Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt
Something to do while the turkey roasts: a family hunt of riddles — the coat pile, the kids' table, the thankful jar — and easy clues for kids, each with its answer.
Make printable cards from all 24 cluesOpens the card maker with every clue of the 2 groups (24 cards, 34 points in all). Edit any card, choose a find-it list or a clue trail, set the number of teams and print the cards and answer key.
The clues are written for the time before dinner: none of them points into the kitchen or onto the dinner table, and each of the 24 answers is a different place, so you can load both groups as one hunt. The set ends at the card maker's Finish box, which starts as "the host, for a little treat before dinner"; change it to wherever your treat is.
The 24 clues and answers
Family hunt (12 clues)
Make printable cards: family hunt| # | Clue | Answer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coats pile up on me when the guests arrive. Look under the top jacket. | Coat pile on the bed | 2 |
| 2 | I seat the youngest cousins, a little lower than the grown-ups. Look under me. | Kids’ table | 1 |
| 3 | Giant balloons float down a city street on my screen on Thanksgiving morning. Look behind my stand. | TV stand | 1 |
| 4 | Family faces smile down from me in the hallway. | Family photos | 2 |
| 5 | Write down what you are thankful for and drop it inside me. | Thankful jar | 2 |
| 6 | Stories wait between my covers on the shelves. Look on the lowest shelf. | Bookshelf | 1 |
| 7 | Dice, cards and boxes of rules wait in me for after-dinner games. | Game cupboard | 2 |
| 8 | Guests wash their hands here before the feast. Look by the hand towel. | Guest bathroom towel | 2 |
| 9 | Shoes come off here when the cousins arrive. Look beside the pile, inside the door. | Shoe pile by the door | 1 |
| 10 | I decide how warm the house is for all these guests. Look on the wall below me. | Thermostat | 2 |
| 11 | Extra blankets for overnight guests are folded on my shelves. | Linen closet | 2 |
| 12 | I count down every minute until dinner, but I never leave the wall. Look just below me. | Wall clock | 2 |
For kids (12 clues)
Make printable cards: for kids| # | Clue | Answer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Time to tidy before the guests come! Where do the toys go? | Toy box | 1 |
| 2 | Guests will sit on the couch soon. Look under its cushions first! | Couch cushion | 1 |
| 3 | Watch for the guests’ cars! Look on the window sill. | Front window sill | 1 |
| 4 | Muddy play clothes go in me before the guests arrive. | Laundry basket | 1 |
| 5 | Cousins might sleep over tonight! Look under the pillow in the kids’ room. | Kids’ room pillow | 1 |
| 6 | Crayons and paper for drawing turkeys live here. | Art supplies box | 1 |
| 7 | Press play for music! Look by the speaker. | Music speaker | 1 |
| 8 | Find the plant that drinks water every week. Look by its pot. | Houseplant | 1 |
| 9 | Coats hang in me when there is room. Look on the closet floor. | Coat closet | 2 |
| 10 | Make a silly turkey face in the big mirror. The clue is beside it. | Tall mirror | 1 |
| 11 | Sniffles from the cold walk over? Look by the tissues. | Tissue box | 1 |
| 12 | Find the calendar and look at November. | Calendar | 2 |
Running a hunt on Thanksgiving Day
- Keep the hunt out of the kitchen. No clue points there; say out loud that the kitchen is out of bounds while the oven is on.
- Put out the thankful jar first. One family clue hides a card by a jar for writing what you are thankful for; set one out, or leave that card out.
- Give older cousins the family group and younger children the kids' group, each with a different finish if you want two treats.
- Check for doubles. If your coat closet is also where the linen is kept, or the speaker sits on the bookshelf, drop one of the two cards.
How the printable cards work
Loading a group gives you one numbered player card per clue and a separate answer key. Played as a clue trail, the key adds a hiding list for the places; played as a find-it list, each team can print a tick-box checklist instead. Nothing is uploaded: the hunt is saved in your browser.
Questions
How do you set up a Thanksgiving scavenger hunt?
Pick a finish such as a small treat with the host, choose clues for places in your home, then hide the cards backwards along the trail so each answer holds the next card.
What are good Thanksgiving scavenger hunt clues for kids?
Short clues about places every child in the house knows: the toy box, the couch cushions, the window sill. The For kids group has 12.
Can adults play too?
Yes. The Family hunt group is written as riddles for mixed ages; the kids group is plainer.
Are the clues printable?
Yes. Make printable cards opens a group in the card maker, which prints numbered cards and a separate answer key.
How many clues are there?
24 in all: 12 in the family hunt and 12 for kids.
More clue sets
All sets on one page: scavenger hunt clues with answers.