Ultimate Kids Activity: Make an escape room at home!

Our FREE builder's kit template makes it easy for you to jump right in and start making an escape room.

1: Download the FREE Builders Kit

2: Print it out at home

3: Days of fun for your kids

Once you've finished, share your game with us and we'll post it up here for all your fellow masterminds to see.

Check out the games other kids have made:

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Arctic Escape Room

- Micah, Corban & Ryan

What a breakthrough! Old Professor Lee and his assistant, Field Expert Ally Simons have finally cracked the DNA sequence that can clone the woolly mammoth. But treachery! The jealous Professor Doctor Sneed has abandoned them in the arctic! Can you break back into the research station before you freeze to death?

We had a little chat with Micah, Corban & Ryan

How did you think of your escape room game idea?

Corban/Micah- We were trying to think of the opposite of a usual escape room since we are stuck inside during Covid-19, so we wanted something where you have to try to get back inside instead of getting out.

What was your favorite part about making your game?

Corban- my favorite was designing the Colored Wheel and clues.

Micah- my favorite was coming up with the clues and most especially making the picture of Dr. Sneed’s office and the crossword puzzle clues.

Ryan (Dad)- my favorite was purposefully misspelling words as part of the story.

What is your favorite puzzle of the game?

Corban- my favorite was how to order the DNA codons correctly.

Micah- I enjoyed making the part that involves the Periodic Table of the Elements.

Ryan (Dad)- I enjoyed the crossword puzzle the most.

What would you like to say to other kids who are making their own escape rooms?

Corban- First, try to make simple clues and make the people overthink the clues. Also, don’t give them too many clues.

Micah- You don’t want the clues too easy, and not too hard.

Ryan- try to think of making clues or activities that involve the different senses (sight, sound, hearing, etc.).

Thanks Micah, Corban & Ryan for sending in your seriously cool game!

Attack on Earth

- Lydia & James P.

The year is 2347. Humanity has joined with other alien races to protect the solar system. But treachery is afoot! The Vingons have betrayed you and are turning the Solar Defense Station's weapons against Earth! Can you escape the cell they've locked you in and stop the countdown?

We had a little chat with Lydia & James

How did you think of your escape room game idea?

We started by thinking of characters that we wanted to be in our escape room. We wanted to be funny, so a lot of their names were based off of sci-fi characters. The only one that got put into the escape room was Commander Spark, whose name is based off of Commander Spock. Since their names were all from the sci-fi genre, we figured that's the kind of escape room we wanted to make. Plus, I think we just liked the idea of a giant laser beam hurtling toward Earth in order to gain control of our "carbon dioxide factories."

What was your favorite part about making your game?

James: My favorite part was making all of the fun characters because I got to design silly characters and draw them. So, that was a lot of fun.

Lydia: My favorite part was being able to write the story and design the world. I liked how I was able to make all of the puzzles have a purpose and not just an unfinished feel.

What is your favorite puzzle of the game?

James: My favorite puzzle is the Vingon knife because I got to design it completely from scratch and didn't take inspiration from an already existing puzzle.

Lydia: Hands down, my favorite puzzle is the elevators. I've always liked these kinds of puzzles because they are half logic and half maze. So, I loved being able to design my own unique one.

What would you like to say to other kids who are making their own escape rooms?

James: Making an escape room takes a lot of time and work, but it's really fun to see it when it's finished.

Lydia: At some point, you might get frustrated at how the story doesn't make sense or how a puzzle isn't working, but you don't want to give up or else you'll regret it later. It's okay to take breaks, you don't have to get it done overnight, so just go slow and take your time. I also want to say play test, play test, play test. This is how you find all of the bugs in your escape room and how you'll be able to fix them. Overall, it's really fun to build and awesome when you see the completed project.

Thanks Lydia and James for this stellar game!

Bejewelled

- Micah P.

Nobody ever found the thieves who stole the largest diamond in the world. They vanished without a trace way back in 1954, and now it's your turn to try and crack the case. Solve the clues quickly, before the criminal underworld 'takes care of you, once and for all!'

We had a little chat with Micah

How did you think of your escape room game idea?

Me and my brother were talking about escape room ideas and thought that doing a bank robbery of the largest, most precious diamond in the world would be really cool to make and come up with clues for.

What was your favorite part about making your game?

I liked making and designing the clues to the puzzles and the introduction story at the beginning of the game.

What is your favorite puzzle of the game?

My favorite puzzles were the 4 circles dial and the notes from Mr. Myers to his brother Billy-Bo-Bob Myers (III).

What would you like to say to other kids who are making their own escape rooms?

Think of simple puzzles then a good story with lots of detail and then go back and make the puzzles harder. It helps at the beginning to backwards map out the entire thing.

Thanks Micah - your fun little game is sure to steal the show!

Caesar's Cave

- Judit

YOU are the protagonist! Solve the puzzles in each chapter to uncover a thrilling tale of magic, dragons, and an epic quest for the Philosopher's Stone.

We had a little chat with Judit

How did you think of your escape room game idea?

First I decided that I wanted a format where players don't need a separate file for hints, but everything is self-explanatory and included in the game. There are still hints of course but the whole game reads as a book (ok, a small booklet) and you simply need to read until you get the puzzle. From there I worked out the details about how players can navigate from puzzle to puzzle based on their solutions and how the whole thing would fit a narrative that advances with each solution.

What was your favorite part about making your game?

I loved it all!! It was a really cool moment when I came up with the general format thinking ok this could work, but it was also very exciting to work on the puzzles, I've spent a lot of time drawing them.

What is your favorite puzzle of the game?

There is a puzzle with runic dice early at the beginning I like very much. This is a simple task where players just have to put together two pieces of information they have, I think it's a nice little aha moment and also introduces the logic of the game.

What would you like to say to other kids who are making their own escape rooms?

Don't be afraid to be creative! Do a game that you would love to play instead of trying to copy something that already exists. And most importantly have fun in the making!

Thanks Judit for weaving such an epic tale for us - super creative!

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Dragon Eggs

- Anna and Slizard

Oh no! A dark wizard has swooped in and stolen all of the dragon eggs! Quickly, solve his puzzles to break the spell and save the dragon eggs, before the poor baby dragons hatch and freeze to death!

We had a little chat with Anna & Szilard

How did you think of your escape room game idea?

For the escape room idea we wanted to do something that can be related to Easter, but still different from a usual treasure hunt. Everyone in our family is a huge Harry Potter fan and Dani is also into How to Train Your Dragon, so we decided we'd go for dragon eggs. We did not want to design the game specifically for either fandom, as we also had in mind your contest and aimed for anyone to be able to play and enjoy it. Plus we did not want to make the puzzles too Eastery so that it can be fun throughout the year.

What was your favorite part about making your game?

Our favourite part was seeing our brother enjoy what we did, and perhaps the anticipations when the game was ready and we waited for the big day to come - so if you get feedback from other people who play it, we'd really love to hear! Other than that we enjoyed the whole porcess of making the game. Before the lockdown we did not spend this much time together and now we had secret meetings coming up with the theme, dafting the story, then brainstorming puzzles. We sat together in front of the computer and it was a great bonding to do something good together. (Of course mom and dad knew, so they allowed us more computer-time)

What is your favorite puzzle of the game?

Picking a favourite puzzle is impossible, we love them all equally! (We did not stop until we came up with something we both loved 100%)

What would you like to say to other kids who are making their own escape rooms?

We hope that many will join your contest (even if it means we have less chance of winning), designing this game was the best thing that happened to us since this craziness started! It's scary at first (at least it was to us), because it's something we haven't done before, but we went through the material on you webpage and it really helped to get a picture of how this could be done step by step. And once we started it went pretty easily. If we are to give one advice, it's maybe that one should not be affraid of dropping an idea that they liked yesterday but don't like today.

Thanks Anna & Szilard for sharing your hot game!

Error Loading

- Sam V.

Drats! Your save file on 'Labyrinths and Lagomorphs' is corrupted. That's your favourite game! You'll need to play through the opening level to figure out what went wrong. Be quick, or hundreds of hours of progress will be lost!

We had a little chat with Sam

How did you think of your escape room game idea?

I love video games and escape rooms, so when my parents told me about the contest, I wanted to see if I could put the two together. I picked the theme because I also like rabbits.

What was your favorite part about making your game?

My favorite part was making up all the story elements for the puzzles.

What is your favorite puzzle of the game?

I really like the crossword puzzle because you need to remember that you found clues to the answers earlier in the game.

What would you like to say to other kids who are making their own escape rooms?

Be committed to making the game, but be willing to get rid of things that you can't make work out so that you can finish it.

Thanks Sam for this totally bunderful game!

Escape from Cell Block 58

- Adele B.

Prison life is not for you. It's time for a breakout! Can you decipher the cryptic clues hidden around your cell before the guards catch you, and you lose your one chance at freedom?!

We had a little chat with Adele B.

How did you think of your escape room game idea?

Ever since I got into making/doing escape games I have wanted to make one about a prison break. When I was looking at the blueprint for making your very first escape game I saw "Escape from cell block 58" as a theme and I instantly loved it! It was so fun to develop the idea and make it my own.

What was your favorite part about making your game?

My favorite part about making my game was designing the story. I had a really good time thinking of an interesting plot and then trying to find puzzles to match the theme.

What is your favorite puzzle of the game?

My favorite puzzle of the game is the one with the pictures of the criminals and the arrows. This one is my favorite because I had a really fun time searching up different criminals to include and I really like how it goes very well with my theme. This said, I love all of the puzzles I made!

What would you like to say to other kids who are making their own escape rooms?

To all the kids making escape games, I encourage you to spend time making the story fun and interesting because it makes playing so much more fun! Also, even though it can be frustrating sometimes, don't give up!

Thanks Adele for sharing your criminally good game with us!

Escape from the Space Station

- Bas & Koen

Life is good on the ISS space station... until it isn't! There's a leak on the outside of the space station, and you need to get out there to fix it ASAP. But what was the code to the door again? Find the code to open the door before something terrible happens!

We had a little chat with Bas & Koen

How did you think of your escape room game idea?

When we're thinking about a theme, we want to choose something mysterious and something we find interesting. Koen like the space very much, so that's why we came up with the space theme. The fun is that you can use a lot of information for the puzzles.

What was your favorite part about making your game?

We worked out some together, but also some puzzles apart from each other. It was really fun to try the puzzle from each other to check if it's working. On that way we're and designing and playing at once.

What is your favorite puzzle of the game?

Our favorite puzzle is the puzzle with the dates of historical moments in space.
It's a fun puzzle, not too hard, but you have to look up the information to discover the solution.

What would you like to say to other kids who are making their own escape rooms?

Our tip for other kids: search on the internet for great and creative puzzle ideas. There are a lot.

If you have a theme, search for information about it and use that in your puzzles. In that way, you not only make it fun but also something to learn from. Like in our game the puzzle with dates or the final puzzle.

Thanks Bas & Koen for sharing all your hard work with us - your game is out of this world!

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George Washington Treasure Heist

- Shannon & Lizzie

Woah! Your grandparents have a secret attic... and what's this, a treasure map? So cool! Will you be the one to finally decipher George Washington's treasure map, and uncover his hidden riches?

You can play the game online here

We had a little chat with Shannon & Lizzie

How did you think of your escape room game idea?

Lizzie wanted to do a rob the mansion game. I thought that sounded like fun. Then we wanted to give it a theme so that we could build a story around it. We had recently watched the movie “National Treasure” so we thought what if the owner of the mansion was an American history buff. We started researching some history and we ended up looking at the website for the George Washington Mount Vernon House and we thought what if we were robbing that house. I thought an added bonus was sneaking in some history and learning for Lizzie and anyone who played it.

What was your favorite part about making your game?

Lizzie says, “Making it with you.”

I say, “When we watched my wife and son play the game. It was so much fun watching them trying to solve these puzzles that we came up with.”

What is your favorite puzzle of the game?

Our favorite puzzle is the pyramid. We used your template and it tied in so perfectly with our theme of American history once we thought of the pyramid on the dollar bill. We like this one because it has so many steps and reveals a lot. My daughter had the idea of looking into the pyramid to get the final answer, which I thought was cool and we just built on that.

What would you like to say to other kids who are making their own escape rooms?

When we made our game it seemed overwhelming at first, but once we had the theme it started to become interesting and once we created a map it all fell into place. So we would suggest working on a fun theme that gives you a story for the puzzles.

What a thrilling treasure hunt! Thanks Shannon & Lizzie for sharing it with us!

Lab Lockdown

- Tobias & Phoebe T.

Bad robot! Mikkins is a cute little robot, that is until he totally flips out and locks you and your friends inside your lab. Quick, you need to solve the clues you've left inside the lab to find the passcode, get out, and reset that devious little robot!

We had a little chat with Tobias & Phoebe

How did you think of your escape room game idea?

We were brainstorming ideas and then I (Phoebe) looked at my Lego robot. He looked evil so we made him the bad guy.
Then we had to think up an escape room story around our bad robot, so we thought up a crazy scientist as the good guy and got him locked up in his own lab.

What was your favorite part about making your game?

Phoebe - Making the puzzles was hard, but it was really satisfying when we came up with a new one and got it to work.
I also liked doing the research. We looked up other puzzle ideas online and then thought up our own using our laboratory theme.

Tobias - I liked making the puzzles look good using lots of different apps on the computer (like paint and piksel).

Bonus answer from a happy parent: My favourite part, for the record, was seeing the kids busy, working together and using their brains over the holidays.

What is your favorite puzzle of the game?

Tobias - Orange 1 - I like the wordsearch because it's really simple and the way it makes the letter works really well.

Phoebe - Blue 2 - I really like the word clue in this one and also that there are multiple steps to get the answer.
It's also the one that my dad took the longest to solve.

What would you like to say to other kids who are making their own escape rooms?

Try lots of different ideas to see what works best.

Don't overthink it and have fun!

Thanks Tobias and Phoebe for sharing your brilliant game!

Mind Control Mayhem

- Ameryn F.

Nurse Alex is working late, when all of a sudden her COVID-19 patients start going crazy! Help Dr. Smith and Nurse Alex find the cure that will defeat evil Mr Jenkins' dastardly plot!

NOTE: You will need your own props to play this game at home. Full details are in the instructions sheets.

We had a little chat with Ameryn F.

How did you think of your escape room game idea?

How my sisters and I thought of our escape room theme and idea was from the thought of a hunted hospital and morphing into a post apocalyptic world due the COVID-19. Because our father was just released from the hospital with the COVID-9

pretending to find the cure inspired me (and my sisters) to create an escape room were the cure could be found.

What was your favorite part about making your game?

Our favorite and most enjoyable part in creating the game was the story line. from who the main character is, to finding the reason for being trapped in a hospital room was exciting. During the first step the structure of the game relied on the story line, it was exhilarating to imagine and watch our creation unfold with words.

What is your favorite puzzle of the game?

We all agree that the our favorite puzzle was the message in the book and the end when the victims escape by mixing the ingredients for the cure.

What would you like to say to other kids who are making their own escape rooms?

What my sisters and i would like to say to other escape room craters is have fun! think outside the box, add your own twist also don't turn in your escape room in a contest at 1 AM, and if you did thank your parents!

Thanks Ameryn (and thanks to your sisters too!) for putting together this clever escape room game!

The Lost Princess

- Emma & Jane

Princess Angelina is missing, and the king is furious! Gather your best knights and follow the clues to find the missing princess, before the king's patience runs out!

We had a little chat with Emma & Jane

How did you think of your escape room game idea?

We wanted to do an escape room with a kingdom, and we looked at things that happened in history for a little inspiration, then our idea came to us!

What was your favorite part about making your game?

Our favorite part of making the game was testing out the escape room on our family to see if it worked. It was worth our hard work to see the looks of triumph on their faces when they figure out the answer to a puzzle.

What is your favorite puzzle of the game?

Our favorite puzzle of the game the puzzle where players had to figure out a message written in code, because it was fun to make, and at first the players were confused, but they did eventually figure it out!

What would you like to say to other kids who are making their own escape rooms?

It's hard work, but worth it if you stick with it. You also need to be creative and positive, because your escape room may not work the first time, but if you do all these things, your game will be successful!

Super thanks Emma & Jane for your regal efforts, and a royally fun game!

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The Race to the Blue Scarab Stone

- Renee & Johannes

You and your friends are on the verge of an archeological discovery that would make even Indiana Jones jealous, but alas, your treasure map has been stolen! Can you piece together the clues and find the treasure before your rivals steal all the glory?

We had a little chat with Renee & Johannes

How did you think of your escape room game idea?

My sister and I like reading books about adventures and mysteries, so we thought it would make a good escape game. One day, Renee was reading a book about Egypt and treasure hunting. She suddenly blurted out "This would make a good story for the game!" And The Race to the Blue Scarab Stone came to life.

What was your favorite part about making your game?

Renee: My favorite part of making the game was when my brother and I made it together. Johannes: My favorite part is when our parents and uncle tested our game for the first time.

What is your favorite puzzle of the game?

Renee: My personal favorite is the newspaper because it is simple and easy. Johannes: Mine is the Mini Pyramids because that puzzle needs a lot of interaction with the players.

What would you like to say to other kids who are making their own escape rooms?

Make sure to test your game with someone (like your parents) because it is essential. You will find out the things that you will need to fix and the things you could still improve.

Thanks Renee & Johannes for your hard word - there's no de-Nile, this game rocks!

Tiny Problem

- Daniel B.

Your best friend Allen is a science genius, but sometimes he makes pretty big mistakes... like today. Allen has accidentally shrunk himself at school! Can you piece together his growth formula before class begins?

We had a little chat with Daniel

How did you think of your escape room game idea?

When my mom told me about the contest, I started thinking about ideas. The idea of getting shrunk came into my head and so I thought out an idea of how that could happen.

What was your favorite part about making your game?

my favorite part was figuring out the puzzles.

What is your favorite puzzle of the game?

I really like the one with a secret code with pictures for the letters.

What would you like to say to other kids who are making their own escape rooms?

I would tell them that they should be creative and have fun.

Thanks Daniel, making a game this fun was no small feat!

Triangle Taker

- Lisa & Jake

Oh no! Somebody has stolen all of the triangle shape blocks! Who would do such a thing?! Solve puzzles and track down clues to help Daddy the Heart and J the Square find their missing triangles.

We had a little chat with Lisa & Jake

How did you think of your escape room game idea?

It is because Jake really likes shapes, especially triangles.

What was your favorite part about making your game?

Jake's favorite part was putting all the shapes in the game.

What is your favorite puzzle of the game?

Jake's favorite puzzle was bowling puzzle because that is his favorite game.

What would you like to say to other kids who are making their own escape rooms?

To have fun!

Thanks Lisa & Jake for sending in your colorful game - it's really got heart! (...and rectangle... and square...)

Zoo Adventure

- Jonah B.

Kevin loves animals, and the animals love him too. He's the perfect zookeeper. But Kyle is jealous, and he's let all the animals out of their pens! Oh no! Can you find the code to the security locks and close the cage doors before all the animals wake up from their naps?

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