This Easy Scavenger Hunt Gets Kids Hunting for Items by Color

From favorite backyard games like freeze tag to the always-popular Uno cards, Play-Doh, and Kinetic Sand, there are plenty of great activities for kids to take part in. One more must-do for every parent's list? A scavenger hunt.

The great thing is that scavenger hunts for kids don’t require much at all. They're easy, inexpensive, and can often be done using things you already have at home. Plus, the weather doesn’t matter at all, since you can choose a hunt that’s geared specifically to be done inside or out — and scavenger hunts can also add an always-welcome educational element to kids’ playtime, usually (and this is the best part) without kids even realizing it.

Though these treasure hunts can feel like a throw-back activity, the scavenger hunt ideas we’ve found are anything but old-fashioned. Whether you’re looking for an interactive way to instill a love for reading, add even more fun to a football game, or find a few ways to up kids’ sensory experiences, we’ve got you covered. We’ve rounded up a variety of different scavenger hunts — the majority of which can be done at or close to home — to get your creativity flowing.