An Imaginative Going on a Bear Hunt Activity

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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.