Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt for Kids: How to Set Up your own Heart Hunt

When I was a kid, my mom would greet us at the bus stop on the afternoon of Valentine’s Day and hand us each a heart shaped piece of paper. And we’d be off! We’d spend the afternoon running around the house and yard deciphering both the clues and her handwriting (bless her heart). Each heart shaped clue lead us to the next until we reached the end where some sort of prize awaited. Do I remember a single prize? No, I do not, but I remember all the fun we had dashing from clue to clue.

When I had children of my own, I knew I wanted to recreate this tradition and these wonderful memories. In case you’d like to join me, here’s how to create a Valentine’s scavenger hunt of your own.

How to set up your scavenger hunt

Come up with a plan

First things first, you want to think of an “order of ceremonies,” so to speak. Write a list of locations where you’d like to hide your clues. I like to vary between indoor and outdoor spaces. I find running from place to place across the house and yard takes up more time and extends the period of chaotic hunting fun.

Next, come up with a rhyme for each location. My notes from previous years are pictured below. I invite you to either adapt my rhymes to your home or put on your poet hat and come up with your own.

Match rhymes with locations. This is the tricky part because our brain naturally wants to match the rhyme with the location it describes, but that’s wrong! The rhyme that goes with a location must describe the NEXT location. So if I’m rhyming about the swingset, the next clue will be located at the swingset. Check out my notes for a visual depiction of this!

Make and Hide your Clues

This is my favorite part! Cut out construction paper hearts (or buy the precut ones) and write your rhymes on each. Drawings are optional if your child can read. I always write the location where the clue will be hidden on the back of the heart clue, which keeps me from getting confused on the next step. Remember the FIRST clue will either be somewhere the kids will naturally stumble upon it - I like the front door for this! - or you can just hand it to them when you’re ready to start the hunt.

Next, walk the scavenger hunt and hide your clues. Depending on the ages of your kids, you can make it more or less obvious. I try to make it a little tricky so they feel a sense of accomplishment when they find their clues. The LAST location won’t have a clue - that’s where you’ll stash your prize.

Set up your Prize

The prize is not really that important - the hunt itself is the fun part! But you’ve got to have a reward at the end of the treasure hunt. This can be anything - in the past we’ve done Valentine theme sensory bins, Valentines books, Valentines craft projects, heart glasses or accessories, even a “snackle box” of Valentines treats. If you don’t want to think about it (I get it!), I put together some ideas for you here.

Remember, the final clue leads to the prize, so make sure to choose a location you can easily store your goodies. Balloons are a nice touch too - it creates a sense of surprise and celebration that adds to the fun!

Have fun!

Enjoy all your hard work by delighting in your child’s joy. Having fun with my kids is my favorite part of being a parent, and hopefully this Valentine’s scavenger hunt will help you add more fun and whimsy into your holiday too. Please tag me if you share pictures or videos of your heart hunt at @marilumorgan and comment below to let me know how it went!! Thank you for being here <3