How to plan an epic Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt for your kids (or significant other) with creative printable clues and simple “how-to” instructions.
It seems that most families have their “thing”…
Some families love to cook…
And there are other families who are really into fishing and camping…
Well, our family’s “thing” is scavenger hunts (and cruises, but that’s in a whole other level of fandom that I won’t go into right now!)
Since the kids were barely able to walk, we would always have a scavenger hunt every Christmas to reveal the last (and usually best) present. Treasure hunts truly have become one of our kids’ favorite things that they always look forward to every Holiday Season!
As the years have passed, the scavenger hunt idea has pretty much seeped into every holiday here in the Weber abode.
At first, I would scour Pinterest to find printable clues, and then as time passed, I decided it was just easier to create my own! (I’ll link the other hunts we’ve done at the end of this post)
So if you and your family are big fans of treasure hunts too, I’m here to offer a little help in assisting you with a printable Valentine’s Day Scavenger hunt for that special someone in your life! (kids, spouse, or whomever you call “sweetie”)
Here are the easy directions to create a cute scavenger hunt with clue cards… and honestly, with these free printables, it makes it a pretty quick setup!
Nothing says “Happy Valentine’s Day” like a cute Valentine hunt. Your kids will love it so much, I’m sure they will nominate you for “Mom of the Year”!
I’ll even share some of my tried and true tips to make it run even smoother, as we break it down into 4 simple steps!
How to Create Your Own Scavenger Hunt for Valentine’s Day
1. Download the Clue Card PDF
Click on the image of the printable Valentine clue cards below and download the PDF.
(please check your spam folder if it doesn’t arrive in your inbox within a couple of minutes!)
Click on this image to download the PDF
2. Print the Page of Clues
Next, simply print the PDF clue card page on either white paper or card stock.
*Mom Tip #1* – I have created two sets of printables for this Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt so be sure to purchase the one personalized to your family situation.
There is one set of clue cards from “we”, and the second set is from “I” for anyone who is possibly a single parent or if any adults want to print this scavenger hunt for their sweetheart. (It’s both kid and adult-friendly!)
*Mom Tip #2* – I recommend printing these Valentine’s Day printables on thicker paper so you can reuse them in future years for other scavenger hunts.
Also using a color printer to print the tags is always a good idea to make them a bit more vibrant and fun.
3. Cut the Clue Cards
Use scissors to cut the printable Valentine’s scavenger hunt clues along the dotted line.
4. Hide the Hints
On Valentine’s Day Eve night, after the kids have all gone to bed, place the clues in their appropriate places around your house…all of the riddles have been written for it to be an indoor game since Valentine’s Day is one of those cold-weather holidays for most people!
For this particular scavenger hunt, I did not number the clues in any specific order so that you can use the ones you like best.
The only two that are vital to the treasure hunt are the first one that kicks off the search and the last one that leads the kids to their special surprise. You can recognize them because the clues are covered in hearts. (see photo below)
All of the other clues can be put in any order or eliminated if they don’t pertain to you. (For example: if you don’t have a garage, don’t use that clue…or if there are no rugs in your house, toss that Valentine hint card!)
*Mom Tip #3* – When placing each clue think about making your kids work for it…if one card is on the first floor, I try to be sure the next clue is on the second floor so the kids are maximizing the fun of the hunt with lots of trips up and down the stairs!
The Valentine’s Day Treasure Hunt Tips & Tricks for Hint Placement:
For Clue #1 – Be sure to put clue #1 of the scavenger hunt in a small gift bag or out in a visible place where your kids will see it! I normally have a felt board sign out for holidays, so that’s where the first clue will be at my house.
Here is what the first clue says:
It’s Valentine’s Day & there’s love all around
Head to the spot where your coat can be found!
The next clue (no matter which one you choose) should be placed in the coat closet or coat rack at your home.
The rest of the clues can be put in whatever order you decide. If you want a longer hunt, use more clues, and if you want a shorter activity, hide fewer scavenger hunt hints…it’s totally up to you! There are 16 clue cards altogether so you have lots of options.
When you get near the end, the last clue will lead them to under a desk (where you will hide their Valentine’s Day surprise).
My kids don’t normally get “junk food” so this simple treat was a welcomed surprise!
And here is what that final hint says:
This lovely hunt is almost done
Look under the desk to see what you’ve won!
As far as what to give as the final gifts, here are a few ideas that we’ve done over the years…
- A Valentine’s gift basket filled with festive goodies
- Valentine’s Day cards (sometimes with money)
- A heart-shaped box of candy
- Gift cards
- Sweet home-baked treats
- Valentine kits of crafts
- Cute printables like coloring pages, hidden pictures, or word searches
- Balloons or other Valentine’s decor
Remember… it doesn’t have to be anything expensive and extravagant…you could have the hunt lead to a family board game or even an item the whole family will enjoy using together for Valentine’s Day recipes like a heart-shaped waffle maker.
Truly whatever Valentine’s scavenger hunt gift ideas you come up with, I am sure your kids will be excited to receive…Creating sweet memories together is the true gift of this activity!
So there you have it, friends, as you can see, it’s not difficult to plan this Valentine’s activity, and it truly is fun for kids of any age (even adults too!)
I hope your loved ones enjoy it, and it fills their hearts with lots of joy!
What other family traditions do you have for Valentine’s Day?
I love hearing what fun things other people do!
Let me know in the comments!
Until next time, cheers to happy treasure-hunting hearts, and cheers to you!
XOXO,
Magan
P.S. – If you want to see other treasure hunts I’ve created, here is a scavenger hunt for St. Patrick’s Day. You can find more information on my blog!
I also made an EGGS-cellent Easter Scavenger Hunt that you can see on this blog post!
And no Holiday Season is complete without a Christmas Scavenger Hunt that you can find here!
