12 Days Of Christmas Scavenger Hunt Game
12 Days Of Christmas Scavenger Hunt
Family Friendly!
Christmas is right around the corner! To make your holiday season a little more festive and fun this year, I’ve come up with 12 fun holiday riddles for a 12 days of Christmas scavenger hunt!
This scavenger hunt can be enjoyed by both kids and adults!
Here’s how to make it. It’s easy!
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How Does it Work?
The 12 Days of Christmas Scavenger Hunt is a game you play once a day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas. You’ll hide a small gift each day, and give a clue that will lead someone to finding it.
It’s like a mini advent calendar with a scavenger hunt twist each day!
The clues are simple enough for kids to find them, but are still fun for adults to play, too! I’ve personally done this in previous years for both my dad and my husband. This year, I will be doing it for my daughter!
The Basics of the 12 Days of Christmas Scavenger Hunt
What You'll Need:
- 12 small gifts (ideas are provided below)
- 12 fun clue riddles (I’ve written them for you!)
- Decorating supplies of your choice (ideas are provided below)
When to Start
The 12 days of Christmas scavenger hunt begins on December 13. Day 12 of the scavenger hunt will be Christmas Eve!
As for the time of day to do the scavenger hunt, that’s entirely up to you. This year, since we do “elf on the shelf” each morning, we will be doing the Christmas scavenger hunt in the evenings after dinner
Making Your Clues
Don’t worry about coming up with clues (unless you want to!) I’ve created 12 fun, festive clue riddles that the whole family will love!
Printable Clues
Using the button below, you can download a printable PDF of my pre-designed clues. Simply cut them out and paste them to some fun colored paper, and you’re done!
Make Your Own Design
Save the image below, and simply use it as a guide to write out your own clues on anything you’d like!
(This is what I do each year, since I don’t own a printer!)
If you’re making the scavenger hunt for an adult, feel free to mix up the clues to make them harder! For example, for clue #2, take out the words “the mail” at the end and put a blank instead. Make them figure it out!
Write Down A List of All 12 Hiding Locations
Don’t forget this part, it’s important!
Using the notes app on your phone, or even on a little piece of paper, make sure *in advance* you write down all 12 days and where you are supposed to hide the gift each day!
The Gifts
Buying the Gifts
The gifts for the 12 days of Christmas can be whatever you’d like them to be! Here are some ideas and inspiration if you’re not sure where to start.
I like to save our big gifts for Christmas day, and simply do lots of small ones for the scavenger hunt. This helps the Scavenger Hunt build the excitement of the holiday season leading up to Christmas Day, without taking away from the day itself.
I usually go to our local Walmart or Target and grab 12 small gifts from there. It’s definitely easier for kids than it is for adults! If you are doing this for an adult, maybe have a theme for all 12 gifts, such as Christmas-themed candy. That will make it super easy to buy for. Plus everyone loves candy!
Here are some more ideas:
- Candy bars
- Christmas candy like candy canes, etc
- Stuffed animals
- Ornaments
- Small craft items like markers, crayons, play dough, etc.
- Their favorite snacks or treats
- Clothing, jewelry or accessories
Wrapping the Gifts
I like to take a few minutes before the scavenger hunt begins and wrap all 12 gifts in the same wrapping paper. Nothing crazy with bows and decorations, just keep it simple. It’s just more fun this way; everyone likes opening gifts, even if they are small!
Putting It All Together
Explaining How it Works
On December 13th before you begin with clue #1, take a moment and explain how the scavenger hunt will work! It’s simple: 12 clues, 12 gifts, 12 days. One for each day!
Not 12 for one day, like my daughter will think 🙂
Displaying the Clues
I like to display all 12 clues somewhere in our home. Then each day, they can grab the clue & read it aloud & go find the gift!
Hiding the Gifts
Hide your gift right before you’re ready to have them open the clues!
Also, this may be obvious, but if you’re doing the scavenger hunt for young kids, make the gifts nice and easy to find. And for adults, make them harder to find!
Thank you for reading!
Do you have any traditional activities you do with your family during the holidays?! Let me know in the comments!
Check out some of my other Holiday-related content!
Eco-Friendly Holiday Guide – Reusable Giftwrap Ideas and More
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Meet the Writer
Hi, I'm Teresa!
Thank you for taking the time to read my little space on the internet. I’m a digital creator, blogger & environmental advocate.
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