Written by We start off each semester at our ministry with a kickoff. Our fall kickoff is usually some type of outdoor event but when we kick off our spring semester in January we are typically indoors. The past couple of years we have started doing scavenger hunts for our students and each year we have seen them grow and evolve. Our students have a ton of fun with these scavenger hunts and whenever we advertise them students come out in droves.
Today I want to share some ideas and tips for how to run a successful scavenger hunt that your students will love to attend and participate in.
Go digital if possible.
If you have been involved in student ministry for a little while you have probably participated in a scavenger hunt, and maybe even had the unlucky job of keeping score with paper and pencils. For many of us who have kept score the old fashioned way, we know the frustration and stress that comes with cataloging scores, keeping track of challenges, and trying to keep everything above board.
A few years back I began searching for a digital resource to help with scavenger hunts. Many ministries utilize social media to track submissions from students but if things aren’t tagged correctly or if internet can’t be accessed then this presents its own problems. In my digging online I found a platform for running a scavenger hunt called Scavr. Scavr is a digital scavenger hunt that you host, build, manage, and track directly from your computer, while your students/teams download the app and utilize its features to engage in the hunt.
Whoever is hosting the game purchases a level of game play–free to $149–that works best for their group (the enhanced option works best for our group and costs $79). Then they can begin creating challenges including passwords–think any type of trivia, riddles, or questions that require an answer–QR codes that you can print out and are scanned by teams, picture and video submissions, and geolocation tags. Once you build the game you send instructions to your groups who login on the app and follow a direct link to your game.
Whenever you start it your teams will be able to compete as long as it is open. You will be able to track and approve submissions as needed and push answers through if they aren’t accepted. Each group will see all the challenges and a live leader board. Then at the end you can stop the game and see the final scores and download all videos and photos. Essentially everything on the front end is done for you so you can have more freedom and flexibility during the hunt.
Utilize a variety of clues.
Whether you are using a digital scavenger hunt or you decide to go old school and use pen and paper, having a variety of clues and challenges will ensure a more complete and fun game for your students. There are trivia clues that span all different types of topics. There could be photos that needed to be taken at specific locations or with specific people or there could be clues that relate to your ministry, Bible trivia, and whatever else you can imagine. We have taken close up photos of items and challenged teams to find that item. We have asked random trivia about our staff team that had students racing to us to find out answers. We had specific locations with specific tasks to be done. And we asked a range of riddles and SAT prep-style questions. The more clues you use the better because the broader the range of challenges, the more involved your whole group will be.
Have a prize worth winning.
Typically we have offered pizza, specialty donuts, or huge bags of candy from Costco. But we noticed that this year the students weren’t as excited about our prizes so we switched things up and began to offer new prizes we never had before. I love to bake and students know that, so we offered free baked goods for small groups made by me. That was a huge success and now I owe three small groups some type of baked item of their choosing this year. We also decided to offer Chickfila for a prize to the winning team this year. We priced out the cost of some nugget trays and large fries and it actually wasn’t that bad. When we announced that prize our group went wild and it was so much fun to see the excitement level go up.
When it comes to offering prizes they don’t need to be huge or monetarily based, but they should be special and unique. So think outside the box and look to offer a prize that is unique and appealing to your ministry. Maybe you have a local creamery your students love so you provide an ice cream party for the winners. Or maybe it’s something special made by leaders or parents. Maybe it’s a percentage off of a camp or retreat. Perhaps you have a wall of fame in your youth room and the winning group is forever enshrined there. Perhaps it’s a unique trophy that is passed between winning teams. Whatever it is, the more you talk it up and the more unique it is, the more your students will love participating.
Consider your environment(s).
When it comes to hosting a scavenger hunt that your students will love, you need to be aware of what you have at your disposal in terms of environment. If you are only able to host the hunt on your church’s property, consider all the different ways your students can interact and engage with it. Utilize clues to things that your students would know and be familiar with. Find creative ways to have them interact with your church like a photo with the senior pastor or in the church library. Consider having them take a photo or complete a task at a specific location at the church like having them all play Gagaball outside or inside a specific classroom or with a certain item on the church property. Things like this will have your students moving all over your campus and also engaging with the church in ways that they may not have before.
If you’re able to do things outside of your campus, make sure that if you utilize private properties or businesses you have permission to do so. Also consider if you’re able to go offsite what ways you can have your students engage with and potentially even serve the community through this activity.
Set up rules and boundaries.
Rules and boundaries are really important for this type of activity because it makes sure everyone can have an equal opportunity to win and participate, and provides safety for the competitors and protection for the site/building. Some rules we always incorporate include areas that are off limits, keeping teams together at all times, not allowing the internet to help solve riddles or questions, being respectful of the property and people on it, how points are scored and recorded, and a time limit for the game. Whenever we have rules for a larger competition, we try to keep the rules short and sweet so they are understood but also not overwhelming or hindering of the game play and fun.
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