DIY - Christmas Scavenger Hunt for children - Download and play for free

What do you need?

Everything you need for the scavenger hunt for children is collected in two PDF documents which we compiled for you – one is meant for children from 6 to 8 years (B) and the other one for children between 9 and 12 (A). These documents can be found at the end of this article. They contain a detailed description how to prepare the game, the puzzles themselves and the solutions, in case the players need a bit of help. The two documents only differ in the level of difficulty, the content is identical.

Version A is for older kids (9-12 years), version B is for the younger ones (6-8 years). The children should be able to read (with the help of adults this shouldn't be a problem). It's possible to mix the puzzles individually and use both levels of difficulty, e. g.: 1. puzzle 1B (=easy), 2. puzzle 2A (=hard).

How does it work?

Preparation (5 – 10 minutes)

First things first, one of the two PDF documents at the end of the article have to be downloaded and printed – or both if more kids from different age groups want to play. The game looks better if it's printed in color, but it's not a must. After printing, cut off the gingerbread house (puzzle 6)  into pieces along the dotted lines. Then, all the puzzles can be folded individually and put into six individual envelopes. If you don’t have any of those, simply hide the puzzles in a way that no pieces get lost. In order to not loose the overview over the whole game we suggest numbering the puzzles. Before starting the game, hide all the puzzles. We specifically thought about places that can be found in every home. Here the list of places:

Puzzle 1: Under the Christmas tree
Puzzle 2: Fridge
Puzzle 3: Washing machine
Puzzle 4: Oven
Puzzle 5: Bed
Puzzle 6: Post box

The whole preparation process should happen without the children noticing it so that the excitement isn’t ruined later on. As soon as all the envelopes are at the right place, the game can begin!

How it goes?

The main idea behind this Christmas treasure hunt for children is very simple: The children start under the Christmas tree with the first envelope and then they are sent from one place to the next, from one puzzle to the next. In the very end puzzle number 6 sends them back to the Christmas tree where a gift is waiting for them. It's important that the gift is placed under the tree secretly while the children are working on the puzzles. That way the children will be surprised and they can proudly say that they successfully finished the treasure hunt!
All puzzles come with detailed explanations and the children should be able to solve them by themselves. In case any difficulties come up anyway, we included solutions to the puzzles in the PDF documents. The whole family can be involved in the fun puzzle solving!

We hope our treasure hunt for children turns your Christmas into a fun adventure. We wish you lot’s of joy with solving our puzzles and a wonderful Christmas time.
Merry Christmas!

Here the files:

Christmas Treasure Hunt 6-8

Christmas Treasure Hunt 9-12

If you wish to share our scavenger hunt on your page, feel free to do so, but do credit us as an author:
©️ Open The Door Escape Room