A mall scavenger hunt is a fun way to spin one of our favorite activities! Moving things to the mall also means avoiding cancellations due to bad weather and other complications that can affect more traditional scavenger hunts. Plus, it’s free! This low-cost activity is a great way to celebrate birthday parties, reunions, and other special occasions with friends.
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Organizing a mall scavenger hunt for the kids can be tons of fun, but it requires a certain amount of organization. For starters, you’ll want to have some adults around to chaperone. After all, you don’t want groups of tweens disturbing shop owners or other customers.
Have someone around to make sure they mind their Ps and Qs in public. You’ll also want to make sure you have enough people to drive everyone invited to the party to the mall.
You can make the event extra special by sending out some invitations in preparation for the big day. Stick to the theme by downloading these instructions. Once you’re done, everyone on your guest list will receive invitations designed to look like a credit card!
8 Mall Scavenger Hunts The Kids Will Go Crazy Over
Celebrity Look-Alike Hunt
This mall scavenger hunt requires a smartphone camera. Divide the group up into teams and give them one hour to photograph as many celebrity look-alikes as they can. The judge (or judges) will decide how many points each photo is worth, depending on how much the person looks like their supposed celebrity doppelganger. The team with the most points wins!
Photo Scavenger Hunt
Don’t put the cameras away just yet! This activity also requires a camera. Create a “mall scavenger hunt list” of things each team has to take pictures of. Think of ideas like a security guard, someone eating ice cream, a visitor throwing a penny into a fountain.
If you want, you can make things more competitive by getting specific. Ask your teams to take pictures of more challenging items like a blonde mannequin wearing black pants, a man holding his girlfriend’s purse, or someone going the wrong way on the escalator!
Freebie Scavenger Hunt
A trip to the mall usually means shopping and spending money, but not when you’re there to play a scavenger hunt game! This hunt requires absolutely no cash. Each team member will be asked to collect a number of free items. Your mall scavenger hunt list may include a paper menu, employment application, perfume sample, ATM envelope, mall map, and more!
Trivia Scavenger Hunt
This mall scavenger hunt isn’t about the times you collect, it’s about the information you gain. Find answers to different trivia questions based on information and items found around the mall. These mall scavenger hunt lists may contain questions like, how many dressing rooms does the department store have, how many restaurants are in the food court, or how many stores are located on the first floor?
Alphabet Scavenger Hunt
This mall scavenger hunt comes with a small budget. Each team member must search the mall for items beginning with each letter of the alphabet for $10 or less. That’s 26 targets in total. Set a time limit so that it doesn’t take all day. If you encounter a tie, then the team who spent the least amount of money wins!
One Color Scavenger Hunt
Stick to the same budget outlined in the activity above. Instead of collecting items for each letter of the alphabet, ask the group to look for things that are only one color. If you want to avoid making purchases, you can have the kids take pictures of the items instead.
Super Shopper Scavenger Hunt
This next idea is a great way to test someone’s shopping skills. Give each team $5 to $10 and see how many items they can buy with. The team who brings back the most items without going over budget wins! Make sure they only purchase one of each item and that you collect receipts for each purchase.
Birthday Party Scavenger Hunt
This is one of our very favorite party ideas. Celebrate your daughter’s birthday with a mall scavenger hunt. Instead of gifts, ask the guests to bring anywhere from $5 to $10 to contribute to the scavenger hunt.
Add a few extra items to your scavenger hunt list, like makeup or some cute jewelry. Make sure this is the team that includes the birthday girl. These items will be used for prizes later on in the evening.
Meanwhile, the other team will be tasked with buying a nice gift for your daughter. Add in some fun rules to the game. For instance, every time the two teams bump into each other, all the girls must start singing “Happy Birthday.”
More Scavenger Hunts From Great Wolf Lodge
We hope you enjoyed our list of mall scavenger hunts! Don’t forget to explore some of our other scavenger hunt games. You can use them to entertain children of all ages, from kids, tweens to teens. These party ideas can also be a great way to celebrate a birthday girl or boy as well.
Whether you’re looking for ways to spend the weekend or planning something fun for a party, Great Wolf Lodge has got you covered! Check out our blog for even more fun things to do with family and friends.
You can also visit us at the lodge. Each stay includes water park passes, lodge entertainment, and at-home comfort. Our indoor water park resorts offer family-friendly fun all across the country. From splashing to relaxing, there are slides and rides for every age and ability.
