How to Plan a Photo Scavenger Hunt for Your Kids While on Vacation

Going on a vacation with the entire family is tons of fun but planning for the vacation can be challenging. One part that is especially hard for parents is finding a way to keep their children entertained during the trip. 

A photo scavenger hunt is a fun take on the traditional scavenger hunt game and is a great way to help kids make memories while on vacation. Here are some things you should know when creating photo scavenger hunts for children on vacation.

What Is a Photo Scavenger Hunt?

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A photo scavenger hunt is a game where participants would go on a hunt for items and show photographic proof of them completing the hunt. The game can be played by anyone and in any setting. It is a great way to get young children to be more aware of their surroundings, especially when they are in a new environment.

The photo scavenger hunt is typically done at parties or in a familiar area. However, many parents have started to implement the game into their family vacations, as a way to get their children more interested in the place they are visiting. Parents also like that the game is a great way for their kids to create fond memories of the places that they have been to during the vacation.

What Do You Need for a Photo Scavenger Hunt?

You will not need many items for the photo scavenger hunt. The things that you need to prepare for the game are:

Camera

Traditionally, the game is done with a Polaroid camera where the photos will be instantly printed after the image was taken. However, the game can now be played with a smartphone camera, and youngsters need not require a high-end smartphone; a budget phone from a company like Vivo or Oppo, which are less expensive than a Samsung or iPhone but still have good cameras, is perfect.

List of Items

You will also need a list of what items your children should photograph. The items that you choose for the scavenger hunt can be tangible items, like a bag or a streetlamp. 

You can be less specific with the items on the list to encourage creativity in your children. For example, you can ask them to take a picture of something they have never seen before. You may end up with different items for the same topics, which can also diversify the types of images.

Game Guideline

You can also create a guideline for the scavenger hunt, just to make sure that the game will run smoothly. This will also ensure that your children will remain respectful of other people and the place they are in during the game. 

This also helps to create fairness and good sportsmanship amongst your children. Some commonly suggested rules for a photo scavenger hunt include no trespassing on private property and not taking pictures of people without their permission. 

You should also set some guidelines on how to take the photos, like only one device per person or only one image per item.

What Themes Can You Follow for the Photo Scavenger Hunt?

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The photo scavenger hunt is a game where it can still be fun, even with different themes. There are plenty of themes that you can follow for your game, but they should be age-appropriate for your children. For younger children, you can create a list that is easier to follow, and then save the more advanced list for the older kids.

Generally, the list for a photo scavenger hunt would include common items that can be found anywhere, like an analog wall clock or a fire hydrant. Try not to make the items too specific or your children may have a hard time finding the items. 

The list should be around 10 to 15 items long, which is enough items for a day-long hunt. You can also create a list that encompasses the entire trip, including the part when you are on board the plane to your destination.

You can also make the list unique to your destination by including items that you might encounter during your trip. For example, if your vacation includes a trip to the beach, you can add a beach-related item, like seashells or sandcastles, into the scavenger hunt list. 

If you are visiting a new city or country, you can include items that are specific to the area, like a signboard in the country’s native language or a local landmark.

How Do You Keep and Store the Photos after the Vacation?

The best part of the photo scavenger hunt is seeing all the pictures that everyone took for the game. Each person could have a different interpretation for the items of the list so you might end up with a variety of photos. Once the game has ended, and you are back at home from your vacation, you can now store the photos as memories of all the fun.

If the device you used for the scavenger hunt is a smartphone or a digital camera, you can just upload all the images onto your computer and label each photo. You can also print out the images and create a scrapbook or a collage of the images or place them in photo albums with every image labeled accordingly.