Halloween Photo Scavenger Hunt For Teens & Tweens (Free)

The day has come in our home when my 12 year old son has decided he doesn’t want to go trick or treating. He doesn’t want to dress up either. As I still want to make it fun for him I have created this free Halloween photo scavenger hunt that he can play with his friends.

It’s so sad, Halloween was the one holiday I thought we would be able to keep fun until he was much older. But no, sadly not.

Don’t let the lack of trick-or-treating dampen your Halloween spirit; there are plenty of exciting Halloween activities to enjoy, such as pumpkin carving, costume contests, spooky movie marathons, and haunted house tours.

We are using an actual camera (shock horror!) but any smartphone will do, nearly all teenagers will have one. It’s also a great way to keep track of them!

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Every year prior to this one we have had fun with Halloween treasure hunt clues for kids, but alas, apparently 12 is the new 18 and everything is just not cool.

But that’s ok, I can make anything cool! This modern twist on an old family favorite is a great way that kids will feel more independent, but creative at the same time.

Halloween scavenger hunt for teens

Get all the kids together, the more the merrier, and create teams of at least 2 kids in each.

Make sure each team has at least one cell phone, I’m sure that won’t be a problem!

I prefer them to use a cell phone so you can track where they are, especially with younger kids.

But of course, if they have an actual camera or even a polaroid camera that would work great too.

Go over the rules, which are super simple:

• Stay in your group
• Be polite
• Take a photo of all of the items
• Return home
• No more than 1 hour (get them to set a timer on their cell phone)
• Have FUN!

If you have a mix of ages it might be sensible to add an older one to each of the groups.

Also depending on the age of the groups, you might want to set boundaries in your neighborhood where they can go.

You can adapt this neighborhood scavenger hunt list printable for younger children and either go with the kids, or if it is raining why not hop in your car and get the kids to search for each of the items on the list.

I recommend using a clipboard with storage that can hold the pens, and the cellphones if they don’t have pockets.

Check out more middle school Halloween activities!

Photos to take on the scavenger hunt

There are 20 spooky photos that need to be taken before the kid’s race home for their prize.

Gift ideas for the winner

Before you start you need to agree on who the winner will be.

• Will it be the quickest to return? Or
• The most imaginative photos?

You can give the teenagers candy when they return, I mean who doesn’t love candy on Halloween? Or you could give them:

• Gift vouchers (iTunes, Amazon, or Target are pretty generic and will work for most kids)
• A spooky book (Long Live the Pumpkin Queen: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas). Check out our favorite Halloween books for middle school and above.
• Phone pop sockets (this is a great Halloween-themed popsocket)

Why not treat the kids to a Halloween escape room when they get back home too?

Other free photo scavenger hunts for teenagers

Have even more fun with your teens with our favorite scavenger hunt worksheets:

• Christmas selfie scavenger hunt
• Thanksgiving photo scavenger hunt for teenagers
• Free printable Easter photo scavenger hunt

Need to print later? Add this to your Pinterest board or share it on Facebook. You’ll have it handy whenever you’re ready to use it!

Get the free Halloween photo scavenger hunt printable here!

Ready to grab your free printable? Just pop your name and email into the form below, and it’s all yours!

Last Updated on 8 April 2025 by Clare Brown