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Christmas games

Christmas Scavenger Hunt

Hide the cards, hand over the first clue and follow the trail through your home to a gift. A phone companion checks each code, gives graduated hints and pops the gift box open in a burst of snow.

  • FreeBoth routes and every printable
  • About 15 min to prepPrint, cut and hide
  • About 20–30 min to playAn estimate, at your own pace
  • Ages 4–7 or 8+Picture trail or riddle route
  • 1–8 seekersPlus one grown-up host
  • Printer optionalOne phone for the companion

Choose your route

Printable Christmas Picture Trail page: four cut-out cards with big pictures of a window, a cookie jar, a pair of slippers and a toothbrush cup, each with a little Christmas picture code

Ages 4–7 with a grown-up

Picture Trail

Big pictures of cozy places around your home. Find each card, tap its little Christmas picture and follow the trail to the gift under the tree.

Start card, 7 picture cards, a treasure tag and a tick-off tracker. 3 pages.

Cards · US Letter PDFCards · A4 PDFOpen the companion
Printable Christmas Riddle Route page: six cut-out cards, each with a rhyming riddle and a lettered bauble

Ages 8+ and grown-ups

Riddle Route

Ten rhyming riddles about everyday things at home. Every card hides a letter in its bauble, and the letters spell where the gift is hiding.

Start card, 10 lettered riddle cards, a treasure tag and a decoder strip. 3 pages.

Cards · US Letter PDFCards · A4 PDFOpen the companion
Open the companionHost sheet & answers · US Letter PDFHost sheet & answers · A4 PDF
1

Print and cut

About 5 minutes. US Letter or A4, color or black and white. Cut along the dashed lines.

2

Hide in order

About 10 minutes. The host sheet lists every spot, with an alternative for each, while seekers wait in another room.

3

Hunt with the companion

Find a card, tap its code and watch a little penguin waddle across the snowy map. Hints unfold one step at a time.

See every page
before you print.

These are the actual printable pages.

Choose your paper size

We’ll remember your choice on this device. Choose the size that matches your printer paper.

Christmas Picture Trail cards: a big picture, one simple word and a picture code
Picture Trail · page 1 of 3
Christmas Riddle Route cards: a rhyming riddle and a lettered bauble on each
Riddle Route · page 1 of 3
Christmas host sheet with preparation time, safety notes and both routes at a glance
Host sheet & answers · 4 pages
A Christmas certificate for treasure hunters with space for names
Certificate · 1 page

Certificate · US Letter PDFCertificate · A4 PDF

The free Christmas companion: a snowy cottage map with a Christmas tree, a fireplace and a sleigh, a picture clue card and big picture-code buttons

The phone companion

  • A snowy cottage map where a little penguin with a lantern walks to each stop you find.
  • Tap a picture code or letter to collect each card. Wrong codes get a friendly nudge, never a lockout.
  • Three hints per clue: a nudge, a strong hint, then the answer.
  • Ten riddle letters unscramble into where the gift is hiding.
  • No-printer mode, host checklist, answer key and reset.
Start the hunt

How to play

  1. The host prints the cards for one route, cuts them out and hides them in the order on the host sheet, while the seekers wait elsewhere.
  2. Give the seekers the start card. Its picture or riddle points to where card 1 is hiding.
  3. Each card they find shows a code and the next clue. Tap the code in the companion to collect it, then follow the new clue.
  4. Stuck? Take a hint. Each clue has a nudge, a strong hint and the answer.
  5. Picture Trail: the last picture leads to the gift under the tree. Riddle Route: unscramble the ten letters to find where the gift is hiding.

Every spot is indoors and fits a small apartment, and each clue lists an alternative spot. No tree? The picture trail’s gift can go under a houseplant or wherever presents go in your home. Keep cards away from tree lights, candles, the fireplace and the kettle, and use only cold, clean pans.

Questions before you hide anything

Is the Christmas scavenger hunt really free?

Yes. Both routes, every printable page, the host sheet, the certificate and the phone companion are free. There is no account, payment or app to install.

Can we play without a printer?

Yes. Choose “No printer” in the companion. Put a small treat at each spot listed in host mode. The clues appear on the phone, and a grown-up taps to confirm each find.

How long does it take to set up and play?

Allow about 15 minutes: roughly 5 to print and cut, 10 to hide. Playing usually takes 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how quickly your seekers spot things. These are estimates, not tested averages.

What if we don’t have a Christmas tree or a fireplace?

You need neither. The tree is only the picture trail’s last stop, and it lists an alternative: a houseplant or wherever presents go. No clue sends anyone near a fireplace.

Is it different from the Halloween hunt?

Yes. Every clue, riddle, picture and hint is new, the riddle letters spell a different hiding place, and the map, art and finale are Christmas ones. The rules work the same way, so families who played at Halloween already know how.

Can we play it again?

Once seekers know the hiding places, the surprise is gone. For a second run, use the alternative spots listed for every clue, move the gift, or switch to the other route. It is not an endless mystery.

How many people can play?

The picture trail suits 1 to 6 little seekers with a grown-up reading. The riddle route suits 1 to 8 seekers, solo or in teams. For a bigger family gathering, run both routes in different rooms, or print a second set and race two teams.

What does the phone save?

Progress, hints and your hiding checklist stay in this browser’s storage, so a locked phone or refresh picks up where you were. Nothing is sent to an account. Host mode has a reset.

More Christmas games · Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt · Free games