Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Teachers: Fun Team-Building Activities for School Staff
Teachers come together each year before the school year begins to catch up on their summers, set up their classrooms and back-to-school activities, and participate in professional development days.
While teachers must be updated on school policies, safety procedures, and school initiatives, it’s also crucial to present this information in an enjoyable and captivating way to promote participation.
Welcome new staff and foster community.
In addition, internal changes-where staff transition to new schools or retire-often result in new staff members entering the building to take on new positions. Providing an opportunity for these new staff members to meet the existing staff in an entertaining and engaging way will help foster a sense of community among them.
Goosechase scavenger hunts for PD days
Making those PD days more valuable and engaging can be a challenge. This teacher scavenger hunt idea is a ready-to-go team-building activity with resources for school staff preparing for a new year.
A Goosechase scavenger hunt is a great ice breaker, introduces new staff members, and makes PD days more engaging. Many teachers and school administrators are already implementing Goosechase scavenger hunt ideas as a unique solution in the classroom and for various back-to-school activities.
If you’re using Goosechase to run your event, you can click the buttons below to add these missions to your account as a duplicate game. Still running your scavenger hunts on paper? Take a look at our How It Works page to see how easy it is to get started on Goosechase with our free scavenger hunt template.
Using Goosechase to enhance professional development
Staff member spotlight: Hannah Prebeck
Meet Hannah Prebeck! After 10 years in education, Hannah began work as the Instructional Software Specialist with Loudoun County Public Schools. Previously, Hannah was an Instructional Facilitator for Technology, helping teachers incorporate technology into their instruction, and a special education teacher.
Hannah’s education experience extends beyond the United States into Seoul, South Korea, where she spent two years teaching kindergarten, middle, and high school.
Hannah was first introduced to Goosechase when attending a Discovery Education Summer Institute. When the time came for the Staff School Handbook Review session, Hannah and her principal started brainstorming ideas to make it more exciting.
The fun challenges, rhyming clues, and photo prompts are significant for inspiring teams and helping each staff member feel included.
Check out some of the Missions that Hannah included in her Staff Member Scavenger Hunt game:
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Behaviour (Text) - One way we help students develop positive social behavior is through the application of ______________.
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STEAM Lab 1 (Photo) - Take a picture of a technology item your team could use to demonstrate how a sound wave works.
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Quittin’ Time (Text) - What time does dismissal begin each day?
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Staff Accessory (Photo) - Take a picture of someone wearing the item every staff member should wear every day.
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Fashionista (Text) - List the 3 of the 6 clothing options that are considered inappropriate for school.
Using Goosechase to increase staff engagement
Meet Wendy Jones! Wendy is a teacher at Whitney Intermediate School. After 14 years of teaching, she was hard at work helping students learn various math concepts and skills. Out of the classroom, you'd probably find Wendy spending time at home with her twin girls.
Wendy thought Goosechase was a great way to transform a traditional scavenger hunt into a more social and inclusive activity. Her game focused on reviewing the basic procedures and expectations for the upcoming school year.
Her hunt was a huge success: Wendy’s colleagues had a blast, smiling and laughing from start to finish, and they were even better prepared for the first day of school. The team-building spirit and clever rhyming clues made it a memorable session.
Check out some of the Missions that Wendy included in her Back to School Staff Extravaganza game:
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Morning Routine (Photo) - Snap a photo of a teammate where you sign in each morning. Remember to sign out and return if you leave campus during the school day! Bonus points if you get our office assistant in the photo.
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Tech Trip (Photo) - Snap a photo of a teammate knocking on the door of our campus technician's office. Remember to email when you have any technology needs and immediately if you experience trouble with laptops during the school year.
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Gathering Place (Photo/Video) - Snap a pic of your teammates in the place where students gather for breakfast and lunch. Remember, when you have morning or lunch duty, you must be on time and walk around. Bonus points if you suggest a theme for our first staff luncheon in your comment.
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Phones (Photo) - Snap a picture of a teammate on their cell phone. Remember, students can have their cell phones out before 8:00, between classes, and during lunch. Students are not to have cell phones out during class. If you see one, take it up!
These Missions provide ready-to-go inspiration for replacing your printed scavenger hunt template or PDF version.
Goosechase scavenger hunt for middle school and high school teachers
Engage your team with classroom activities
Goosechase allows teachers to create classroom scavenger hunts, including riddles, rhymes, and photo challenges. Staff can discover hidden items, practice skills, and explore locations around the school in a fun team activity.
Math scavenger hunt and educational challenges
Incorporate math scavenger hunts into your PD day or classroom lessons. Use scavenger hunt ideas to encourage problem-solving, discover new concepts, and engage staff or students in hands-on learning.
Using riddles, rhymes, and clues to discover skills
Craft clues and riddles for staff to solve during their team-building scavenger hunt. This approach helps participants get to know each other while sharpening observational and critical thinking skills.
Still planning your scavenger hunt? Our EDU Getting Started Package includes downloadable and printable resources to help you get started!
Free printable scavenger hunt resources for teachers
Looking for a quick start? We've created a few downloadable and printable resources for first-time K-12 Goosechase Experience creators to help you get started! There are also 100s of ready-to-go scavenger hunt templates with rhyming clues, detailed Missions list, and step-by-step instructions in our Experience Template Library. These templates are perfect for the principals or any school admin member planning a fun icebreaker or team-building activity.
Download and go; you’re ready to walk around the building and explore each location with your team.
Step-by-step instructions to run your activity
The Goosechase Educator Getting Started Package includes detailed instructions on how to set up the scavenger hunt, assign teams, and track progress using Goosechase, ensuring a smooth and organized event.
Lesson ideas and classroom integration
Use scavenger hunt challenges as part of a lesson, like:
- A math scavenger hunt
- A classroom resource discovery
- A get-to-know-you team activity
These games enhance skills, engagement, and professional collaboration.
What is Goosechase EDU?
Goosechase is an online platform that helps educators design and run digital scavenger hunt learning experiences in classroom lessons and beyond. Sign up and try creating a game, or contact us to discover more about our school and district-wide solutions.
Download the free template today and start your Goosechase scavenger hunt — a fun way to engage colleagues and foster collaboration.
