How do I prepare and use the Halloween picture-search party pack?

What you can print from the pack, and what you have to make

The pack has a prompt deck and preparation instructions. It does not include finished picture scenes or illustrated answer pages. You draw those yourself, and the prompts tell you which pictures and how many of each to include.

The deck has 12 easy prompts, 12 tricky prompts and four team challenge cards. That makes 28 cards in total, but only 24 of them are counted searches. Keep the challenge cards separate from the two search lists.

The prompt picker can suggest a prompt while you prepare. During play, a random prompt only works if its pictures actually appear on the sheet the players have in front of them.

You will need letter-size paper, pencils, a pen for the finished drawings, a red pen for the answers, and a printer or copier. You can use card stock for the search sheets if you like. Plain paper is fine for the answer pages.

How to draw the four scenes

Lightly draw a grid of 12 by 16 cells on each sheet, and leave a side margin for the prompts and tally boxes. Place each target picture on purpose so you can write down where it is. Ink the finished drawing, erase the grid and copy one test sheet. Check that the smallest pictures still show up on the copy.

When you check the test copy, look at the print preview too, and keep the answer page separate from the player sheets so players don't see it. The tiny targets are the part most likely to fade. Preparing printable party games covers general print prep.

The table below is one suggested way to split all 24 counted prompts across four scenes, with three easy and three tricky prompts per scene. These are drawing suggestions, not supplied pictures. Keep the full counts from the cards.

Include each card's identifying detail as well: one ghost holds a balloon, one hat sits on a pumpkin, and three of the seven candles are lit. A scene can be playful rather than realistic. For example, the moonlit garden needs two moons to match its prompt.

As you draw, keep a simple record for each scene: the prompt, the required count, where each picture is (a grid cell, or a description such as 'under the porch step'), and whether you checked it on the test copy. Pictures of the same object that you add just for decoration can change the answer by accident, so count them too or take them out.

Putting easy and tricky searches on the same sheet

Label the side lists Easy counts and Tricky searches, and put a blank tally box next to each prompt. Draw the easy pictures large and place them in open areas such as the sky or the lawn. As a starting point, make easy pictures at least half an inch across and tricky details smaller than a quarter inch. If a detail disappears on your test print, make it bigger.

Hide the tricky pictures in fence lines, knots in trees, window panes and table edges, but keep each one recognizable. The counts run from two to nine, and every number must match the drawing exactly.

For guests who read and would enjoy a word challenge, a word search is another option, but it doesn't replace picture searches for children who aren't reading yet. Halloween word games include a 14-word bank and a blank grid.

Making the answer pages and scoring the game

Copy each finished scene and circle every target picture in red. Number the circles to match the prompt lines, and keep the easy and tricky lists separate. Check the count and the extra detail for each card. For example, the candle answer should show seven candles, three of them lit. Keep one folded answer page per scene at the host's seat, and make sure no player copy shows the answers.

For team play, you could split the guests into four teams if that suits your group. Give each pair a sheet and one pencil. For a scored round, everyone should search the same scene and lists, because different scenes can have different numbers of targets. Give one point for each correctly circled easy picture and two points for each correctly circled tricky picture. Each target counts once. A wrong circle or a second circle on the same picture scores nothing.

Choose how you'll form the four teams before handing out sheets, so ages and abilities are spread fairly. Whatever teams you make, every team in a scored round still uses the same scene and lists. Running fair team games covers keeping the same turn rules for everyone.

Teams can swap sheets and check five marked pictures against the answer page first. That is only a spot-check, so check the rest of the scored pictures before you announce the final totals. A tie can count as a shared win.

Optional silent round: explain the rule before you start. Partners mark their sheet without talking, and every three talking penalties cost one point. Skip this rule for children who need spoken help.

Example: running a 12-minute team round

This is an illustrative timing: eight minutes of searching plus four minutes for instructions, checking and results, which comes to 12 minutes in total. Adjust it for the children and for how many pictures your scene has.

• 0:00 to 1:00: Show one turn. Read an easy prompt, show how to circle a picture and mark its tally box, then explain the points.
• 1:00 to 9:00: Search for eight minutes. Start with the easy list, then move on to the tricky list. Partners take turns with the pencil.
• 9:00 to 11:00: Check the sheets. Everyone stops marking, compares their circles with the answer page and adds up the points. Allow more time if checking isn't finished.
• 11:00 to 12:00: Share the totals. Announce the result and collect the sheets, or hand out fresh copies for another round.

Using it in a classroom or at a quiet table

Between rounds, put a fresh copy at each seat as a paper placemat, with pencils nearby. Children who arrive early can search at their own pace without scoring. Use a fresh copy whenever you replay a search, so earlier circles don't give away the answers.

Some children may finish or lose interest, and that's fine since this search is unscored. Having one other quiet option nearby lets them switch without leaving the table. Quiet party games includes ideas and tips on where supplies go afterward.

For fast finishers, try the relay card, where each partner circles one picture, records it and passes the pencil. The 90-second sprint card uses only the easy list. Another option is to turn a finished sheet face down, have players name pictures from memory, and then check with the answer page. Timers and penalties are optional, and you can leave them out completely.

Children who enjoy the memory round may like a matching-card memory game, where cards lie face down and players turn over two each turn. It's a separate deck you prepare ahead, and players match pairs instead of naming objects from a scene. See Halloween matching cards.

Checklist before guests arrive

• Finish four scenes and make a matching answer page for each one.
• Check every target count and identifying detail on a test copy.
• Print one search sheet per pair for team play, or one per guest for individual play. Keep the answer pages separate.
• Print only the prompts that match each scene. If you like, cut them into strips to clip beside the drawings.
• Put pencils at each seat or one per pair, and fold the answer pages next to the timer.
• Set aside spare player copies for late arrivals and for another round.
• Write down who holds the answer pages and which scene the team round will use.

Decide who will explain the game to a late guest, and whether they join the current round unscored or wait for the next scored one. Handling guests who arrive late covers fitting them into the rest of the party, such as saving them cake.

Sources and further reading

• Halloween picture-search party pack

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