Christmas Scavenger Hunt Free Printable Picture Hunt & Big-Kid Checklist

🧒 The Picture Hunt for Little Kids

A Christmas scavenger hunt a 2-year-old can actually play: every item is a picture first, so nobody has to read a word to join in.

The picture sheet holds 12 things that are really there in a decorated home — a Christmas tree, a star, a stocking, a candy cane, a present, a bell, a snowman, a wreath, an ornament, a Santa hat, a string of lights and a gingerbread cookie. Your child carries the sheet from room to room, finds each one, points at the real thing, and ticks its box.

Toddlers hunt with an adult. Walk with your little one, read the word under each picture out loud, and let them do the finding and the ticking — that part is theirs. If an item lives up high (the star, the lights), a point and a shout count as found. One full sheet, twelve proud ticks, is a complete game for this age.

🔎 The Big-Kid Checklist Hunt

Twenty written items for readers — the same decorated house, a much harder hunt.

The checklist starts with the Christmas basics — tree, stocking, wreath, Santa hat — and then turns into a real challenge: something that smells like cinnamon, something older than you, a decoration with an animal on it, something red and green together, something that sparkles. Those items have no single right answer, which is exactly what makes older kids argue, negotiate and keep hunting.

Make it competitive: print a sheet each, set a timer for 20 minutes, and score 1 point per item plus 2 points for every challenge item (numbers 13 to 20). First to finish does not automatically win — most points wins, so the careful hunter beats the fast one.

💡 Christmas Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Indoors

Ran both sheets already? These christmas scavenger hunt ideas stretch the same game across the whole holiday — no new supplies needed.

🌟 The Christmas Lights Walk Hunt

Take the hunt outside: walk your neighbourhood after dark and spot these 10 things together. Read the list out loud, or copy it onto a card before you go.

Stay safe out there: it gets dark and cold fast in December. Every group walks with an adult, everyone stays on sidewalks, and roads are crossed together, with an adult, at corners. Dress for standing around — hats, gloves and warm socks — bring a flashlight for dark stretches, agree on the route and the turn-around point before you leave, and head home when fingers get cold, finished list or not.

🖨️ How to Run Your Hunt

1. Print the right sheet. Picture hunt for little kids who cannot read yet, checklist for readers. One sheet per hunter, plus a pencil each.
2. Set the boundaries first. Say which rooms are in the game and which are not — bedrooms and breakable shelves stay out unless you say otherwise. Found means seen and pointed at; nothing gets picked up or moved.
3. Pair up the youngest hunters. Toddlers hunt with an adult or an older sibling: they carry the picture sheet, name each picture together, and the ticking is the toddler's job.
4. Add the twist for older kids. Timer on, challenge items worth double, or riddle clues instead of the list — the checklist section above has the scoring that keeps it fair.
5. Finish together. Count the ticks out loud, crown the Christmas Hunt Champion, and let the winner pick the hot chocolate toppings. A hunt that ends warm gets asked for again.