As just about any parent can attest, children love to do things by themselves. So it should be no surprise that the best way to teach them something is to help them discover it by themselves. You can do this quite literally by turning a vocab lesson into a scavenger hunt.

Jot down new words or phrases on note cards, and hide them throughout the house. Once your child finds the hidden cards, use it as a teaching opportunity. Start with level one below, and work your way up to level three to keep the learning process engaging.

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Level 1: Spelling
Is your child interested in learning new words? Play up this interest, and teach them how to spell, using letters hidden around a room. First, print and cut out one of our letter card printouts. Write the letters of the word you are teaching on these separate note cards, and hide the letters around the room.

Then, send your child on a scavenger hunt! When they return with all the cards, have them unscramble the letters to spell the keyword. For an extra bonus, ask them to use the new word in a sentence.

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Level 2: Sentences
Expanding on the previous activity, you can also write full words on our word card printouts, and hide them throughout the room. Ask your child to form a sentence using the cards they find. Not only will this teach them proper sentence structure, but making unique sentences encourages them to think creatively.

You will want to make sure to hide an even amount of subjects, verbs, and coordinating objects so that your child doesn’t struggle to create sentences that make sense.

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Level 3: Language
For more advanced learning, this scavenger word hunt can be adapted to learn a second language. Print and cut out the language card printouts, and write down basic key words. For easy recognition, start by using terms that you can associate with items in your home (ex: fridge, table, etc.).

Hide the cards near their corresponding objects, and have your children locate all the cards. Once they’re found, use this as an opportunity to practice pronouncing the new terms.

Printable Scavenger Hunt Cards

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