Pumpkin Hunt Game Ideas

These fun pumpkin hunt games are the perfect addition to any fall party and all you need are the free printable pumpkin hunt games that are included in this post! Get everyone involved in this fun and interactive pumpkin game!

Ever since we did this turkey hunt game a few years ago, my boys have been asking to do something similar every holiday. So far we’ve done the turkeys, a leprechaun hunt, and now a pumpkin hunt with our entire family.

This is one of the simplest ideas but also one of the most fun because it gets everyone involved in both the hunting and the hiding and all you need are some pumpkins – either paper or actual pumpkins!

Play this one along with some of these other fall party games like this pumpkin roll game or this leaves and letters game for one of the best fall parties ever!

Supplies

I’ve included three different variations of this pumpkin hunt game. All three variations use the same supplies, they’re just played differently!

• Pumpkin hunt printables (download at the end of this post)
• Scissors to cut out the pumpkins
• Tape to tape/hide the pumpkins
• Pens/Pencils (optional)
• Prizes (optional)

Pumpkin Hunt 1: Find All the Pumpkins

This version of the game is definitely the easiest and very similar to a fall scavenger hunt but with pumpkins.

The downloadable file (that you saw above) comes with nine different pumpkins. Print out one copy of the sheet that you’ll use to hide pumpkins and then one copy of the sheet for each person going on the pumpkin hunt (or they can all use one but it’s not as fun).

Cut up the sheet you printed out to hide then hide each of those little pumpkins somewhere – choose how hard you hide them based on the ages of your players.

Once the pumpkins are hidden, give anyone playing a printed out pumpkin hunt sheet. When you say go, they have to go search for the hidden pumpkins and mark them off as they find them, just like a scavenger hunt!

Each of the pumpkins on the pumpkin hunt sheet has a different face, just like a jack-o-lantern so it should be pretty easy to find the matching one as they’re looking. If they need help, you could always write the number of the pumpkin (1 would be the top left corner) on the back of the hidden one as a hint as well!

When they’ve found all the pumpkins on their sheet, they can come back to claim a fun pumpkin themed prize (ideas at the bottom of this post!). Or you can skip the prize and just make it something fun to do!

This works best for younger kids or smaller groups. If you have a bigger group, I recommend the next option.

Pumpkin Hunt 2: Find One Pumpkin

Okay so for this one, you will need prizes. Okay need may be a little strong, but I would recommend prizes.

In this game you’re going to hide the pumpkin cards just like in the first one, but I recommend hiding them more difficult.

Use your best judgement on hiding based on who will be finding them but each card is going to be associated with one prize so I’d make it a bit more challenging!

You need to hide one pumpkin per person playing if you’re playing with kids – if you’re playing with teens and adults, you can just hide one set of pumpkins period because it doesn’t matter if everyone wins a prize!

If you have more than nine people playing, simply print out another sheet of the pumpkins and add numbers on top of the pumpkins. And then add matching numbers to the pumpkins on the prizes that they can win!

Hide all of the pumpkins and don’t tell people you’re hiding them (so they don’t watch you hide them). When you’re ready do do the pumpkin hunt, tell everyone that there are pumpkins hidden around the house (or outside if you hid them outside) and when they find ONE pumpkin, they should bring it back to claim a prize.

Once someone finds one pumpkin, they bring it back and can turn it in for a prize. They’re then out of the game and if people want help, they can help others but only if they want help. No finding pumpkins and pointing them out and ruining the fun for others – and it will ruin the fun!

Once everyone has found a pumpkin or all of the pumpkins have been found, the game is over and you can move onto other pumpkin related things like coloring these pumpkin worksheets!

Pumpkin Hunt 3: Find the Pumpkin Again and Again

One of my email subscribers shared this idea with me, and I’ve just fallen in love with it and done it with my own family!

In this version of the game, you can either use one of the cards OR you can get an actual pumpkin of some kind – just make sure it’s something more unique than the typical fall decorations you already have in your house because you want people to know they find it when they find it.

You’ll also need prizes, or at least one prize.

For this game, you start by hiding the pumpkin somewhere in your space without telling anyone you’re hiding it. I recommend taking a picture of the pumpkin (not in the hiding place, just out in the open) so that when you’re ready to play, you can show the group what they will be looking for, especially if you have other pumpkins up as decorations like I do!

This isn’t a quick go out and hunt really fast game, this is a throughout the party, keep an eye out while you’re hanging out type of pumpkin hunt.

When you’re ready to start, explain to everyone (and show them the picture) that you’ve hidden the pumpkin. If they find it during the course of the day, they bring it back and can choose a prize.

This is my favorite part – after they choose their prize, they then go and hide the pumpkin instead of you. When someone else finds it at some point, they’ll pick a prize as well then they will hide the pumpkin.

People keep finding the pumpkin, choosing a prize, then hiding the pumpkin again (for others to find) throughout the day until all of the prizes are gone.

You can either let people find the pumpkin multiple times (I’d make them small prizes) or just let them find and hide it once so that everyone gets a turn. That’s up to you and your group since you know them best.

Keep playing until all of the prizes have been claimed or until your event is over.

Pumpkin Hunt Prizes

Okay so I’ve mentioned that I recommend prizes for at least two of the three variations of these pumpkin hunts.

There are a few ways you can handle prizes. You can just have an open basket of prizes, kind of like if you were playing Halloween bingo, that someone can just choose from when they win a prize.

Or you can add an element of mystery (because who doesn’t love a blind bag) and add a copy of the pumpkin cutout cards to bags, like I did with these brown paper bags. Fill the bags with a variety of different prizes so people get different things but don’t get to choose anything other than the matching pumpkin on the front of the bag.

Or you could make each bag tied to a particular pumpkin if you’re doing the find one pumpkin hunt. So if they found say the pumpkin with crazy eyes, they’d get the bag with the matching crazy eyes pumpkin on the front.

There’s a lot you can do with the prizes so have fun with it!

If you need more pumpkin activites to try, one of these might work! They’d go perfect with this pumpkin hunt!

• Pumpkin roll game
• Pumpkin patch craft
• Sweater pumpkin craft
• Fall playdough mats (with pumpkins, leaves, and more)
• Roll a pumpkin game (not to be confused with roll a pumpkin above)

Download the Pumpkin Hunt

Enter your first name and email address in the form below to get the printable PDF. You will receive a link to download the PDF to your email within minutes.

If you don’t want to fill out the form, you can get a copy in my shop here.

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The file will include:

• Instructions
• One page pumpkin hunt with nine square pumpkins