Are you looking for some team building scavenger hunt ideas?
If you are a leader who wants to try a traditional activity with your employees, then the scavenger hunt can be the perfect one. This exercise promotes collaboration, problem solving, creativity, decision making, and critical thinking in a fun way. In addition to that, it directs your employees to work towards a common goal.
In this article, let’s see the top 10 scavenger hunt ideas for your teams. Each one of these ideas is both fun and interactive.
Top 10 Team Building Scavenger Hunt Ideas
Before You Start
If you want to know how you can conduct team building activities, you can read this article for inspiration: How to Facilitate Team Building Activities in Your Workplace?
Alright, let’s go!
So, here are some of the best scavenger hunt ideas.
#1. Classic Hunt
Old is gold! This is the traditional scavenger hunt where the participants need to find a given list of items within a certain time limit.
Time: 10-20 minutes
Materials: A list of items to find and clues
Participants: At least 2 members per group
Instructions
- Give a list of items along with some clues to each team. The list may consist of both ordinary as well as hard-to-find items.
- Now, the teams have to find all the items on the list using the given clues. They should not purchase any items.
- The team with the most items at the end of the time limit wins.
#2. Text Message Quest
Here the clues are given through text messages. Ideally, the participants must use these clues to find the master code and win the challenge.
Time: 15-30 minutes
Materials: Smartphones with internet connectivity, and a list of clues
Participants: 2 or more individuals per group
Instructions
- Initially, each team will receive a set of clues through text messages. Each clue will contain a code or riddle that needs to be solved.
- The teams should solve the clues one by one and work their way up until they get to the master code.
- Finally, the first team to crack the master code wins the challenge.
#3. Destination Unknown
In this activity, participants can follow the clues to unknown locations until they find the surprise!
Time: You decide
Materials: A list of clues, smartphone, and transportation facility (if needed)
Participants: 3-8 people in a group
Instructions
- Provide each team with a clue to a particular location. After identifying the location, they can go there, preferably in a car.
- Once they reach there, they must take a photo with the whole team and share it with you through an instant messenger like Whatsapp.
- Now, you can send them the next clue to another location. Then, let them correctly guess it and go there.
- Continue this until they find the ultimate location, where a party or surprise is waiting for them! For instance, it can be a popular restaurant where they can have their favorite food and you will pay the bills.
(Note: Alternatively, you can conduct this activity solely in your office premises if you have the necessary facilities.)
#4. Information Hunt
In this exercise, participants have to find information rather than objects. This is great for groups who want to explore the outdoors or a new city and learn new facts in a fun way!
Time: 15 minutes or more
Materials: A list of questions, and transportation facility (if needed)
Participants: Any number of individuals in a group
Instructions
- Give a list of questions to each group. The answers to the questions may require participants to go to different locations.
- At each location, they have to locate the information needed to answer the questions. Examples include taking a picture of a piece of art, reading a plaque, or observing an animal or plant species.
- The group that successfully finds all the answers (or more answers) within the time limit will win.
#5. Photo Hunt
In this game, people should come up with photographs of certain places or objects. This is a game of creativity and out-of-the-box thinking!
Time: You decide
Materials: Digital camera, and a list of tasks
Participants: Any number of members in a group
Instructions
- Give a list of tasks and a digital camera to each team.
- The tasks may require them to take pictures at certain places or of specific objects.
- Award points to each team based on the relevance of photos as well as creativity. The team with the most points will win the challenge.
#6. Sound Hunt
Here the participants should record the sound of various things given in the list.
Time: You decide
Materials: Audio recorder, and a list of tasks
Participants: 2-8 individuals per group
Instructions
- Provide each group with an audio recorder and a list of tasks.
- The tasks may require participants to record different sounds according to their list. For example, the sound of sea waves, animal sounds, etc.
- Groups will get points based on the relevance and quality of their recordings.
- Finally, the group with the most points will win the challenge.
#7. Video Hunt
Here the participants need to film videos based on a list of actions or situations.
Time: You decide
Materials: A cell phone to record videos, and a list of tasks
Participants: Any number of people in a group
Instructions
- Provide each group with a cell phone and a list of tasks.
- The tasks may require them to film videos of certain activities like baking a cake, swimming, etc. Make sure that each video is only around 30 seconds, otherwise, it will become a time-consuming task.
- Award points to the groups based on the relevance and quality of their videos.
- Finally, the group with the most points will win the challenge.
#8. Human Hunt
This exercise differs from other scavenger hunts as it focuses on finding people, not objects. This is a great way to connect with known people or meet new ones!
Time: You decide
Materials: A list of people, and a cell phone (optional)
Participants: At least 2 members in a group
Instructions
- Give a list of tasks to each team. The tasks will include clues about specific people in your office or outsiders.
- Teams must try to find the person and take a photograph with them or get their business card.
- The team that gets in touch with more people in time will win the challenge.
#9. Treasure Hunt
Treasure hunt is one of the unique team building scavenger hunt ideas for years. Here the participants can follow the clues to find only one item – that’s the hidden “treasure”!
Time: 15-30 minutes
Materials: A list of clues
Participants: Any number of people in a group
Instructions
- Initially, give a list of clues to each team. The clues may include various activities such as completing puzzles.
- The clues will lead to a final item, which is the hidden treasure. For this, the teams must follow the clues and complete all tasks within the time frame.
- The team that finds the treasure first will win the challenge.
#10. Digital Hunt
If you folks don’t like to travel, you can conduct a scavenger hunt with the help of the internet. The digital hunt is one of the virtual team building activities.
Time: 15-30 minutes
Materials: A list of tasks, and a computer or mobile phone with the internet
Participants: Any number of members per group
Instructions
- First, provide each group with a list of tasks and clues. The tasks may include finding certain websites or information within the time limit.
- Groups must use the assigned search engine to find the website suggested in the clue. You can also set certain rules for this activity like the starting letters of the websites, etc.
- In the end, the group that finishes the task first will win the challenge.
What Type of Clues Can Be Used in a Scavenger Hunt?
Depending on the type of hunt you choose, clues may vary. However, make sure that the clues should be creative and relevant to the task.
For instance, some of the clues may include:
- Visuals such as photos, videos, or sketches
- Word puzzles like anagrams, crosswords, or rebus puzzles
- Location clues that require participants to travel around a certain area to find the item
- Music that contains hidden clues in the lyrics
- Trivia questions related to a particular topic or theme
- Quotes related to the task
- Codes that need to be deciphered in order to find the answer
- Combinations of any of these elements!
The idea is for participants to think outside the box and get creative. It’s also important that clues should lead participants in the right direction, without giving away the answer. With this in mind, a scavenger hunt can be tailored to any topic or theme that you desire!
Have participants post their findings on social media and let everyone know who won the challenge. This is a great way to add an extra layer of fun and competitiveness to your hunt.
Conducting Debrief After the Activity
At the end of the activity, conducting a debriefing session with all the teams is important. During this session, participants can discuss their experiences and learnings from the challenge they just completed. This will help encourage teamwork and understanding among team members.
For instance, you can ask them these questions:
- What was the most challenging part of the activity?
- What strategies did you use to find the correct answers?
- How can you apply your learnings from this activity to your work?
- What team dynamics have emerged during the challenge that could be useful in other tasks?
By asking these questions, employees will gain a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses as a team. This will allow them to apply these insights to their work and create better collaboration among their colleagues.
Want Some Unique Team Building Activities?
If you want some unique activities (both in person and virtual) for your employees, you can get my new e-book:
The Busy Leader’s Guide of Unique Team Building Activities: 30 Fully Customizable Exercises That You Can Conduct with Any Group of Employees, Anywhere
Final Words
Scavenger hunt is an excellent team building exercise to bring people together. Whether it’s a physical hunt or a digital one, teams are sure to enjoy the journey as they work together towards a common goal. In addition to that, your employees will have an opportunity to develop the necessary soft skills while having fun!
