33 Printable Christmas Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Kids

This Post Contains Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure for Full Information.

A printable Christmas scavenger hunt is one of the easiest ways to keep kids entertained during the holiday season. Whether you’re hosting a Christmas party, planning a classroom activity, or looking for a fun family game at home, these festive scavenger hunt ideas encourage kids to explore, solve clues, and enjoy the magic of Christmas. Simply print your favorite hunt, grab a pencil, and let the holiday adventure begin!


1. Find the Christmas Tree Hunt

Create a printable checklist filled with items kids can spot on or around the Christmas tree, such as ornaments, candy canes, twinkling lights, stars, bows, and wrapped presents.

👉 Activity Tip: Laminate the printable so children can use dry-erase markers year after year.

🛍 Shop here: Dry Erase Pockets for Worksheets


2. Christmas Lights Neighborhood Hunt

Print a list of colorful holiday lights, inflatables, wreaths, reindeer, and snowmen for kids to find during an evening drive or neighborhood walk.

👉 Activity Tip: Give children a flashlight to make the adventure even more exciting.

🛍 Shop here: Kids LED Flashlights


3. Christmas Picture Scavenger Hunt

Instead of words, use festive pictures so toddlers and preschoolers can easily identify holiday objects like stockings, bells, Santa hats, cookies, and gifts.

👉 Activity Tip: Use large, colorful images for younger children.

🛍 Shop here: Color Printer Paper


4. Christmas Color Hunt

Challenge kids to find holiday decorations in colors like red, green, gold, silver, white, and blue using a printable color checklist.

👉 Activity Tip: Add bonus points for finding unusual color combinations.

🛍 Shop here: Kids Clipboards


5. Candy Cane Scavenger Hunt

Hide candy canes around your house or classroom and let kids use a printable checklist or clue sheet to find every one.

👉 Activity Tip: Write numbers on the candy canes so kids can place them in order.

🛍 Shop here: Mini Candy Canes Bulk


6. Christmas Alphabet Hunt

Print every letter of the alphabet and encourage kids to find Christmas-themed objects that begin with each letter, such as Angel, Bell, Cookie, Elf, and Garland.

👉 Activity Tip: Work together as a family to complete the trickier letters.

🛍 Shop here: Printable Alphabet Flash Cards


7. Indoor Christmas Decoration Hunt

Create a printable filled with indoor holiday decorations like stockings, wreaths, ornaments, candles, ribbons, bows, and nativity scenes.

👉 Activity Tip: Set a timer to make the hunt more exciting.

🛍 Shop here: Digital Kitchen Timer


8. Christmas Nature Hunt

Take the fun outdoors with a printable featuring pinecones, evergreen trees, holly leaves, berries, pine needles, bird nests, and winter plants.

👉 Activity Tip: Collect only fallen natural items to protect plants and trees.

🛍 Shop here: Kids Nature Collection Bag


9. Christmas Book Hunt

Hide holiday storybooks around the house and let kids use printable clues to discover each one before reading together.

👉 Activity Tip: Wrap each book in festive paper for an extra surprise.

🛍 Shop here: Christmas Wrapping Paper Set


10. Christmas Shape Hunt

Print simple shapes like stars, circles, triangles, and hearts, then challenge kids to find holiday decorations matching each shape.

👉 Activity Tip: Let younger children color each shape after they find it.

🛍 Shop here: Washable Markers for Kids


11. Santa Workshop Hunt

Design a printable where kids search for toy tools, wrapped gifts, elves, stockings, ribbons, and Santa-themed decorations to recreate the feeling of Santa’s workshop.

👉 Activity Tip: Play Christmas music in the background to build excitement.

🛍 Shop here: Christmas Party Decorations for Kids


12. Christmas Ornament Hunt

Hide different ornament shapes, colors, or themed ornaments around your home and let kids mark each one off on their printable scavenger hunt sheet.

👉 Activity Tip: Award a small holiday sticker or candy after every completed hunt.

🛍 Shop here: Christmas Reward Stickers for Kids


13. Christmas Around the House Hunt

Create a printable checklist featuring everyday holiday items like stockings, stockings hooks, candles, wrapped presents, Christmas mugs, and festive pillows hidden throughout the house.

👉 Activity Tip: Divide kids into teams and see who finishes first.

🛍 Shop here: Christmas Clipboards for Kids


14. Christmas Emoji Hunt

Fill your printable with holiday-themed emojis like 🎅, 🎄, ❄️, 🎁, ⛄, and 🍪. Kids search for matching decorations or printed emoji cards hidden around the room.

👉 Activity Tip: Use laminated emoji cards so you can reuse the game every Christmas.

🛍 Shop here: Thermal Laminating Sheets


15. Christmas Window Hunt

Challenge children to find holiday decorations displayed in neighborhood windows, including stars, wreaths, candles, snowflakes, and Christmas trees.

👉 Activity Tip: Turn it into a family evening walk after dinner.

🛍 Shop here: Kids Reflective Safety Vest


16. Elf on the Shelf Hunt

Hide your Elf on the Shelf in creative locations and give kids printable clues that lead them from one hiding place to the next.

👉 Activity Tip: Make the clues rhyme for an extra magical challenge.

🛍 Shop here: Elf on the Shelf Accessories


17. Christmas Texture Hunt

Ask kids to find objects with different textures like soft stockings, shiny ornaments, fuzzy blankets, rough pinecones, smooth ribbons, and fluffy Santa hats.

👉 Activity Tip: Encourage children to describe each texture using new vocabulary words.

🛍 Shop here: Sensory Activity Cards for Kids


18. Christmas Countdown Hunt

Hide numbered clue cards from 1 to 10 (or 1 to 25) around the house. Kids must locate them in order to reveal a holiday surprise at the end.

👉 Activity Tip: Place a small treat or Christmas book at the final stop.

🛍 Shop here: Christmas Advent Treat Boxes


19. Christmas Letter Hunt

Hide individual letters around the room that spell a festive word like “SANTA,” “JOY,” “MERRY,” or “NOEL.” Kids must collect and arrange them correctly.

👉 Activity Tip: Use colorful cardstock letters for easy spotting.

🛍 Shop here: Colored Cardstock Paper


20. Christmas Classroom Hunt

Create a printable for school featuring classroom-friendly holiday items like paper snowflakes, candy canes, stockings, bells, classroom trees, and Santa pictures.

👉 Activity Tip: Let students work in pairs to encourage teamwork.

🛍 Shop here: Christmas Classroom Decorations


21. Christmas Nativity Hunt

Teach the Christmas story by creating a printable checklist featuring the nativity scene, including Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, shepherds, angels, wise men, and the stable.

👉 Activity Tip: Discuss each character as children find them.

🛍 Shop here: Wooden Nativity Set for Kids


22. Christmas Shadow Hunt

Use a flashlight to shine on hidden Christmas cutouts placed around a darkened room. Kids identify each shape using their printable checklist.

👉 Activity Tip: This activity is especially fun during evening Christmas parties.

🛍 Shop here: Rechargeable LED Flashlights


23. Holiday Baking Hunt

Send kids into the kitchen to find baking-themed items like cookie cutters, rolling pins, sprinkles, icing bags, measuring cups, and gingerbread spices.

👉 Activity Tip: Finish the hunt by baking Christmas cookies together.

🛍 Shop here: Christmas Cookie Cutter Set


24. Christmas Photo Hunt

Instead of collecting objects, kids use a phone or instant camera to photograph holiday decorations, festive colors, Christmas treats, and seasonal scenes from a printable photo checklist.

👉 Activity Tip: Print the photos afterward to create a fun Christmas memory album.

🛍 Shop here: Kids Instant Print Camera


25. Christmas Stocking Hunt

Hide mini stockings or paper stocking cutouts around the house and let kids check each one off their printable list as they discover them. You can even tuck tiny treats inside each stocking for an extra surprise.

👉 Activity Tip: Number each stocking so kids can hunt for them in sequence.

🛍 Shop here: Mini Christmas Stockings


26. Christmas Gift Tag Hunt

Hide festive gift tags throughout your home or classroom. Kids search for each design, then use the tags later to decorate presents or holiday crafts.

👉 Activity Tip: Use different colors and shapes to make the hunt more challenging.

🛍 Shop here: Christmas Gift Tags


27. Christmas Pattern Hunt

Challenge kids to find festive patterns like plaid, polka dots, stripes, snowflakes, stars, reindeer, and candy cane prints around your home.

👉 Activity Tip: Encourage children to describe where they found each pattern.

🛍 Shop here: Christmas Scrapbook Paper Pack


28. Christmas Sound Hunt

Instead of searching for objects, children listen for holiday sounds like jingling bells, Christmas songs, laughter, wrapping paper, or a timer signaling fresh cookies.

👉 Activity Tip: Play a holiday playlist and let kids identify each festive sound they hear.

🛍 Shop here: Jingle Bells Craft Pack


29. Christmas Acts of Kindness Hunt

Turn your scavenger hunt into a kindness challenge by creating printable cards with simple holiday missions like giving a compliment, helping set the table, or writing a thank-you note.

👉 Activity Tip: Celebrate completed acts with a family hot chocolate night.

🛍 Shop here: Christmas Reward Stickers


30. Christmas Riddle Hunt

Write simple Christmas riddles that lead kids from one location to the next until they reach a final holiday surprise.

👉 Activity Tip: Adjust the difficulty of the riddles based on the children’s ages.

🛍 Shop here: Christmas Treasure Hunt Kit


31. Gingerbread Hunt

Hide gingerbread men, candy decorations, or printable gingerbread characters around your home for kids to discover before decorating cookies together.

👉 Activity Tip: Reward everyone with a freshly baked gingerbread cookie at the finish.

🛍 Shop here: Gingerbread Decorating Kit


32. Christmas Treasure Hunt

Hide a small wrapped gift at the end of a clue-filled adventure. Each printable clue leads kids one step closer to their Christmas treasure.

👉 Activity Tip: Fill the final prize with books, crafts, or festive family games instead of just candy.

🛍 Shop here: Small Christmas Gift Boxes


33. Build Your Own Printable Scavenger Hunt

Create a blank printable with empty spaces so kids can design their own Christmas scavenger hunt for siblings, classmates, or friends. It’s a fun way to encourage creativity while extending the holiday excitement.

👉 Activity Tip: Let children decorate their printable with stickers, crayons, and festive stamps before starting the game.

🛍 Shop here: Christmas Sticker Pack for Kids


Conclusion

Printable Christmas scavenger hunts are a simple, affordable way to add excitement to the holiday season. Whether you’re planning a classroom activity, a family game night, a neighborhood adventure, or a Christmas party, these ideas encourage kids to explore, solve clues, work together, and make lasting holiday memories. Mix and match different hunt styles, adjust them for various age groups, and reuse your favorite printables year after year for endless festive fun.

Save this post to your Pinterest board so you can come back to these printable Christmas scavenger hunt ideas anytime!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *