Get to know a new school with a hands-on classroom scavenger hunt PDF. Print this really cute, interactive school scavenger hunt to explore the 5 senses, new rooms, the hallway, class, & more. Great for a new year the first day of school, or welcoming a new student!
The back to school season can bring a mixture of emotions. The beginning of the year includes a new environment, new friends, and a new teacher. In order to break up anxieties and the stresses of unknown settings, we’ve put together a great activity that can be used across all grades. A classroom scavenger hunt has many benefits but mostly those of creating an ice breaker for meeting new peers and a new environment. Play with your students or get with another teacher and pair older kids wiht younger kids as they learn about the places in their school.
We created a simple scavenger hunt that you will love. More importantly, a cute hunt that they will love. In this blog post, learn the different ways you can create a school scavenger hunt, the benefits of a school scavenger hunt, and fun ideas to personalize both types of scavenger hunts for younger and older kids.
Let the fun begin!
How do you do a scavenger hunt in school?
If you are ready to create a fun activity at school for the students, a scavenger hunt is a great start. A scavenger hunt creates guided exploration for students to explore the environment. It can be done independently in a quiet setting with each student completing the task on their own. This can also be turned into a group activity where a group of students need to work together in a team to accomplish the task.
It’s very easy to set up a scavenger hunt at school. Create a list of things you want the kids to find and add these items to a scavenger hunt checklist. We’ve done the hard work for you and created a scavenger hunt set you can use. Either print both or one.
To set up the scavenger hunt:
- Download the classroom scavenger hunt.
- Print enough classroom scavenger hunts for each student or each team.
- Go over the rules. This hunt does require you to go in common and public spaces. Make sure kids know to keep low or quiet voices.
- If doing this with a new student, create a buddy system and allow fellow classmates to lead them around the school and show them their new environment.
Optional: Print these on cardstock for durability. You can even laminate the scavenger hunts to use year after year. Kids can use dry-erase markers when they find the item and complete the task.
When should you use a classroom scavenger hunt?
Knowing the benefits of a school scavenger hunt will help you establish the reason to use this fun resource. A school scavenger hunt is great for teamwork, problem-solving, getting to know a new environment, and getting to know peers.
Reasons for a classroom scavenger hunt include…
- Ice breakers and connecting new peers
- First day of school ideas for activities
- Learning about the spaces in a new school and new classroom
- Teamwork and group games for tablemates, new friends, teachers, and students
- Builds problem-solving skills
- Welcoming a new student to a new school
- Body & mind exercises for the first week of school
- Photo scavenger hunt for a photography class or art classroom
- Spread across multiple grades and use as an activity for older buddies with younger buddies
The school game benefits are making a new place familiar, connecting with others, and providing a fun activity for the school day.
Now that you know the benefits, discover the items you will find on your school scavenger hunt list.
Classroom Scavenger Hunt Ideas
On the printable classroom scavenger hunt for school, we have put together a list of ideas. Some of these ideas are concrete and will be tangible items that are the same for all students. Some of these ideas are abstract and can be different ideas for each student.
Take a look at these good items for a school scavenger hunt:
- American flag
- Teacher desk
- Cafeteria
- Music room
- Something red
- An object in the shape of a circle
- Something you can smell
- Students’ desk
- Bathroom
- Gym
… and more picture clues!
Classroom Scavenger Hunt Printable
There are many reasons you can enjoy a classroom scavenger hunt. This is a great scavenger hunt for kindergartens or younger kids. One at-school classroom scavenger hunt shows students around the new school. The other is a fun school treasure hunt that observes senses, numbers, shapes, and colors.
We get it. Color ink is hard to come by in a school setting. This interactive school scavenger hunt also comes in a B&W version. In addition to a color worksheet and black & white printable, the scavenger hunt comes in two sizes so you can print two on your 8.5 x 11-inch page. We want to make this school scavenger hunt worksheet cost-efficient and easy for you.
Gift the kids an activity that is so much fun. Get to know a new school or elementary school setting with a Back to School Scavenger Hunt checklist.
*This is a non-editable PDF document.
School Classroom Scavenger Hunt Printable
Can this scavenger hunt be done in a preschool classroom?
Yes, this school scavenger hunt can be done in many places. The age of the kids includes kindergarten, elementary school, and preschool. This is a perfect classroom scavenger hunt preschool worksheet because it includes exploring a new environment and the five senses. Since many preschoolers do not visit an art room, you can talk about the art area in general. Since some preschool environments don’t have a “principal’s office” you can talk about the director of the school and introduce a new vocabulary word – principal. Lastly, teach children about colors and the five senses as you work to discover objects with different colors, shapes, and textures. Just adapt the environment for the school scavenger hunt list as needed. Use rooms or facilities you might not have as examples for discussions.
To further this lesson with preschoolers, as the teacher you could also go on a virtual scavenger hunt of their “big school” right before they approach graduating from preschool. Instead of using this hunt at the beginning of the school year, you are going to save it for the end of the year when your students are starting a new “big kid” school, aka kindergarten. For younger kids, create a slide show of their new school with the images in the school scavenger hunt checklist. With a little creativity, you can visit almost any place on a virtual field trip. If your students are going to different schools – let’s say three, then have an image of three different gyms. What a great way to reduce those first-day-of-school anxieties. I bet the parents will love you (I mean they likely already do!)
Is this scavenger hunt a competition?
That is really up to you. The school classroom scavenger hunt can be done individually or in teams. With either, you can race against the clock or race against other teams/individuals. Keep in mind, competition tends to create louder voices. If doing this as a friendly competition, have rules for voice levels and running. You know your students. If you don’t and you want to control the environment and behavior, it’s best to avoid competition. Instead, have a small reward for completion with an end time at the end of the day. Completion can be done on your own timeline and everyone wins.
Fun prizes for a school scavenger hunt can include:
- Pencils
- Erasers
- School supplies
- Fidget toys
- Mini pencil sharpeners
- Colored paper clips
- Homework pass
- Extra recess
… and of course, intrinsic satisfaction is likely the most rewarding!
More School Printables
The first week of school and the return to classroom setting can be exciting. With excitement can also come a few nerves. We have some fun back-to-school printables for teachers and students. Take a look at these fun ideas.
School Supply Treasure Hunt
Parents will love this fun Back to School Treasure Hunt. Get excited for the return to school using a back-to-school scavenger hunt to find school supplies. This can include crayons, glue, pencils, backpacks, lunch boxes, and more. The possibilities are endless. This fun school hunt is meant for at home and includes rhyming riddles clues card the kids are to solve along the way. At the end of the hunt (with the last clue) or with each back to schools scavenger hunt clue, the kids will pick up a school supply. Use this for a back-to-school party or a just-because celebration for the anticipation of the first day of school. Make it a first-day-of-school tradition. Pin to Pinterest.
Science Scavenger Hunt
Looking for an older scavenger hunt for middle school, older elementary-aged kids, or high school? Use this STEM scavenger hunt for the classroom. There is a wide range of kids that can use this scavenger hunt, so adapt it to your age group. For example, this scavenger hunt for high school might feel a bit juvenile. Instead, choose a team and create it into an internet search, full school search, etc. It will be a nice school icebreaker for students but also create a bit of fun and excitement in the mundane, boring school day. If they complain, just remind them you can always re-open a textbook. Pin to Pinterest.
Playground Scavenger Hunt
Are you looking for the kind of scavenger hunt you can take outdoors? If a bit of oxygen and sunshine is just what your kiddos need, go on a fun playground scavenger hunt with rhyming riddle clue cards or a checklist of playground equipment. This can be used in conjunction with giving new rules for playground equipment and recess. Pin to Pinterest.
Color Scavenger Hunt
This is a fun scavenger hunt for toddlers and younger children. In this color scavenger hunt, kids go through their colors from red all the way to white. Children will discover different colors around the house. Pin to Pinterest.
Alphabet Scavenger Hunt
Working on letter recognition and writing skills? Download this printable Alphabet Scavenger Hunt. Kids can search around the classroom, the school setting, or even outdoors to find different letters to the alphabet and write what they find. You can turn this into a research virtual scavenger hunt and find items on the internet too. Pin to Pinterest.
School Games
Do you love a good 60-second game? We have a few classroom games or back-to-school party games that can be used with the kids. They include common school supplies for the printable games and are played in a one-minute game style. Download and print these fun Back to School Minute to Win it Games for the classroom, your house, your youth group, and more. You choose the setting, just grab a stopwatch, school supplies, and a smile. Pin to Pinterest.
Teacher Gift Tag Ideas
Listen, random acts of kindness for teachers can go a long way. They can include simple and easy couple-dollar gifts (think a candy bar or cup of coffee). Take a look at this teacher appreciation printable gift tag set that you can attach to many common items. They include a gift tag for every occasion and season. Best of all, you can use it for all of your children and year after year making it a very affordable teacher gift with a bit of punny funny gift tag ideas for teachers! Pin to Pinterest.
Our Pinterest community and I would love to see how this worked out for you. Share your printable classroom scavenger hunt. We would love to see or hear how it worked out. Leave a comment here or on Pinterest!
Free School Printables
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How to Print at Staples
Don’t have a printer? You can print at your local print shop or your Staples Printing Center. Watch this video for how I print my PDF documents at Staples.
WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, Holiday, Group, and more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next birthday party.
