A shape scavenger hunt teaches children to spot circles, squares, triangles and more in the world around them, and it makes a good first geometry lesson. This set has six printable sheets: a picture list of shapes, a big-picture page for preschoolers, clue cards with an answer page, two bingo cards and a write-it-down sheet. Children walk through the house or the classroom and find a clock for a circle, a window for a square and a slice of pizza for a triangle. Each shape scavenger hunt sheet shows the shapes to find with a picture.
Quick answer: print the picture list and give each child a pencil. They find an object that matches each shape, tick the box and say what the object is. Use the big-picture page for ages 3 to 5 and the write-it-down sheet for ages 6 and up.
Shape scavenger hunt printable (PDF)
Six sheets, each a PDF. Click a picture to open it. The clue cards PDF has two pages: the clues and the answer key.
Shapes to look for around the house
| Shape | Where to find it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Circle | Kitchen and bedroom | A clock, a plate, a button or a coin. |
| Square | Windows and floors | A tile, a napkin, a window pane or a sticky note. |
| Rectangle | Doors and screens | A door, a book, a phone or a box of cereal. |
| Triangle | Food and toys | A slice of pizza, a roof block or a pennant flag. |
| Oval | Kitchen and garden | An egg, a mirror or a leaf. |
| Star and heart | Decorations | A sticker, a cushion or a card. |
How to play a shape hunt step by step
- Show the shapes first. Draw each shape on a card and name it with the children before the hunt.
- Hand out the sheet. Give each child a pencil and a clipboard or a hard book.
- Start the search. Children find an object for every shape on the list and tick the box.
- Say what you found. Ask the child to name the object and the shape, such as “The clock is a circle”.
- Sort the finds. At the end, make a chart with one column for each shape and place a small drawing in each column.
Shape scavenger hunt ideas for kids
- Shape walk: take a walk outside and look for shapes on signs, windows and buildings.
- Photo hunt: children take a photo of each shape they find, with a phone or tablet and an adult nearby.
- Mystery shape: read a clue card aloud and let children guess the shape before they find it.
- Shape collage: after the hunt, cut shapes from colored paper and glue them into a picture of a house or a robot.
- Bingo race: give each child a different bingo card and see who finds four shapes in a row first.
What shape hunts teach
- Shape names: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, diamond, star and heart.
- Attributes: counting sides and corners, such as three sides for a triangle and four for a square.
- Observation: seeing shapes in everyday objects builds early geometry sense.
- Vocabulary: describing objects with the words round, flat, pointy and straight.
Tips for different ages
A shape scavenger hunt grows with the child. For ages 3 and 4, start with circles, squares and triangles and use the big-picture page. For ages 5 and 6, add rectangles, ovals and diamonds and ask children to count the corners. Older children can use the write-it-down sheet to name harder shapes, such as a cylinder and a sphere, and to explain how they know which is which.
How these sheets are made
Every sheet is generated by a program from lists we wrote for this page: the picture lists, the bingo cards and the clues are original. The pictures are Noto Emoji artwork from Google, used under the Apache License 2.0; the project is on GitHub. A credit line is printed on every page.
Take the shape scavenger hunt on a walk around the house or school, and let children circle each shape they find.
Frequently asked questions
6 quick answers
Is this shape scavenger hunt free to print?
Yes. Print as many copies as you like for your own children or class, with no account or sign-up.
What age is it for?
The big-picture sheet suits ages 3 to 5, the picture list and bingo cards suit ages 4 to 8, and the clue cards and write-it-down sheet suit ages 5 and up.
Do the clue cards come with answers?
Yes. Page 2 of the clue card PDF lists the answer to every clue.
Which shapes are included?
Circle, square, triangle, rectangle, star, heart, diamond, oval and crescent are on the sheets, and the write-it-down page also asks for a cylinder and a sphere.
Can we use real objects instead of pictures?
Yes. Children find real objects around the house or the classroom that match each shape, and the pictures act as a guide.
Is there a color version?
Yes. The color scavenger hunt page has the same six sheets for the colors of the rainbow.
More hunts and early math games
- Color scavenger hunt for rainbow colors.
- Indoor scavenger hunt and outdoor scavenger hunt.
- Classroom bingo and picture bingo for kids.
- Printable mazes.
- I spy printables.
- Hidden objects printables.
- Every puzzle and brain teaser on PrintSheetLab.
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