Scavenger Hunt Team Building Activity

What you need

• One printed 12-clue sheet and pencil per team; clipboard optional.
• A timer and pre-approved route or shared-area boundary map.
• Optional host-created sheet of public, non-personal object illustrations for a seated version.

How to play

1. Before the session, walk the route and confirm that every clue can be answered in permitted shared areas. Remove clues that would lead into offices, storage rooms, restricted areas, or private workspaces.
2. Form teams of three to five or let individuals work with a partner. Read the privacy and movement rules aloud: stay on the approved route, do not run, touch belongings, open doors, move objects, take photos, or record personal information.
3. Give each team the same clue sheet and a 15-minute search window. For each clue, write a generic object name or a short observation. A team may answer from the seated sheet or ask the host to read a clue aloud.
4. When time ends, gather in the original meeting area. Compare answers as a group, accept reasonable matches, and skip any clue that was not accessible or available. Do not award individual points.
5. Close by asking which clue was easiest to understand or how the host could make a future route clearer. Make the reflection optional and keep feedback about the activity, not coworkers.
6. Collect paper sheets only if participants agree. Shred or discard them according to the host’s ordinary practice; never keep names, personal answers, or photographs as proof of participation.

Scout and approve the route first

Choose one shared area that the group is allowed to use. Check the path, lighting, door access, seating, noise, and whether any item might be private or sensitive. The host—not participants—decides the boundaries in advance. If there is no suitable route, use a host-created sheet of public object illustrations and play from seats.

Clues should point to visible, generic features such as a shared sign or common object. They should never ask teams to open drawers, inspect desks, read personal documents, photograph a coworker, or remove an item. Do not send participants outside or into another group’s workspace.

Explain the cooperative rules

Tell teams that the goal is to complete a list together, not to beat other people or cover more ground. Use a timer only to define the end of the round. A team may skip a clue or use the seated sheet. The host can award one group checkmark for an answer that reasonably fits, but there is no individual leaderboard.

For a hybrid group, send the same text list to remote participants and ask them to answer using the host’s illustration sheet or a shared, non-personal image set. Do not ask anyone to show their home or desk on camera.

Keep the hunt accessible

Make the clue text large and readable. Read clues aloud when requested and allow teams to record answers by voice, chat, or paper. A participant can be the clue reader, note-taker, host, observer, or route planner without moving. Offer a chair at the starting point and do not require speed or standing.

If a clue depends on a feature someone cannot see or access, skip it without explanation and offer a replacement. The activity should not turn access into a public discussion about a participant’s body or needs.

Printable host sheet

“We will stay in the marked shared area and use only visible objects. Do not run, touch or move items, open doors, enter private spaces, photograph anyone, or write personal details. You may play from the clue sheet, work seated, or pass. We are not racing and there is no individual score.”

Start a 15-minute timer, announce one halfway reminder, and end the hunt at the stated location. Compare answers only if the group wants to. Close with one optional question, then collect or discard sheets according to the group’s usual privacy practice.

Use the 12 clue cards

The clue cards are intentionally observational and do not require collecting objects. A reasonable answer can be a generic noun or a short description. If the host’s room has no matching item, accept a sketch, a description from the seated sheet, or a pass.

Do not add clues that rely on personal belongings, workplace confidential information, a person’s appearance, or exact location details. The host should remove any clue that could reveal sensitive information.

All cards and prompts

For games with secrets, keep this page with the host.

1. WG05-001

   Find a public sign that helps visitors choose a direction.

2. WG05-002

   Notice an object in the shared area with a hinge.

3. WG05-003

   Find a shared item designed to be reused.

4. WG05-004

   Identify a public symbol that can be understood without a full sentence.

5. WG05-005

   Find an object on wheels in an open shared area.

6. WG05-006

   Notice two objects that make a repeated shape or pattern.

7. WG05-007

   Find a visible place where shared supplies are meant to be returned.

8. WG05-008

   Identify a feature that makes a shared route easier to follow.

9. WG05-009

   Find a common-area object that can hold or organize other things.

10. WG05-010

    Notice a public sign that includes both a symbol and a short label.

11. WG05-011

    Name a visible seating option in the approved area.

12. WG05-012

    Find a public object that casts a clear shadow or reflection.

Hosting questions