December is finally here, which means Christmas lights are everywhere. Why not spend some time this holiday season having fun with your little oneĀ on a Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt? To take part in the holiday fun, simply print out the list shown below and load up your bundled kiddos in the car. As you drive around admiring the Christmas lights in your local neighborhoods, help your child find each item on the scavenger hunt list.
Before you set off for your evening journey, prepare for the scavenger hunt ahead of time by going over the items on the list. Talk with your child about the location of the lights in the scavenger hunt and where they should be looking. Some items on the list are located in windows or on doors, the giant ornaments will be hangingĀ on trees,Ā and the inflatables will beĀ in the yard.Ā Talk about the different types of lights you will be searching for and what these types of lights will look like. Some lights will be blinking, some lights will look like icicles, some lights will have multiple colors and some lights will be only one color.
As you complete your scavenger hunt, help your child express whatĀ items he/she sees andĀ where he/she sees those items. This activity will help develop your child’s expressive and spacial language skills using words that describe location (e.g. on, in, over, under) as well as characteristics (e.g. big, small, blinking, hanging).
As well as searching for items in your local neighborhoods, there are many beautiful public light displays in Columbus that would work perfectly for the scavenger huntĀ (Alum Creek Fantasy of Lights/Scioto Mile/Columbus Commons). For an interactive map of holiday light displays in Columbus, check outĀ columbuslights.com.
In addition to checking off items on the list, I always like to take pictures of the found items so we can review our hunt with a round of hot cocoa when we get home. I hope thisĀ Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt becomes a fun holiday tradition for you and yours, as well.Ā Happy Holidays!