Outdoor Alphabet Scavenger Hunt for Kids

Your kids are going to love this outdoor alphabet scavenger hunt paper plate craft and activity. 

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One of the biggest challenges after our long cold winters can be convincing the boys outside. There are so many changes to make as we move from our winter routine to our spring routine. So I know this transition can be difficult, as it is every single year. But, one day, I figured that I could build upon my son's interest in letters to help with the transition.

See when you have a hyperlexic child, one of the best things you can do is use their interests to build new skills or to try new things. Simply adding letters gets better buy-in on less desirable activities like going outside in this particular case.

So I asked my son if he'd like to go on a letter hunt with me outdoors. The answer was yes, of course. 

The result was this outdoor alphabet scavenger hunt with paper plate scorecard. 

What You'll Need for this Outdoor Alphabet Scavenger Hunt

For this alphabet hunt activity, you'll first need to make a paper plate scorecard. So you'll need a paper plate, a pair of scissors, and a marker. Simply cut 26 tabs along the rim of the paper plate. Then label each tab with a letter from the alphabet. It will look like this:

As an alternative, you could use one these free printable ABC scavenger hunt sheets along with a clipboard and a pencil.

Then it's time to head outdoors for the scavenger hunt! To play, simply fold back the letter on the paper plate scorecard every time you come across an object that begins with a letter of the alphabet.

Time for the Neighborhood Letter Scavenger Hunt!

I mentioned above that the transitions between seasons can be challenging. As a result, it can be difficult to coax my kids outside after a long cold winter. But when I showed my oldest son this alphabet paper plate scorecard, he was so excited that he didn't even put up a fight over getting dressed to go outdoors.

As we walked around the neighborhood, I told him to look for different letters or objects that started with different letters. Then I showed him how he could mark off the letters on his paper plate scorecard by folding the letter back.

I pointed out words on the street signs and postal boxes as we walked. But J preferred to look at the letters on license plates. Not surprising, considering how much he loves license plates. Thankfully, there were about 40 cars parked on our crescent so he had plenty to look at during our ABC scavenger hunt.

J had a blast reading the license plates and marking the letters that he saw on his paper plate. My youngest K also pointed out any letters that he recognized. And naturally, we also stopped to splash in some puddles along the way.

I'm so glad that I was able to convince the kids outside for a walk on such a beautiful day. And all it took was a paper plate and a simple outdoor alphabet scavenger hunt activity. Fresh air, exercise, and learning? I call that a win!

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Free Printable Alphabet Scavenger Hunt Sheets

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