These free printable scavenger hunts are a great tool for encouraging children to immerse themselves in nature and look a little closer at the world around them with deep appreciation. This sort of play magically manages to nurture physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and social growth in children. And they’re fun for adults as well!
Our typical day involves a fair amount of time outside and while most of that time is devoted to simple free play, from time to time we’ll take one of our more structured activities or art projects outdoors.
My days are currently spent with two two year olds and so I wasn’t sure what the response would be to scavenger hunts or if the interest would be there quite yet. But the first day using them, we did the simple color scavenger hunt and they really enjoyed it when we paired it with a walk! They each seemed to also love the important feeling that accompanies a clipboard.
The scavenger hunts for specific items we did with a little more flexibility and it often results in them also pointing out things not on the scavenger hunt, and instead things that they saw and heard. And that for me is kind of the whole purpose of the scavenger hunts, so it was still a success even if not completed in traditional fashion.
There are certainly educational benefits to nature scavenger hunts, but I think their greater purpose is teaching both children and adults alike to look a little closer at the world around us. They encourage us to see familiar things with fresh perspective and that draws us into the present moment. It grounds us and connects us to reality.
I’ve always enjoyed nature myself, but as a parent I’ve entered into a newfound appreciation of it. I love that it is full of learning materials that don’t cost a thing or contribute unnecessary waste. Rocks, sticks, leaves, acorns, wildflowers, pine cones all make for excellent materials to teach counting and colors and size discernment.
Nature also satisfies so many of the sensory input needs of children that we try to replicate with sensory bins and experiences. Nature regulates us in endless ways, all we have to do is immerse ourselves in it! It’s a gift. Perhaps these free printable scavenger hunts will be a starting point for your family or a way to continue to see nature in new ways together. This collection of five scavenger hunts includes:
- One Color Scavenger Hunt
- Two Nature Item Scavenger Hunts
- One Alphabet Scavenger Hunt
- One Blank Scavenger Hunt
You’ll find the free printable PDF below. I would recommend laminating or slipping into a sheet protector so they can be written on and used over and over. Enjoy!
