Print off the FREE Gratitude Scavenger Hunt and show why you’re thankful this year!
I always like to include fun activities in November that focus on family, connections and thankfulness (like the Thanksgiving “What’s on Your Phone?!” scavenger hunt!). But let’s just put this out there — this year is going to test us all!
However, that’s not a reason to avoid focusing on why we’re thankful – in fact, it’s probably even more important to do during trying times like these. And it’s a HUGE life skill that we should instill in our children – the idea that there are always things in life to appreciate.
So grab a copy of the *newest* scavenger hunt and challenge kids, teens (and yes, us adults too) to show what we’re thankful for this year!
Gratitude Scavenger Hunt
Let’s face it, it really hasn’t been a stellar year for anyone around the globe.
BUT, if your parents or grandparents were anything like mine, they probably told you once or twice that there’s ALWAYS something to be thankful for!
And I think it’s especially important this year that we make time to focus on gratitude.
Some wise person once said — Gratitude is an Attitude (I wish I remember who said that because it’s so true!)
Being able to focus on what we have in life instead of dwelling on what’s wrong might be a challenge but that shift in thinking is what gets us through the tough times. And it’s so important for positive mental health — which is something we should be thinking about with our kids and teens (and ourselves).
So many of us (kids and teens included) are bombarded every day with what’s not so great in the world – worry and stress start to take over and it becomes very concerning. This activity is a hands-on way to balance out some of those negative messages — by looking for what’s good in our lives right now.
The Gratitude Photo Scavenger Hunt is a fun way for kids, tweens and teens to show both themselves and others why it’s important to look for the positive! It’s a great idea to use as a fun Thanksgiving game with family, a creative class assignment for students over holiday break or a great activity to do throughout the holiday season.
Gratitude Photo Scavenger Hunt
This scavenger hunt is the perfect one to do using photos instead of a traditional checklist type hunt like our Fall Scavenger Hunt.
Why?
Because everyone has a different view on what they appreciate in life and as they say “a picture is worth 1,000 words”!
For example, when my husband and I look at the ridiculous number of leaves falling in our backyard, he sees one big chore coming this weekend (raking leaves) while I see family time (raking together) and the beauty of nature 🙂
It’s super easy to do — just print off a copy of the FREE hunt (get yours below!) and have each person playing take a photo of an item/person/place for each challenge on the list.
You can set up the hunt in a number of ways:
- as a 1-day hunt where players find all items and then share the photos over dinner
- as a “what’s on your phone” hunt for Thanksgiving — just read each item off and have friends/family find a photo that’s already on their phone or
- as a longer scavenger hunt where kids take time over the next week to seek out and find the BEST photo for each item
My intent was to keep the items on the scavenger hunt very open ended and yet also include some things that really needed some thought too. For example, “good things to eat” is probably an easier photo than “favorite snack” which is more specific. And “something cozy” might have a few photos for it 😉
A few of my favorites are:
- an item that makes life easier
- something nice someone did for me
- something nice I did for others
Really makes you think a litte, right?
I can think of quite a few nice things that others have done for me but I’m not sure I actually have a picture of any — which is why I put that on the list! If you send kids and teens off to do this hunt, they will be keeping these items in mind and actually be on the look-out for nice things others are doing for them.
Gratitude Journal Prompts
The scavenger hunt can also be used to create a Gratitude Journal for kids and teens too! Sometimes writing out the ‘why’ behind the prompts & pictures can be a great activity to show what people appreciate.
To make your own gratitude journal:
- Use the scavenger hunt to gather photos of each item
- Print off one or two photos on a sheet of paper
- Ask kids/teens to write a description of why they included that item — how does this photo make them thankful.
Our Free printable Conversation Starters are another great activity to use as a gratitude prompt too – great for family dinner discussions or as a vocab activity for kids to include in a journal.
Grab a copy of the Gratitude Scavenger Hunt here!
More Fun Scavenger Hunts:
Thanksgiving Day Parade Scavenger Hunt (free printable!)