8 Activity Ideas for Your Scavenger Hunt in Spanish
Scavenger hunts in Spanish are a fun, unique, and simple way to review vocabulary words. Incorporating movement and real objects from around the classroom, house, or garden, a traditional scavenger hunt involves setting off to gather the items on a particular list.
This activity— called la búsqueda del tesoro in Spanish—provides kids with a list of things they have to find.
Scavenger hunts in Spanish are easily adapted to language learning and can be tailored for children who read and those do not yet read.
Clues can be simple or complex, depending on the level of the kids. For example, el plato (“the plate”) could be conveyed through a visual image of a plate, the phrase un plato pequeño, or a complete sentence.
Busque el plato amarillo en la cocina.
Look for the yellow plate in the kitchen.
With older kids, consider freeing them to search larger spaces like the library, park, or grocery store and take pictures of what they find with a phone or digital camera.
This blog post features 8 scavenger hunt lists with words and pictures that you can reuse time and again. Plus, the checklists for each scavenger hunt are available as a FREE printable PDF to use with your kids or Spanish students!
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Go on a Scavenger Hunt in Spanish: Teacher Tips
Numerous types of scavenger hunts exist; some scavenger hunts work best if the students gather the physical items, whereas others are conducted virtually online.
Other scavenger hunts in Spanish could involve taking photos, drawing sketches, making collages from old magazines, or documenting the list items in another way.
Check out these handy tips for effectively planning a scavenger hunt in Spanish.
Use Familiar Spanish Vocabulary
Scavenger hunts in Spanish are an excellent way to review vocabulary that children have already been introduced to previously. In other words, they should hunt for objects they recognize the Spanish word for.
Otherwise, the students will need more support Picture clues make scavenger hunts in Spanish accessible to children who do not read yet. If you want to give more complex clues, you can read them aloud to make it a listening activity.
Specifying the color of objects also makes them harder to find, like a zapato rojo (red shoe) or a marcador morado (purple marker).
For kids learning Spanish, the key is focus on general, useful vocabulary, which is what all the lists in this post contain for your convenience! Be sure to teach any unfamiliar words in a lesson prior to the scavenger hunt.
Repeat Key Words and Instructions
Repeat each key word—the object name—often. The kids will be busy moving and looking once they know what they are searching for or where they are going.
Before you start, teach or review the following phrases that you’ll use throughout the scavenger hunt in Spanish. This is especially key for kids who do not read and are using picture or verbal clues.
Ahora buscamos …
Now we’re looking for…
Tenemos que encontrar…
We have to find…
Necesitamos…
We need…
Vamos al / a la ________ para buscar…
We are going to the ________ to search for…
Review
When kids have finished a scavenger hunt in Spanish, go through the collection of objects (or photos or other documentation of the items) as a group. This is a helpful way to repeat, review, and reinforce the words.
8 Super Fun Scavenger Hunts in Spanish
Scavenger hunts must be adapted to the location, the students, and the availability of things to search for. You can choose from a wide array of themes.
For best results, customize your scavenger hunts in Spanish based on the abilities and interests of your kids. I’ve provided you with 8 great examples of themes and vocabulary words to help you get started! The hunts on this list are perfect for preschoolers and elementary students. And the first two are easily adaptable for middle and high schoolers, too!
1. Felicidad – Happiness
Have students make a set of drawings or a collage of pictures and photos of things that make them happy.
- Mi color favorito – my favorite color
- Mi animal favorito – my favorite animal
- Mi mejor amigo/a – my best friend
- Mi lugar feliz – my happy place
- Mi comida preferida – my favorite food
- Mis pasatiempos – my hobbies
2. Selfies y español
For a selfie scavenger hunt in Spanish, direct the students to take a collection of selfies using objects around the house or classroom. Older kids could create a simple presentation and write a Spanish caption for each photo.
- Tome un selfie con una flor. (Take a selfie with a flower.)
- Tome un selfie con un libro. (Take a selfie with a book.)
- Tome un selfie con una maestra. (Take a selfie with a teacher.)
- Tome un selfie con algo azul. (Take a selfie with something blue.)
- Tome un selfie con una mariposa. (Take a selfie with a butterfly.)
- Tome un selfie con una hoja grande. (Take a selfie with a big leaf.)
3. Colors – Los colores
Kids can practice their colors with this scavenger hunt list where they need to find items around the house and backyard in certain colors.
- Una planta rosada – a pink plant
- Una mariquita roja – a red ladybug
- Un juguete negro – a black toy
- Un peluche blanco – a white stuffed animal
- Un vegetal verde – a green vegetable
- Una fruta amarilla – a yellow fruit
4. Things in the House – Cositas de la casa
This scavenger hunt in Spanish presents clues for common items found in most households.
- Yo te ayudo a comer la sopa, pero no soy un plato. (el bol)
I help you eat soup, but I’m not a plate. (a bowl)
- Yo te ayudo a cepillar los dientes, pero no soy un cepillo de dientes. (la pasta de dientes)
I help you brush your teeth, but I’m not a toothbrush. (toothpaste)
- Yo te ayudo a comer la pasta, pero no soy una cuchara. (el tenedor)
I help you eat pasta, but I’m not a spoon. (fork)
- Yo te ayudo a ver un video, pero no soy una televisión. (el tablet)
I help you watch a video, but I’m not a tablet. (tablet)
- Yo te ayudo a lavar los platos, pero no soy el jabón. (la esponja)
I help you wash dishes, but I’m not the soap. (sponge)
5. Find 10 Things – Encuentra 10 cosas
These 10 clues use common adjectives in Spanish!
- algo raro – something strange
- algo que te gusta – something you like
- algo que no te gusta – something you don’t like
- algo grande – something big
- algo chiquito – something small
- algo de plástico – something plastic
- algo de metal – something metal
- algo suave – something soft
- algo duro – something hard
- algo interesante – something interesting
6. Nature – La Naturaleza
A nature scavenger hunt can take place at a park, in a botanical garden, or in your own backyard. Encourage the kids to explore nature with this themed Spanish scavenger hunt list in tow.
- El árbol – tree
- La manguera – hose
- El pájaro – bird
- La ardilla – squirrel
- La semilla – seed
- El rastrillo – rake
7. Numbers Scavenger Hunt
Search for numbers on labels, signs, posters, and in books around the house or classroom.
- Uno – 1
- Dos – 2
- Tres – 3
- Nueve – 9
- Quince – 15
- Cien – 100
8. Shapes Scavenger Hunt
Have kids review the shapes with this fun shape themed scavenger hunt list.
- El círculo – circle
- El triángulo – triangle
- El rectángulo – rectangle
- El óvalo – oval
- El diamante – diamond
- La estrella – star
Find the Hidden Treasure
Now you have all the tools you need to structure a Spanish scavenger hunt for language learners! Want to continue improving your Spanish-speaking skills? Sign up for a free class and engage in a 1-on-1 conversation with a friendly, professional, native-speaking teacher at Homeschool Spanish Academy!
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