Christmas Scavenger Hunt

About this resource

A Christmas scavenger hunt for kindergarten, first and second grade, built around riddles with pictures. Print the 10 clue cards, write on the teacher page where each one hides, and hand every child a recording sheet. Children find a card, read or listen to the riddle, look at the big picture, tick Found it, and then trace the word, draw the answer, or write it. Each card ends with "Next, find clue 2" (or 3, 4 and so on), and clue 10 sends children back to clue 1, so pairs can start at different cards and a whole class can hunt at once. A finale card waits for the children who find all 10.

The picture on every card shows the answer, so children who cannot read the riddle yet can still join in. The riddles are about stockings, candy canes, bells, gifts and other things you see in a classroom or a home in December.

WHAT'S INSIDE (24 pages)

• Start Here: three steps (print and cut, hide, hunt), three ways to run it, and what to gather
• Where I Hid Each Clue: a teacher page with a blank for the hiding spot of every clue, the answer to every riddle, and hiding-spot ideas
• 10 riddle clue cards, 2 to a page, each with a big picture, a numbered riddle and a "Next, find clue" line (in color)
• The same 10 clue cards in black and white, an ink-saver set
• 2 finale cards: "Hooray! You found all 10 clues!" and "Your surprise is here" with lines for you to write the spot
• 3 recording sheets, one for each level, every one with 10 numbered Found it boxes: tick it and trace the word (circle), tick it and draw it (square), tick it and write the word from a word bank (triangle)
• 2 match-the-riddle pages to cut and glue: 8 riddles in all, 12 pieces to cut (8 answers and 4 left over)
• Draw your own clue: write a riddle, draw the answer
• A "Super Clue Finder" certificate with 10 stars to color
• A filled example of a recording sheet by an invented student
• A family page with a Christmas hunt to try at home
• A credits page (art and font licenses)

The Ten Clues

Christmas tree, stocking, fireplace, star, gift, candy cane, bells, Christmas light, candle and holly.

Built For The Child, Not The Office

Every student page has a "My name" line and one short instruction with a picture. Boxes are made for a child's handwriting, and the recording sheets have room to draw and write. Everything for you (directions, hiding spots, the answers) is on separate teacher pages. The cut-and-glue pages have 6 big pieces each, lined up edge to edge so every cut is one straight line. Nothing is timed or scored.

Who This Is For

Kindergarten to 2nd grade classrooms, self-contained special education classrooms, paraprofessionals running a December center, and families who want a hunt at home.

What This Is, And What It Is Not

A printable PDF (print and cut). It is not Google Slides, Docs or PowerPoint, and it has no fillable fields. Print on paper; laminate the clue cards if you want to use them again. It is a holiday classroom activity and makes no claim about any child's age, ability or rate of progress. Not every family celebrates Christmas, so the family page says plainly that families may skip it.