Christmas light scavenger hunt: free printable for kids
A Christmas light scavenger hunt is a drive or walk after dark where kids hunt for things on a list: Santa on a roof, an all-blue house, a train made of lights. Here’s a picture hunt for ages 3 to 5, a points list for ages 6 and up, and two Christmas lights bingo cards, free to print or tap.
The hunt and the bingo cards
No email, no sign-up. One card a page.
On a phone, tap a square to mark it, and tap again to clear it. Turn the screen down so it doesn’t light up the car.
Picture hunt for little kids
For ages 3 to 5. Find them all, or four in a row.
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Christmas light scavenger hunt: the points list
For ages 6 and up. Most points wins. A perfect score is 47.
1 point each
2 points each
3 points each
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Christmas lights bingo: card 1
For ages 5 and up. Get five in a row.
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Christmas lights bingo: card 2
For ages 5 and up. Get five in a row.
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How to run the hunt
- Pick a street. Go after full dark, and choose a neighborhood or two with lots of lights. Local news sites and neighborhood groups often post a map in December.
- Hand out the cards before you leave. Each kid gets their own, so nobody wins on the same snowman. Bring a clipboard and a crayon, or use a phone.
- Bring a small flashlight. Paper is hard to read in a dark car. Keep the light low and out of the driver’s eyes.
- Keep it short for little kids. Half an hour of lights beats an hour of tired kids. Older kids can go until they’ve hit a target score.
- Call it at the end. Add up the points in the driveway, and let the winner pick the cocoa.
True things to tell the back seat
- The first electric Christmas tree had 80 bulbs. Edward H. Johnson, a vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company, lit them in red, white and blue at his New York City home in 1882. Each was wired by hand, and the tree stood on a revolving box. Can you find a tree with more than 80? How would you count?
- Before that, trees had candles on them. A General Electric ad from 1900 sold electric lights with the words “No Danger, Smoke or Smell.” Why would a wire be safer than a flame?
- Strings of lights came later. General Electric sold the first prewired strings of light sockets in 1903. Before that, lights were wired by hand and cost so much that only the wealthy had them.
- The pointy bulb was on purpose. In 1919 GE changed its bulbs to a cone, like a candle’s flame. Spot one tonight.
Source: IEEE Spectrum. Here’s who invented the rest of Christmas, and Christmas trivia for kids for the drive home.
Keep the back seat curious.
Tumbly Drive tells the true story of what’s outside the window, read aloud through the car speakers, then quizzes the back seat. Free to start.
Scan with your iPhone cameraor open it in your browser
Questions parents ask
What do you look for on a Christmas light scavenger hunt?
Things families really put out: lights along a roof, a wreath on a door, a blow-up snowman, Santa on a roof, an all-blue house. Add a few rare ones so the hunt lasts, like a train made of lights or a house flashing in time to music. The list here has 24, worth 1 to 3 points by how hard they are to find.
How do you play Christmas lights bingo?
Give each kid a different card and drive through a neighborhood with lots of lights. When you spot a square, mark it. The first full line across, down or corner to corner calls bingo, then keep going for the whole card.
What age is a Christmas light scavenger hunt for?
The picture hunt suits ages 3 to 5, and a grown-up can read out the names. The bingo cards work from about age 5, and the points list from about age 6.
Is this printable free?
Yes. Press Print the cards for one card a page, with no email and no sign-up. Or tap the squares on a phone, which also solves reading paper in a dark car.
Can we do it on foot?
Yes, and it’s a good way to see a street up close. Stay on the sidewalk, keep off people’s lawns, and give little kids a flashlight to read the card with.
Who invented Christmas lights?
Edward H. Johnson, a vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company, lit the first electric Christmas tree we know of, at his New York City home in 1882. Here’s who invented Christmas lights, candy canes and the rest.
What can kids do between the houses?
Tumbly Drive tells kids the true story of what’s outside the window, read aloud through the car speakers, then asks the back seat a question. It works anywhere you drive in the US, and it’s free to start. For the rest of the year there’s road trip bingo and 25 more road trip games.