40 Classroom Scavenger Hunt Ideas by Subject
Updated September 5, 2026 8 min read
A classroom scavenger hunt turns review into a race. Students work in teams, answers are checked instantly, and you get a record of exactly what each group knew. The ideas below are grouped by subject so you can lift the ones you need.
For a 40-minute class, plan 10 to 12 clues. Mix auto-graded trivia with two or three photo tasks that get students moving around the room or building.
Run this list as a live hunt
One click loads every clue below into the hunt builder. Edit what you like, share one link, and every team competes on a real-time leaderboard. Free for up to 20 players.
Back-to-school and orientation
- 1.Photo: your team at the library circulation desk
- 2.Text: the room number of the nurse's office
- 3.Photo: the school mascot (real or painted)
- 4.QR: scan the code posted outside the counselor's office
- 5.Text: what time does the last bus leave?
- 6.Photo: the whole team with a teacher they have never had
- 7.Text: name one club that meets on Tuesdays
- 8.Photo: the emergency exit route map for this hallway
Math
- 1.Photo: an example of a right angle somewhere in the building
- 2.Text: estimate the area of the gym floor in square feet. Closest wins
- 3.Photo: something in the room with a line of symmetry
- 4.Text: if a locker is 12 inches wide, how many lockers fit along this hallway?
- 5.Photo: three objects that form a triangle
- 6.Trivia: what is 15% of the number of desks in the room?
- 7.Photo: a real-world example of parallel lines
- 8.Text: count the stairs to the second floor and give the total in binary
Science
- 1.Photo: an example of a simple machine in the building
- 2.Photo: something that shows evidence of a chemical change
- 3.Text: what is the temperature outside right now, in Celsius?
- 4.Photo: a plant showing phototropism (leaning toward the light)
- 5.Trivia: name the three states of matter you can find in the cafeteria
- 6.Photo: an insulator and a conductor side by side
- 7.Text: how many seconds does it take a dropped pencil to hit the floor from desk height?
- 8.Photo: something that uses a lever
English language arts
- 1.Photo: a sign in the building that contains a metaphor
- 2.Text: write a haiku about the cafeteria
- 3.Photo: the oldest book in the library, with its publication year
- 4.Text: find and correct a grammar error on any poster
- 5.Trivia: who wrote the novel we finished last week?
- 6.Photo: an example of alliteration in the hallway
- 7.Text: summarize the school mission statement in exactly six words
- 8.Photo: a book whose title contains a color
History and social studies
- 1.Photo: the oldest dated thing in the school (a plaque, a trophy, a photo)
- 2.Text: what year was the school founded?
- 3.Trivia: which amendment protects the school newspaper?
- 4.Photo: a map anywhere in the building, with your team pointing to our state
- 5.Text: name the person the school or a wing is named after and one fact about them
- 6.Photo: something that would not have existed 100 years ago
- 7.Trivia: what is the capital of the country our exchange students are from?
- 8.Photo: an example of a primary source in the library
Tips for running it
- •One phone per team, not one per student. It keeps attention on the group.
- •Set clue point values so trivia is worth 10 and photo tasks are worth 25. Students learn to prioritize.
- •Use the judge panel as your exit ticket. Open-ended submissions show you what the class actually understood.