues carefully
When doing an at home scavenger hunt, you need to be very careful to not place a clue or puzzle somewhere that could be easily discovered by someone going about their every day habits. For example, if the solver makes a cup of coffee every morning and you want to hide a clue inside the bag of coffee beans, then make sure you place your clue in the evening (or at some time when you know they aren't likely to go look in that area!). Similarly, you will want to make sure you places clues in places where they are not likely to be moved or tampered with by anyone, like kids, roommates, or even pets.
Keep your plans a surprise
If you live with the person who will be solving the scavenger hunt, then you will need to be very stealthy about setting up the adventure. You don't want them to walk into a room to catch you in the middle of setting up a puzzle or placing a clue. It's always best to set up the scavenger hunt at times when the solver is busy or pre-occupied. Also, don't feel rushed to set up the scavenger hunt all at once if it's not possible. You can place some of the clues and then set up the rest when you have some more time when you won't be caught. In order to launch the hunt the solver will need to discover the first clue at some point. You could always wake up early and place the first clue somewhere very visible where you know they'll find it.
Don't forget about the outdoors
When creating a scavenger hunt at home, you may be tempted to focus on placing all of your clues and puzzles indoors. However, there's lots of fun ways that you can incorporate some outdoor elements into an at home scavenger hunt. If you have a front or backyard, then there's plenty of potential places where you can hide clues like inside a bbq, floating in a pool, inside the notch of a tree, or buried in a flower pot, or under a doormat. You can also hide a clue inside a mailbox for an at home scavenger hunt to create some more variety in your hiding places.
End it with a bang
Eventually every scavenger hunt comes to an end and there's lots of ways that you can create a really special grand finale at home. For example, you could block off one room of your home where you've set up a special indoor picnic that they only discover once they've completed the scavenger hunt. Or, you could reward them with a special activity like a move night with their foods after they complete the adventure. You could also give handmade coupons for a prize that they can redeem whenever they like. There's no limit for the fun things you can do to give a prize to reward them for completing the scavenger hunt.
Good luck creating your adventure! If you want all the tools you need to make an epic scavenger hunt surprise, then be sure to check out our ready-to-go scavenger hunt kits.