How many clues do I need to use?

You don't have to use all 26. Start with the 10 easiest clues for toddlers and young kids, and add the medium and hard ones as your children get older or want more of a challenge. Even five or six clues make a proper hunt on a busy evening.

What age is this scavenger hunt for?

The easy clues suit children around ages 3 to 6, since they point to obvious spots like the tree or the stocking. The medium and hard clues involve more reading and a bit of searching, so they work well for children from about 7 and up, or for mixed-age groups hunting together.

Do I need any special supplies?

No. All you need is a printer, a pair of scissors, and about ten minutes to hide the clues before the children wake up or before you gather everyone together in the evening. There's nothing to buy and nothing to prepare in advance.

Can I use this on Christmas Eve instead of during Advent?

Yes, it works well either way. Many families run the full hunt on a quiet Sunday in Advent as a stand-alone activity, while others save it for Christmas Eve itself as something to do while the Christmas dinner or rice pudding is still cooking.

What if we don't have a fireplace or a stocking hung up?

Swap any clue for a spot that exists in your own home. If there's no mantel, hide that clue on a bookshelf instead; if there's no stocking, tuck it into a drawer by the front door. The trail matters more than matching every single location exactly.

Christmas Scavenger Hunt for Kids – Clues for the Whole House

Activity Workshop · Printables

Christmas Scavenger Hunt for Kids – Clues for the Whole House

A Christmas scavenger hunt is the easiest holiday tradition to start this year. All you need is a printer and a pair of scissors — the clues are already written, and you decide how many you have time for before the cocoa is ready. The kids follow the trail from the Christmas tree to the stocking, on to the cookies on the kitchen counter, and finally all the way to Santa's own spot by the fireplace. This is an activity that works just as well on a quiet Sunday in Advent as it does on Christmas Eve itself, and it fits any home — apartment, house, or cabin. Use just the 10 easiest clues with the youngest kids, or run the full set of 26 for older siblings who like a real challenge.

About this sheet

Every family has a spare hour somewhere between the first Advent candle and Christmas Eve itself — a scavenger hunt fills it without any planning on your part. Print the clue sheet, cut it into strips, and hide each one in the spot it describes. The kids do the rest, reading their way from the tree to the stocking, past the cookies, and on toward the fireplace.

The clues are written so a child who can read on their own can follow most of them, while the harder ones give an older sibling something to puzzle over. Nothing here needs batteries, an app, or a subscription — just a printer, scissors, and the ten minutes it takes to tuck slips of paper into their hiding places.

Run the short version with just the first ten clues for a toddler group, or hand the full set of 26 to a mixed-age crowd of cousins and let the older ones help the younger ones along. Either way, the hunt ends in the same place: Santa's own chair by the fire, with one last clue waiting under the blanket.

What you get

26 ready-to-print clues spanning easy, medium, and hard difficulty
A trail that runs from the Christmas tree to Santa's own chair
Cut-and-hide format — no extra prep beyond a printer and scissors
Works for one evening or spread across the whole of Advent

How to use it

Print and cut. Print the clue sheet and cut along the lines so each clue stands alone.
Hide them around the house. Follow the list and tuck each clue into its spot — under the tree, in the stocking, by the cookies, and so on.
Send the kids off. Hand over the first clue and let the kids follow the trail from room to room until they reach Santa's chair.
Adjust the difficulty. Skip the hard clues for younger kids, or add your own hiding spots to stretch the hunt further.

Download free

Pick an age, download the A4 PDF with answers, and print. No sign-up.

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Frequently asked questions

How many clues do I need to use?: You don't have to use all 26. Start with the 10 easiest clues for toddlers and young kids, and add the medium and hard ones as your children get older or want more of a challenge. Even five or six clues make a proper hunt on a busy evening.
What age is this scavenger hunt for?: The easy clues suit children around ages 3 to 6, since they point to obvious spots like the tree or the stocking. The medium and hard clues involve more reading and a bit of searching, so they work well for children from about 7 and up, or for mixed-age groups hunting together.
Do I need any special supplies?: No. All you need is a printer, a pair of scissors, and about ten minutes to hide the clues before the children wake up or before you gather everyone together in the evening. There's nothing to buy and nothing to prepare in advance.
Can I use this on Christmas Eve instead of during Advent?: Yes, it works well either way. Many families run the full hunt on a quiet Sunday in Advent as a stand-alone activity, while others save it for Christmas Eve itself as something to do while the Christmas dinner or rice pudding is still cooking.
What if we don't have a fireplace or a stocking hung up?: Swap any clue for a spot that exists in your own home. If there's no mantel, hide that clue on a bookshelf instead; if there's no stocking, tuck it into a drawer by the front door. The trail matters more than matching every single location exactly.