Seek & Find Scavenger Hunts Ages 2 - 5 years
Get Ready: Decide what you & your child are going to seek & find. This could cover many things: textures, colors, shapes, numbers, nature items, types of toys. It could use any of the 5 senses & maybe all of them at once! Make a list of what you want your child to find.
Get Set: Give your child a bag or box for his collection of items found. Talk about what he will be looking for – depending on the age and development, show examples. Give the child the list and go over it together.
Sit Back and Watch Your Child Go: This can be done inside or outside, depending on what you are seeking. Searching for specific things is exciting and challenging. It incorporates listening skills and comprehension, comparing and categorizing, independent work, following directions, exploration and discovery.
Want to amp up the learning? Ask your child what he wants to seek and find. Allow him to draw/write the list. If your child finds something that doesn’t quite fit the description, accept it and at the same time, probe his thinking by asking: compare it to other things you’ve found – how is the same, how is it different? Add some counting to the hunt – Count as you go by setting a number to the items. Find 5 smooth rocks. Or Count up the total number of items found when the hunt is over.
Get Creative: If you decide to seek nature items or textures, make a collage by gluing them onto cardboard. If you hunt for colors, create a pattern with the colored objects. Read the book “Going on a Bear Hunt” – act it out. Write your own book about your scavenger hunt!
As your child grows: your child will become more observant of the world around him. He will be interested in exploring new things.
You child will love: the freedom this activity gives to go on a hunt! He will love feeling successful and brilliant!
You will love: seeing his enthusiasm and how his mind works as he seeks and finds things that match the descriptive words/categories.
