Present hunt clues · ages 3 to 9

Christmas scavenger hunt clues

16 rhyming clues from one of Santa's elves, with a present hunt for Christmas morning and a bedtime hunt for Christmas Eve.

An elf has hidden a present somewhere in your house and left rhymes all over it: on the fridge door, in a boot, under the tree. You hide the cards the night before. We wrote the rhymes, so that part is done.

Each card has a tricky rhyme for big kids and an easier one underneath for little ones, and the last card waits with the present.

Start card

A note from an elf

Hide it: Hand it over with the first clue

Ho ho, hello! I'm one of Santa's elves.I hid a big present. Not here on the shelves!
Solve every riddle, one clue at a time.Your first one is waiting. Just follow the rhyme!

How it works

How to set up a Christmas present hunt

  1. 1

    Hide the present first. Under the kitchen table works, with a blanket over it if it's big. The last card sits on top.

  2. 2

    Pick six to eight clues. Our morning hunt has eight, already in order. If you choose your own, change rooms with every clue.

  3. 3

    Hide each card where the card before it sends them. Every card tells you where the next one goes: on the door, under a cushion, inside a boot.

  4. 4

    Hand over the elf's note with the first clue. That clue sends them to the tree, which is where they thought the present would be.

Ready to use

A Christmas morning hunt in 8 clues

Hide the present under the kitchen table, then put each card here:

  1. 1The elf's note: hand it over to start the hunt
  2. 2The Christmas tree clue: hand it over with the start card
  3. 3The fridge clue: Christmas tree, under the branches, by the pot
  4. 4The pillow clue: fridge, on the door
  5. 5The boots clue: under the pillow
  6. 6The sofa clue: inside one of the boots
  7. 7The mirror clue: sofa, under a cushion
  8. 8The sock drawer clue: on the mirror or next to it
  9. 9The kitchen table clue: inside the sock drawer
  10. 10The last card: under the kitchen table, with the present

Who's playing?

Around the house · 16 clues

Christmas scavenger hunt riddles for every room

The elf got into the living room, the kitchen, the hall, the bathroom and the bedroom. Each card shows where it leads, and the small word on it tells you where the next card goes. Mix them in any order, as long as two cards in a row aren't in the same room.

Christmas tree, a paper cut-out

Living room

Christmas tree

Next card goes under the branches, by the pot

It stays green all winter and never goes bare,and this month it's sparkling with lights everywhere.
Easier clue
Ornaments, tinsel, a star on its top.Look under its branches. That's your next stop!
Sofa, a paper cut-out

Living room

Sofa

Next card goes under a cushion

After the presents, the grown-ups need rest.Where do they flop? In the comfiest nest!
Easier clue
Blankets and cushions, a cozy old seat.Look under a cushion to find your next treat!
Window sill, a paper cut-out

Living room

Window sill

Next card goes on a low sill

Frost draws its pictures on it when it's cold,little white feathers and ferns, I am told.
Easier clue
You watch the snow fall through its glass, so clear.Look on its ledge, down low. It's near!
Blanket, a paper cut-out

Living room

Blanket

Next card goes inside the folds

Hot cocoa, a story, the tree shining bright.What do you wrap up in, cozy and tight?
Easier clue
It's soft and it's warm, and it lives on a chair.Shake out its folds. Is a clue hiding there?
Fridge, a paper cut-out

Kitchen

Fridge

Next card goes on the door

Santa drinks milk, and the reindeer eat carrots.Where are they kept cold? Not up with the parrots!
Easier clue
It hums in the kitchen, as cold as the snow.Look on its door, where the magnets go!
Kitchen table, a paper cut-out

Kitchen

Kitchen table

Next card goes under the kitchen table

We leave cookies for Santa, a plate and a cup.Where do they wait till he gobbles them up?
Easier clue
It has four legs, but it can't pull a sleigh.Crawl underneath it! Your clue's tucked away.
Fruit bowl, a paper cut-out

Kitchen

Fruit bowl

Next card goes under the fruit

A stocking gets an orange, tucked into its toe.Where do the others live? I think you know!
Easier clue
Apples, bananas, a pear and a plum.Look under the fruit in the bowl. Yum, yum, yum!
Rain boots, a paper cut-out

Hall and laundry

Boots

Next card goes inside one of the boots

In some lands, kids leave out a boot or a shoefor a treat in the night. Let's try that too!
Easier clue
Big, warm boots for stomping in snow.Look inside one, down in the toe!
Bottom step, a paper cut-out

Hall and laundry

Bottom step

Next card goes on the bottom step

On Christmas morning, before it gets light,what do you tiptoe down, holding on tight?
Easier clue
Up to your bed and then down to the tree.Look on the bottom step. What do you see?
Coat pocket, a paper cut-out

Hall and laundry

Coat pocket

Next card goes inside the coat pocket

Where do your mittens and hat go to hidewhen you come back from playing in snow outside?
Easier clue
It hangs by the door, all puffy and warm.Check in its pockets for a clue, safe from harm!
Mirror, a paper cut-out

Bathroom

Mirror

Next card goes on the mirror or next to it

Try on a red hat, all fluffy and bright.Who's that elf looking back? What a sight!
Easier clue
Smile at it, wave at it, give it a stare.Look on it or next to it. Your clue is right there!
Bath, a paper cut-out

Bathroom

Bath

Next card goes inside the bath, empty and dry

We elves love a snowball fight, cold to our toes.Where do YOU warm up, from your knees to your nose?
Easier clue
Hot water, bubbles, a duck and a scrub.Your clue's sitting dry in the big empty tub!

Grown-up: Check there's no water left in it.

Pillow, a paper cut-out

Bedroom

Pillow

Next card goes under the pillow

On Christmas Eve, it's so hard to sleep!Where do you rest your head, counting sheep?
Easier clue
It's soft and it's squishy and sits on your bed.Look under it now, where you lay your head!
Slippers, a paper cut-out

Bedroom

Slippers

Next card goes inside one of the slippers

At the North Pole, the floors are like ice,so every elf wears a pair. Aren't they nice?
Easier clue
Two fuzzy friends that keep your toes snug.Look inside one! It's as warm as a hug.
Bookshelf, a paper cut-out

Bedroom

Bookshelf

Next card goes between the books

I love Christmas stories read out loud at night.Where do the books sleep, all tucked in tight?
Easier clue
Rows full of stories, the short and the long.Look in between them. You can't go wrong!
Sock drawer, a paper cut-out

Bedroom

Sock drawer

Next card goes inside the sock drawer

A stocking hangs up for a treat in the night.Where do its little cousins sleep, rolled up tight?
Easier clue
Stripy or woolly, in pairs they all hide.Open the sock drawer and look inside!

Merry Christmas!

Hide it: With the present, at the end of the hunt

You found it! Hooray! You solved every rhyme.You're the cleverest elf-helper of all time!
Merry Christmas from me, with a jingle and cheer.Now open your present. I'll see you next year!

Christmas Eve · 6 clues

A Christmas Eve scavenger hunt that ends with a bedtime story

Christmas Eve is a very long evening when you're five. This hunt uses up some of it and walks them towards bed: the window, the bath, the slippers, the bottom step, a blanket, and then the bookshelf, where a new book is tucked in between the old ones.

If your family does a Christmas Eve box (new pajamas, a book, something warm to drink), leave it by the bookshelf with the last card on top. None of these six cards is in the morning hunt, so you can play both without printing anything twice. In the printable they are clues 7 to 12, together on page 3.

The night before Christmas

Where each card goes

Slide the new book in between the others on a low shelf, then put each card here:

  1. 1The elf's note: hand it over to start the hunt
  2. 2The window sill clue: hand it over with the start card
  3. 3The bath clue: window, on a low sill
  4. 4The slippers clue: inside the bath, empty and dry
  5. 5The bottom step clue: inside one of the slippers
  6. 6The blanket clue: on the bottom step
  7. 7The bookshelf clue: blanket, inside the folds
  8. 8The last card: bookshelf, between the books, with the new book

The present at the end

Gift scavenger hunt ideas

The trail works with any present. These are the four ways we'd use it.

  • The one you save for last

    Keep one present back from under the tree and give it a hunt of its own.

  • A present that won't fit in a box

    A bike in the shed, tickets, a day out. Put a photo or a note with the last card. Our list of dinosaur gifts that aren't toys has more like these.

  • A book

    A book hides almost anywhere: between the others on the shelf, under a pillow, in a coat pocket if it's small. The Christmas Eve hunt ends at the bookshelf for that reason.

  • More than one child

    Let them share one hunt and take turns. The big one reads the tricky rhyme out loud, the little one gets the picture, and both presents wait at the end.

For the elf who visits in December

An elf scavenger hunt

Plenty of families have a toy elf who turns up in December and moves around the house at night. Our clues are already in an elf's voice, so they work as a find-the-elf game: hide the elf instead of a present, hand over the note, and let the last clue lead to it.

Three or four cards are enough before school. On the elf's last morning, the trail can end at a goodbye note.

Before school

A four-clue elf hunt

  1. 1The elf's note: hand it over to start the hunt
  2. 2The fruit bowl clue: hand it over with the start card
  3. 3The coat pocket clue: fruit bowl, under the fruit
  4. 4The mirror clue: inside the coat pocket
  5. 5The blanket clue: on the mirror or next to it

The elf waits here: blanket, inside the folds.

Outside, after dark

A Christmas lights scavenger hunt

This one has no cards to hide. Take the list on a walk or a drive to see the lights, read it out, and let them shout when they spot one.

  1. 1A star on top of a tree
  2. 2A snowman (blow-up ones count)
  3. 3A reindeer
  4. 4A wreath on a front door
  5. 5Candy canes
  6. 6Lights in three colors
  7. 7A tree in a window
  8. 8A Santa
  9. 9An angel
  10. 10Lights shaped like icicles
  11. 11A big red bow
  12. 12A house with no lights at all (wave at it anyway)

Little ones (3 to 5)

A Christmas scavenger hunt for toddlers and preschoolers

A three year old can't read the elf's rhymes, but can match a picture to a place. Switch the cards to Little ones and each one shows where it leads, plus one small word: on, under, behind, next to, inside. You read the rhyme, they run.

Keep it to four or five stops in one or two rooms, leave the cards half showing at their eye level, and go round with them.

Free, no sign-up

Print the Christmas clue cards

Six cards to a page, each with a small strip for you that says where the card leads and where the next one goes. The Christmas set has all 16 clues, the elf's note, the last card, a little certificate and three blank cards, and its setup sheet lists both hunts so you can tick the cards off as you hide them. The A4 files use British spelling (cosy), with pyjamas and wellies on the picture cards.

Free for home and classroom use. Please share the link to this page rather than the file.

Before you hide anything

Safety around the tree, the kitchen and the chocolate

A few Christmas clue lists online send children to the oven, the microwave, the dryer or the freezer. We leave those out. Children have died trapped inside freezers, dryers and refrigerators, and front-loading washing machines are a known danger for small children, so our cards only ever go on top of an appliance or next to it.

US Consumer Product Safety Commission; Consumer Reports; ASPCA on chocolate and pets

  • Under the tree, never in it.

    The card goes on the floor by the pot. Keep it away from the lights and cables, and off any branch they'd have to reach for.

  • Away from anything hot.

    No cards on the mantelpiece, by the fireplace or near candles.

  • The fridge door only.

    The elf's fridge clue points to the door. Nothing goes inside the fridge, oven, microwave, freezer, dishwasher, dryer or washing machine.

  • The bottom step and no further.

    The stairs clue stops at the first step, so nobody runs up or down in socks.

  • Chocolate and dogs.

    Chocolate is poisonous to dogs. If treats wait along the trail, count them out and count them back in.

  • At a child's height.

    No climbing. Anything above their head is for grown-ups.

Questions

Grown-ups ask

For the rest of the year, our scavenger hunt clues cover every room, the garden and birthdays, and the Easter Bunny has a page of his own.

What are good Christmas scavenger hunt clues for kids?
Ones that describe a place without naming it, short enough to read aloud in one breath. Ours are in the voice of one of Santa's elves and come in two parts: a tricky rhyme for big kids and an easier one for little ones.
How do you set up a Christmas present scavenger hunt?
Hide the present first and work backwards. Choose six to eight clues, put each card where the card before it sends them, and hand over the first clue with the elf's note. Our morning hunt has the order worked out and ends under the kitchen table.
How many clues should a Christmas scavenger hunt have?
Six to eight suits most children. Use four or five for a three or four year old, and go up to twelve for a nine year old who wants it to last.
What is a Christmas Eve scavenger hunt?
A short hunt before bed on the 24th. Ours has six clues that follow bedtime, from the bath to the slippers to the bookshelf, where a new book waits for the bedtime story.
Can I use these clues for an elf hunt?
They're written in an elf's voice, so they suit a visiting toy elf well. Hide the elf at the end instead of a present. Three or four clues are enough on a school morning.
Can a child who can't read yet join in?
Yes. Switch the cards to Little ones and each card shows a picture of the place it leads to, with one word such as on, under or inside. You read the rhyme and they match the picture.
Can you do a Christmas scavenger hunt outside?
If it's warm where you live (hello, Adelaide), our 12 garden clues work at any time of year. Where it's cold and dark by five, take the Christmas lights list on a walk instead.
Can I print the Christmas clues for free?
The cards are free for home and classroom use, in US Letter and A4, color and black and white, with a setup sheet for both hunts and blank cards. Please share this page's link rather than the file.

Our own books

Three picture books that are easy to hide

These three are ours, so of course we think one of them belongs at the end of the trail. Each is a square paperback, thin enough to slide in between the books on a shelf, and its animals step off the page and into your room when you scan it with a phone or tablet.