How to create your own Easter scavenger hunt (with printable clue ideas!)

Write your own Easter treasure hunt with riddles!

This Easter, why not be the Puzzle Master and design your very own riddle-filled treasure hunt? Whether you’re hiding a chocolate egg, a secret note, or a silly surprise, this creative writing activity is packed with fun, and perfect for curious kids aged 7–12.

Great for classrooms, garden hunts, or indoor rainy days, it’s the perfect way to turn chocolate-finding into brain-teasing magic. You can prepare your clues the day before, or work together as teams to build the hunt in real time. Read on for Easter treasure hunt and scavenger activity ideas.

🗺️ Step 1: choose your hiding places

Pick 5 to 8 sneaky (but safe!) places around your house, garden, or classroom. Think about spots that are easy to access, fun to find, and open to creative clues. Make the first one simple to get everyone going, then ramp up the trickiness!

Sample hiding spots:

In a shoe
Under the stairs
Behind a specific book
In the fridge
By the toothbrushes

Before you start, do a quick check of your planned hiding spaces and make sure everywhere is accessible.

🧩 Step 2: decide the scavenger hunt format

Every great treasure hunt needs a plan. Ask yourself:

Will kids work as a team or as individuals?
Is there one winner, or does everyone get a prize?
Will there be hints? Who gives them?
How many riddles will you need?

You can also pick a creative twist to make your hunt even more exciting. Try one of these:

🏴‍☠️ Easter Pirates (with mini treasure maps)
🐉 Easter Dragons (hide glittery eggs as dragon treasures)
🧪 Robot Bunnies (add a sci-fi spin)
🧩 Riddle Trick or Treat (correct answers get a Easter treat, incorrect answers get an Easter trick)
🧱 Lego Treasure Challenge (hide clues inside your own builds!)

✍️ Step 3: write a riddle for each clue

This is where the magic happens! Each clue should lead to the next location. You can use:

Rhyming riddles
Descriptions of objects
Wordplay or puns
Funny or themed hints

For riddle ideas, download the free printable activity sheet.

Write your clues on slips of paper or colourful cards and hide them one by one. Don’t forget the final one…

🎁 Step 4: create your final prize riddle

The final clue should lead to your hidden prize. It might be:

A chocolate bunny
A hand-drawn hug voucher
A mini LEGO build
A scroll with a special message or joke
An Easter puzzle book or riddle book recommendation (check out the book recommendation pages for ideas!)

💡 Top tips for riddle writers

Read your riddles aloud — do they make sense?
Don’t make them too tricky. The fun is in the solving!
Give players a code name (especially fun if based on a book or theme)
Draw decorations or visual hint cards to add even more fun

Want to go bigger? Create a whole house full of themed decorations and treasure maps (don’t give away your secret hiding places though!)

🐣 Need help? Try a rhyming activity

Need help getting started? Make a list of Easter or spring-themed words, then see what rhymes with them.

This can be a writing activity on its own and making your own rhymes is a great way to have fun and perfect your riddle writing skills. Download the free printable activity sheet for Easter treasure hunt ideas, top tips and inspiration.

If you’re trying to squeeze a rhyme into the riddle and it just won’t work (like the classic unrhymable “orange”), then try moving the words in your sentence around. It’s impossible to find a line that rhymes with “Find me with the oranges”, but it’s much easier to find a line that rhymes with “With the oranges I live”, or “With the oranges you’ll find”.

For easier rhyming you can also only rhyme lines 1 & 3 or lines 2 & 4 in a four-line verse.

Find out more about the benefits of riddles – a time-tested and proven way to boost creative skills and sideways thinking!

🧠 Adapting the hunt for different age groups

It’s easy to customise the difficulty of your Easter scavenger hunt based on age. For toddlers and preschoolers, keep clues simple and visual—think “Find the place where teddy naps” or use picture prompts. If you have kids of different ages and abilities in the family, older children can hone their writing skills by writing easy riddles for their siblings, before moving on to rhyming riddles or adding wordplay and misdirection for grown-ups and friends in their peer group.

🏡 Indoor and outdoor setups

Whether you’re stuck inside or making the most of the spring sunshine, you can adapt the hunt to suit your space. To avoid mess indoors, try hiding paper eggs, favourite toys or trading cards in unexpected places. Outdoors, use trees, flower pots, or garden ornaments to create more adventurous hiding spots that encourage movement and observation.

📚 Adding learning objectives

Scavenger hunts are a brilliant way to sneak learning into play, particularly for homeschooling. Encourage kids to include numbers, rhyming words or nature facts in their riddles to support literacy, science, or maths skills. For tweens and early teens, this is also a chance to practise planning and organisation as they direct the hunt themselves.

🎁 Non-sugar Easter treasure hunt prizes

Delicious sugar – am I right? And we all cave in from time to time. But if you’re looking for ways to curb the sweet stuff over Easter, offering non-candy prizes can be just as exciting and often more memorable for children. Here are some creative, sugar-free prize ideas that align with our focus on Easter scavenger hunt ideas, riddles for kids, and free printable activities:

DIY vouchers

Create personalised coupons for activities like “One Extra Bedtime Story,” “Choose the Family Movie Night Pick,” or “Redeem for a Big Hug.” These add a personal touch and encourage family bonding.

LEGO challenges

Hide individual LEGO bricks in eggs and provide a challenge to build a specific item once all pieces are found. This promotes creativity and problem-solving. Alternatively, kids can build LEGO prizes for the treasure hunt in advance – and they’ll be keen to tell you ALL about them at the end of the hunt!

Mini craft kits

Include items like beads, stickers, pens, or small colouring pages.

Homemade treats

Instead of buying sweets, consider baking muffins or healthy snacks together. This can be a fun family activity and a delicious reward.

Educational toys:

Small puzzles, erasers shaped like animals, or mini-books can be both fun and beneficial for learning.

Outdoor play items

Think jump ropes, chalk, or bubbles. These encourage physical activity and can be enjoyed long after the hunt.

By incorporating these non-sugar prizes, you not only provide healthier options but also align with educational and creative aspects of Easter celebrations.

🐰 Ready to get hunting?

Print this blog post or grab the free printable worksheet to get started. Use scrap paper, coloured pens, and your imagination to build the most unforgettable Easter hunt ever. To stay updated with new ideas and activities, as well as new books from me, please subscribe to the newsletter.

If you think you’ve created a brilliant riddle or Easter scavenger hunt twist?
📬 Tag us @writingloris or use the contact form on this website – we might feature it on the site with your name!