The assignments are the game. You've marked out the play area on the map and set the duration. Now comes the part that takes the most time, and the most fun: coming up with what the teams will do. Count on about a minute per assignment.
The scavenger hunt can be about your family: the street someone grew up on, the joke everyone knows. Here are ten tips to make coming up with assignments go faster, each with an example.
01
Write down what to make, not where to go
The points on the map mark the edge of the play area, they're not an assignment. An assignment tied to one specific tree or bench only works for the team that happens to walk past it. Write assignments that can be done anywhere within the play area.
How the assignment looks in the hunt
Smallest to tallest
Take a photo of three family members standing in a row, smallest to tallest.
02
Make the generations need each other
This is the assignment that makes your scavenger hunt different from a kids' game. Build in something the youngest team member doesn't know and the oldest does, or the other way around. That splits the group into teams, not age groups.
How the assignment looks in the hunt
Twenty years ago
Take a photo of something nearby that was already there twenty years ago. Ask the oldest team member, let the youngest take the photo.
03
Use the family itself as material
The best photo assignments point to something only your family gets: an old wedding photo, the yearly ritual at the buffet, the way uncle John always poses for pictures.
How the assignment looks in the hunt
The wedding photo
Recreate grandma and grandpa's wedding photo, with the two youngest in the starring roles.
04
Mix short assignments with bigger ones
If every assignment carries the same weight, it turns into a checklist. Add a handful of quick ones a team can pull off in a minute, and a few that need real discussion.
How the assignment looks in the hunt
Short & big
Short: photo of three different shoes side by side. Big: take a photo that shows the whole team, without anyone holding the camera.
05
Ask for movement in the shot
A photo of a building is something anyone can take without moving an inch. A photo where someone has to step into frame gets people searching and running. That's also where the energy of the afternoon comes from.
How the assignment looks in the hunt
Heart at the front door
Take a photo of the youngest team member standing in front of a front door, making a heart shape.
06
Leave room for interpretation
A few assignments can be open, without one right answer. Then teams start discussing among themselves, and the photos that come out are ones you couldn't have thought up yourself. Keep the number limited: too many open assignments make judging feel arbitrary.
How the assignment looks in the hunt
Sunday afternoon
Take a photo that captures 'Sunday afternoon.'
07
Make sure half the assignments work sitting down too
There's almost always someone who doesn't move fast: a great-grandmother, someone with a walker, a four-year-old who wants to be carried after twenty minutes. Go through your list and check that at least half the assignments work for a team that moves slowly or sits on a bench.
How the assignment looks in the hunt
Two generations, one bench
Take a photo of at least two generations on one bench, everyone with the same expression.
08
Run through each assignment with a team of three in mind
You put teams together yourself, outside the app. The advice: teams of no more than three, mixing young and old. Picture that team and ask three questions for each assignment: do they get it without explanation, can they do it in a minute or two, and can I tell if they pulled it off? If the answer is no even once, it's usually the wording, not the idea. One extra word often fixes it.
09
Let ChatGPT help
Stuck for inspiration? Ask ChatGPT. Give it the context it needs: how many assignments you want, how many people you are, what ages, what difficulty level, and what kind of area you're playing in.
10
Start every assignment with the subject
A phone has a small screen, so in the overview players only see part of the assignment. Starting with the subject means they immediately see what it's about. Start every assignment with "Take a photo of", so that's the first thing they read.
How the assignment looks in the hunt
Same face, whole team
Take a photo of the whole team pulling the exact same face.
One more thing about your role
During the scavenger hunt, you don't play along. Every photo comes in to you on your laptop, and you approve or reject it, adding a reason if you want. You're the judge, so you decide. And the debate over that one borderline photo is often the best part of the afternoon. You can add someone to help judge, more fun that way.
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