A scavenger hunt for your youth group can be such a fun addition to your worship experience! Today, we will discuss youth group scavenger hunt riddles and the church scavenger hunt list. Celebrate the holidays by having this fun activity during service. It’s a great way to engage kids in a new way. Dare to be different and challenge them with exciting physical challenges, riddles, puzzles and clues around town.
Give your youth group an adventure this Sunday afternoon! Get some fresh air and exercise with an indoor scavenger hunt. This activity gives participants the perfect excuse to get together as a group, meet new friends and build leadership skills. You can also use this as an icebreaker during church services and as an opportunity to interact with new members in a fun way!
Set up your own church scavenger hunt and keep the youth in your church engaged. Find it easy using this template. Get the supplies you need to create your own scavenger hunt in a booklet that can be used again and again! We created this indoor church scavenger hunt for adults and youth group scavenger hunt around town in a fun way to make you talk about it.
Let’s have fun with a church scavenger hunt around town! Whether it’s your youth group or an adult group, our scavenger hunts are a fun way to explore the city the weekend of your event. We’ll help you plan a game-filled itinerary that includes activities for all ages!
Youth Group Scavenger Hunt Riddles
These clues will lead youth to locations throughout the church building and grounds. On each location, post a few slips of paper with the Bible verse number that points to the next clue. Give the groups the first clue. At the position of the last clue, put “return to the youth room and receive your prize.” This scavenger hunt took 3 groups of 4-6 middle schoolers 50 minutes to complete. It was made up using the New Revised Standard version of the Bible. The clues are arranged from easier to harder.
A few hints: The groups will sometimes pick up a clue that they find without having been led there. To prevent this, tell them not to pick up any clues unless the Bible verse led them there. Or, you could have them check back with a youth leader each time they pick up a clue to make sure they got the right one. If they don’t get the clues in order, it’s likely they won’t find all the clues.
It’s hard to find active things to do indoors here in Michigan, where it’s cold ten months out of the year. The kids really enjoyed this and it was nice for the youth leaders to lean back and watch them run around the church. It helps them become more familiar with both the Bible and the church building too.
- Church front door—Matthew 7:7
- music room—Psalm 149:1
- communion table—Mark 14:22
- Tree–Psalm 1:3
- oven—Hosea 7:6
- nursery–Matthew 21:16
- Pulpit Bible–2 Timothy 3:16
- baptismal font—Galatians 3:27
- Sink—Matthew 27:24
- stairs—1 Kings 6:8
- ice maker—Psalm 147:17
- showers –Psalm 65:10
- preacher’s chair—Jeremiah 52:32
- furnace room—Daniel 3:23
- church office—1 Timothy 3:1
- mailbox—Acts 15:30
- drinking fountain—John 19:28
- Refrigerator—Judges 3:24
Church Cell Phone Scavenger Hunt
Almost every kid has a cell phone these days, and almost every single one of those kids brings it to the youth group with them (and forgets to turn it off). Here’s a fun way to incorporate their cell phones into a game you can tailor to your specific church environment.
When it comes time for the game at your program, assemble everyone into a 2-4-person team (depending on the size of your overall group). Give them a printout of the list below and tell them that they have 10 minutes to collect as many pictures of the items as they can on their cell phones. Groups can stay together or split up to save time. but only give ONE copy of the list to each team! (Before you print off the list, make sure your church has every item; if you don’t have an ice-making machine, make sure to take it off this list!)
The team with the most points wins. Award the first team back in the youth room an extra 40 Points IF AND ONLY IF they have EVERYTHING on your list.
Make sure to synchronize everyone’s watches (or clocks on their cell phones) because ALL GROUPS MUST be back in the youth room at the 10-minute buzzer. Deduct 30 points from any team that is not back in time. You may want to have a few adult leaders spread out around the church campus, giving 3, 2, and 1-minute warnings.
Church Scavenger Hunt List
The List
10 Pointers
1. A cross (of any kind)
2. A soundboard of any size
3. A painting, or picture, or mural of Jesus
4. An adult leader making a funny face
5. The lost and found box/area
6. Youth Pastor’s office
7. A toilet
20 Pointers
1. A choir robe
2. Church sign by the road
3. An offering plate or bucket or bag
4. The driver side of a church van or bus
5. A pew
6. The baptismal pool or fount or container
30 Pointers
1. A hymnal opened to “Amazing Grace”
2. A stained glass window
3. A janitor’s closet
4. An ice making machine
5. The pulpit or lectern in the sanctuary
40 Pointers
1. An “In Memory Of…” plaque
2. A King James Version Bible
3. A filing cabinet (not in the Youth Pastor’s office!!)
4. A baby crib
5. A “visitor’s only” parking sign
50 Pointers
1. An overhead projector (kickin’ it old school, baby!)
2. A set of drums or a set of congas or a set of bongos
3. Any outdoor or indoor recreational equipment (volleyball net, basketball goal, soccer field, etc)
4. A box of animal crackers or goldfish snacks
NOTE: Do bear in mind that not every kid has a cell phone. No worries. As long as one team member per team has a camera phone, that’s all you need! So divide teams appropriately.