Family Christmas scavenger hunt, printable
Team rhymes for a mixed group hunting together, from the youngest to the oldest. Below are 3 of the 24 clues, free to read and use, and ways to play with a full house.
The clues are AI-generated. The 3 sample clues on this page are fixed examples: every visitor sees the same three, and every buyer gets the same clues. The full pack costs $9 and is a digital download: nothing is shipped, you print the cards at home.
3 free sample clues from the Family, all ages edition
These three clues are taken word for word from the Family, all ages edition. Copy them onto paper and try them today.
Crackers, candles, extra chairs,
elbows, laughter, second shares.
Gather round me, look below,
the clue is taped where feet all go.
Answer: Under the dining table
Big boots, small boots, in a heap,
a hallway mountain, wide and steep.
Somewhere in this muddy lot
a clue's inside. Who'll find the spot?
Answer: Shoe pile by the door
Wrappers twisted, colours bright,
the best ones vanish overnight.
Only the ones nobody likes remain,
plus one clue: go on, use your brain.
Answer: Sweet tin
How to run a family Christmas scavenger hunt
The Family edition is written for a group. The rhymes talk to a team, not to one person: "whoever finds it shouts 'well done!'", "a clue is your team's next reward". Everyone hunts together, from the youngest to the oldest, and the hiding places are spread over the rooms a family shares.
- Open the Family file in a web browser, print it and cut along the dashed lines. The cards are laid out four per sheet.
- Keep card 1. Hide card 2 at the place card 1 points to, card 3 at the place card 2 points to, and so on. The answer key lists all 24 places in order.
- Put the prize under the Christmas tree, which is where card 24 leads.
- Gather everyone in the living room and read card 1 aloud.
Ways to play with a mixed group
- One team: the youngest reader reads each card aloud and everyone moves together.
- Readers and runners: adults read and guess, children run and search.
- Two teams: print the card sheets twice, hide both copies at each place, and let each team take one. The first team to reach the tree wins.
Hiding places in this edition
- Living room: under the sofa cushions, behind the television, the board game boxes, the bookshelf, under the rug, behind the family photo, under the speaker, the window sill.
- Kitchen: under the dining table, beside the kettle, the sweet tin, the food cupboard, and one rhyme that names the fridge.
- Hall: the front door, the shoe pile, the coat rack pockets, the hallway mirror.
- Upstairs and elsewhere: the bathroom towel rail, the toy box, the wrapping paper box, the Christmas stockings, the covers of the biggest bed, the top of the washing machine.
When to run it, and what to win
Good moments are Christmas morning before the presents, or after lunch when everyone needs to move. A shared prize suits a team hunt: a new board game, a tin of sweets, or the right to choose the evening film. For a shorter hunt use ten or twelve cards, laid out in the order you will use, each hidden at the place the card before it points to.
Safety
An adult hides every card. Put the kettle card beside the kettle when it is cool. The washing machine card lies on top of the machine and the fridge card goes on the outside of the door: never hide a card inside an appliance. Small paper cards are not for children under 3.
What is in the $9 pack
One payment of $9 (USD) gets all six editions. It is a digital download: nothing is shipped, and you print the cards at home.
- 6 print-ready HTML files, one per edition: Kids 4-7, Kids 8-12, Teens, Partner, Grandparents, and Family (all ages). Each file is a web page that you open in a web browser and print from there.
- 24 printable clue cards in each edition, numbered 1 to 24 and laid out 4 per sheet with dashed cut lines.
- 4 blank cards in each edition for writing your own clues.
- An answer key in each edition: the clue number, the hiding place it points to, and what to hide there.
- A cover, a how-to-play section and a safety note in each edition.
- A README text file: what is in the pack, how to print, two ways to play, and safety notes.
The name is added by hand. The cover and every card carry a blank "For:" line: print first, then write the name with a pen.
Each edition is laid out for 10 sheets of A4 or US Letter paper. That layout was not test-printed. If a sheet of cards spills onto an extra page, set the print scale to 95%.
The clues are in English. Black-and-white printing is fine.
Get the pack on Gumroad: $9, digital download
AI disclosure
The clues are AI-generated. They are not written individually for each buyer: every copy of an edition contains the same 24 clues. You write the name yourself, by hand, on the "For:" line of the printed cards.
Price and refunds
The price is $9 (USD), paid once on Gumroad, for a digital download. Refunds follow Gumroad's refund policy.
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