This post is contributed by Maxabella of Maxabella Loves.
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt (A REAL One!)
As a massive fan of books like Trixie Beldon and Nancy Drew growing up, I have always loved a mystery. I think most kids do! The color hunts, photo scavenger hunts and treasure hunts we do are always such a hit with any kid who happens to find themselves part of the chase.
I enjoy putting these kinds of things together and will often make something elaborate that takes a whole morning for the kids to solve. You can see where my motivation might stem from… a whole morning of kid busyness!
But hunts don’t have to be complex to be fun. We made this bear hunt based on Michael Rosen’s popular book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, and the kids had a ball.
Little kids, big kids and in-between kids will love heading out following the clues to find their favorite teddy bear (all of my kids still love teddy bears and I hope they always will).
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How to Set up a “Going on a Bear Hunt” Activity
All you need to do to put together your hunt is to map out your garden or yard (in your head is fine) with some places that you can easily hide a teddy bear. Next you put down some basic steps to get from point A to point B to point C and so on. You hide a bear at each point. Change up the way the kids move from one point to another. Then you add some extras!
Here’s what I mean.
Ways to get from point A to point B
- Walk backwards (carefully) for 10 big steps
- Jump ahead 15 big jumps
- Hop on one foot for 32 hops
- Slide sideways 5 slides
- Tiny fairy steps for 22 steps
- Somersault for five somersaults
- Skip from here to there
- Tip toe from the house to the veggie patch
- Gallop your pony from here to there
- Crawl from one tree to another
- Creep like a bear
- Sway like an elephant
- Scuttle like a cockroach
- Slip like a snake
- Roll like a ball
Ideas for ‘extras’ to add
- 20 jumping jacks
- 5 tuck jumps
- 12 hops on your right leg
- 12 hops on your left leg
- 15 swings on the swing
- Do a handstand
- Turn around 7 times
- Clap your hands 12 times
- Bounce a ball for 1 minute
- Throw and catch a ball for 23 throws
- Shoot a hoop
- Bowl a ball
- Climb up and down a ladder
- 99 jumps on the trampoline
- 21 skips using a skipping rope
- Roll on a skateboard from here to there
- Turn around in circles one way 6 times then 5 the other
- Touch your toes, come back up and touch your toes again
- Sing all the words to Baa Baa Black Sheep
- Run around and touch every tree in the garden
- Turn 3 cartwheels
- Get from point A to point B using only 3 big leaps
You get the idea. Just in case you feel a bit lost, I’ve included a printable here that should work in any yard.
Click here to download a free printable We’re Going on a Bear Hunt Treasure Hunt!
A hunt like this challenges developing reading and comprehension skills, builds gross-motor and fine-motor coordination and tests mental agility too. Naturally all of that is lost on the kids, who are simply busy having huge amounts of fun in the backyard with their siblings and teddy bears.
Our bear hunt always ends with a teddy bear’s picnic, of course! You might like to add that to your bear hunt too.
Have your kids ever read We’re Going on a Bear Hunt? Have they ever created a “bear hunt” of their own? Share in the comments below!
Maxabella Loves is all about raising darling and daring kids. Find food kids like to eat, crafts for non-crafty types and activities that kids adore. Along with the kidlets, we grow big thoughts, big ideas and big dreams.
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This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy.
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