Winter is a great time to get outside and enjoy all the season has to offer, but it’s also a great season to spend time cozy indoors. Plan something special for kids at home with a winter themed scavenger hunt that’s quick and easy to set up inside! This Free Winter Scavenger Hunt is played around the house with no extra materials or prep.

For this scavenger hunt, all you need to do is print the riddles and hide them in specific places around your house. Places like the fridge, a pair of boots, and a cell phone.

Scavenger hunts are a great way to get kids thinking as they solve puzzles and search for clues. The scavenger hunt can be played by individuals, small groups and can even make a great family game night activity!

If you’re looking for more scavenger hunt ideas, check out my collection of 35 Scavenger Hunts for Kids or if you’re an educator, a Free School Scavenger Hunt is perfect for indoor recess and an easy way to get kids up and moving and learning beyond the classroom walls.

There are many learning opportunities that winter offers. Beyond this scavenger hunt, consider mixing some STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) into your day with this popular collection of Winter STEM Activities.

Scavenger Hunt Set Up

The scavenger hunt requires a few things/locations around the house. These are the places you will set, or hide, the clues.

To help make set up faster, in the bottom corner of each riddle, the location the page needs to be placed is marked. This way you know you have each card in the right place without having to solve each of the clues yourself.

The locations around the house are: boots, a carrot, window, bed, freezer, mittens, phone, and an adult.

Make sure to set each of the riddles in a safe location and supervise children during their winter scavenger hunt.

Winter Scavenger Hunt Introduction

The first riddle can be placed anywhere in the room, or even given to players to start the game. The riddle says:

Welcome to your Winter Scavenger Hunt!

Stay warm and cozy indoors, it’s time to explore.

When it’s snowy and wet, take off your cold snowsuit,

Find your next clue where you store your warm boot!

After reading the clue, players will race to where their boots are stored in the house. Since there are likely several sets of boots, you can choose any boot to put the next clue in.

If you have a large group doing the hunt, or simply want to make it more challenging, you could hide the clue deep into a boot or with a boot not stored with the other boots.

Winter Scavenger Hunt Clues #2

Once the clue in the boot is found, players will have their second clue, which reads:

A crunchy treat or a snowman’s nose.

Search for a carrot in your home.

Players will race to the fridge, or where carrots are stored in your house, to discover their next clue.

You could have some fun with this clue if you have a snowman outside. If the snowman has a carrot nose, you could put the next riddle into a waterproof bag and set it on or around the snowman.

Winter Scavenger Hunt Riddles #3

With the carrots, players will find clue #3, which says:

A winter window frames a frosty scene,

Check the windows- there’s lots of white to be seen!

This clue can be a bit tricky. You can place the next riddle around any window. You can place it near the closest window to clue #3, or in the last window you think players would check.

Winter Scavenger Hunt Clue #4

Once players find the window with the clue, they will read the fourth riddle:

In a place so cozy and warm, where pillows and blankets meet,

After playing in the snow, lay your head here when your day is complete.

Off to search a bed!

Winter Game Clue #5

Under a pillow, or somewhere in a bed, the next riddle players will find:

Your next location keeps things cold as ice,

Even a snowman would think this spot is nice.

Wherever you store ice, or freeze things in your home, place the next clue.

Winter Scavenger Hunt Freezer Clue

Somewhere in the freezer, the sixth clue is found. It reads:

These keep your hands warm all winter through.

Check where your mittens are stored for your next clue.

If you’ve got lots of mittens for players to check for the clue, you can simply place the next clue with the storage of mittens, or you can make it more challenging and hide the clue inside a mitten.

Winter Mittens Clue

Once players find the clue, they are close to the end with this 7th riddle:

Snowflakes falling all around,

Check a device that makes a ringing sound.

Winter Treasure Hunt Clue #8

This clue can be place with any cell phone in the home. It can be one of the player’s phones or a phone strategically placed somewhere in the house. Once the page is found, players have found their final clue to solve:

Find the adult who started this Winter scavenger hunt with you.

They’re holding a special winter treat now that you’ve found your way through.  

If you want to add a fun twist to this clue, you could take a photo of the clue and set it as your screen background. This way players not only have to find the correct cell phone, but they have to turn it on in order to read it.

This adds almost an escape room twist to the scavenger hunt, but if your kids love the twist, they may love a free escape room game, played in a similar way to this winter scavenger hunt.

Winter Scavenger Hunt Completion Certificate

Players will find the person that gave them their first clue, or whoever introduced the game to them. This does not have to be the same person who has been supervising the game.

The adult who started the game can be somewhere in the house, such as the kitchen, with the treat, or the completion certificates for the kids. Hot chocolate is a great option to finish the game with as well!

You can print as many copies of the certificate as you need and write each player’s name. It’s a fun reminder of playing the winter scavenger hunt and a great conversation starter for kids to take home if you do the hunt with a group.

I hope that you have as much fun with the winter scavenger hunt as we did!

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All of the printable riddles shown above for the hunt, are available from Hands-On Teaching Ideas, for free.

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More Hands-On Teaching Ideas

For more hands-on activities and ideas, check out these FREE scavenger hunt, and puzzle type games. Get ready for Easter, summer with similar scavenger hunts, or try an outdoor puzzle game to enjoy in the snow!