Looking for a unique escape room for kids that you can do at home? Escape rooms have become very popular recently! They are a fun and exciting activity and great for problem solving. I recently created this escape room at home for my kids and they loved it! I am excited to share it with you.

Kids of all ages can participate and help to solve the escape room puzzles. Each of the printables I created for the room are available for free – link at bottom of post.

Escape rooms can be done by one or many children. When done independently, they encourage problem solving. When done with a group, team work and communication skills are being used.

Escape rooms for kids usually take roughly an hour depending on the age and skill level of the children. Unlike other escape rooms, the room is not actually locked and help/clues can be given by a supervising adult at any point. Keep it fun and enjoyable!

Make sure to always supervise children when doing escape rooms.  Use puzzles that are age appropriate, safe and placed in a location that is safe for the children doing the escape room. 

Escape Room Materials

I try to use materials that I already have, however, I did purchase a few materials for this escape room. If you do not have one of the materials needed for a clue, you can always exclude the clue or change it to something else. Below are the materials that I used for this room.

• Masking Tape
• Colored Circle Stickers
• Large Popsicle Sticks
• Ribbon
• Parchment Paper
• Stuffed Animals (Including a stuffed animal that a recordable button can be put inside).
• Recordable Button
• Glow in the Dark Paint
• Combination Lock
• Treasure Box (Any box or container that can be locked with the combination lock).
• Escape Room Printable (Free for subscribers – Subscribe for free below)

Escape Room Ideas – Preparing the Room

This room is ideal for players from 5-12 years old. Older players may solve the room faster, and younger players may need some extra hints, but kids of all ages will enjoy working through the puzzles and “escaping” the room.

I give players one hour to complete the room and set a timer. I also like to have suspenseful music, or a ticking clock sound effect playing as players enter the room.

Upon entering the room, players will immediately notice the tape and colorful stickers clue on the floor. There is also a rolled up piece of parchment paper sealed with ribbon and a locked chest/box.

The timer is set. The clock is ticking… Can you solve the clues in time?

Escape Room for Kids – Clue #1

As soon as you enter the room there are 3 long pieces of tape on the floor in the center of the room. In the middle of each ‘slice’ there is a colored sticker.

You look around the room for another clue or idea what the tape and stickers could mean. While looking, you notice a few triangular shaped cut outs around the room. Each cut out is a different color and has a letter on it.

As you find each cut out, you notice that each of the slices match one of the colors of the circular stickers on the floor with the tape. You search the room until you find all 6 slices and match them to create a circle.

As you look at the circle with each of the pieces that you found, you notice that the letters seem to spell out a word.

Starting at the red slice and reading around, the letters spell “WINDOW”. You quickly go to the window.

Escape Room Ideas – Clue #2

As you get to the window, and search for your next clue, you notice a collection of large popsicle sticks attached together. You take the popsicle sticks and open the ribbon holding them together.

Make sure when hiding a clue near a window that the window is closed and secure.

Once open, you notice a picture on the popsicle sticks. The picture appears to be a puzzle of a bedroom that you need to put together.

Quickly match up the sticks to put the picture back together. Once you have it in the right order, you notice that there are words on the picture. The words say, “Under Where You Sleep Is Your Next Clue”.

The bedroom puzzle clue available in free download. The clue can be glued to popsicle sticks or simply cut into strips to put together. You can also not cut the picture and allow players to simply read the words on the picture to get to their next clue.

DIY Escape Room – Clue #3

You know that the next clue must be under the bed! Look all around and under the bed. You find another picture of a room. The picture shows lots of toys and objects throughout the room, but there doesn’t seem to be any suggestion of where you need to go next.

Attached to the picture is a clue on what looks like a scroll.

The scroll reminds you that there was another rolled up piece of paper that you found at the beginning that was secured with a “ribbon”.

Now is the time to use this clue!

You unroll the parchment paper and find an X and a circle drawn on it. You try different things and then try laying the parchment on top of the picture of the room that you found under the bed. The parchment is the same size as the picture so they must be connected.

You flip and turn the parchment several times because you can see through the parchment to the picture of the room. Finally you notice that the circle on the parchment matches up with one of the balls in the picture. It is a perfect match!

Once the circle on the parchment is matched to the ball in the picture, you notice that the X is clearly over the stuffed animals in the picture. This must be the next clue!

Escape Room for Kids – Clue #4

You go to check all of the stuffed animals in the room. There doesn’t seem to be any clues or anything special with any of the animals.

Finally, as you are pushing and touching the stuffed animals, you hear a noise. With the room quiet you hear something coming from one of the stuffed animals. As you follow the sound, you can hear a voice saying what sounds like another clue coming from one of the animals.

You squeeze the stuffed animal again, and notice that there is a voice box with a recorded clue. You listen closely and hear that the clue suggests to make the room how it would look at night.

The voice recorder was my kids favorite clue! They were shocked to hear my voice coming from their stuffed animal. If you have a toy that has an opening in the back then the button can easily go in.

Otherwise, the button can simply be set with the stuffed animals or taped to one of the animals and covered by an outfit if you don’t want it to be immediately visible.

A link to the button is found towards the end of this post.

Escape Room Ideas – Clue #5

Quickly turn off the lights and look around. There doesn’t initially seem to be anything unusual that stands out for your next clue. You search and look, but nothing.

Then, out of the corner of your eye, you notice something on the ceiling. There seems to be something glowing. Is it a number?

As you move around to be able to look at the number straight up, you notice that there is a four digit number glowing on the ceiling. That definitely was not there before so it must be the next clue!

You remember the locked box that you noticed when you first entered the room that you needed a four digit combination to open the box. Quickly try out the glowing number on the ceiling… and it opens!!! Great job!

You did it! You escaped!

Inside the box, you notice a few small prizes and a certificate with your name on it!

Tips for Creating Your Escape Room for Kids

There are many things that you can do to make an escape room for kids easier, or harder. Depending on the age of the players, and number of participants, you may want to make add an extra challenge to the room.

Some ideas to change the challenge level of an escape room include:

• Time limit. To make the room more challenging, lower the amount of time given to successfully complete the room. (I typically give players one hours, but for older children, half an hour will add to the difficulty.)
• Add extra clues. If you want to make the room more challenging, the more clues you include the longer the room will take. At the bottom of this post is a link to my collection of over 40 escape room clues that can be used in any escape room. Choose a few extra favorite clues from the list to add to your escape room for kids.
• Hints. There is nothing wrong with giving hints to players as they solve the escape room. A simple hint can keep participants engaged and not frustrated. You can give younger players unlimited clues when they ask for a hint. For older players that you are looking to increase the difficulty level, you can limit the clues or give no clues at all.
• Hiding Places. One of the easiest ways to make an escape room for kids more challenging is by hiding the clues in hard places. For example, if a clue is hidden under a bed, it can be set under the bed and be visible for young players to make it easier to find. For older players it could be taped on the underside of the bed and not immediately visible.

The more escape rooms you create, the better players will become at solving them. Their confidence will increase and their problem solving and puzzle solving skills will improve and best of all they will have fun while doing it!

Escape Room for Kids FREE Printables

Save some time creating this escape room, by downloading the printables I used in the escape room above. Simply print, cut out and prepare, and use them to create your escape room for kids.

Click the image below and subscribe to Hands-On Teaching Ideas. By subscribing, you have access to the escape room printables as well as access to my Free Resource Library, filled with free printable activities and educational products. You will also receive emails with my latest blog posts, freebies and sales.

Printable Escape Rooms for Kids – Print and Go!

If you are looking to do an escape room for kids today, try out these printable escape rooms. Minimal to no materials are required and they can be quickly set up!

More Hands-On Teaching Ideas

If you are looking for more activities and ideas to do in the classroom, or at home with kids, below are some of my favourite and most popular learning activities.

From a collection of escape room puzzles and more DIY escape rooms that you can create at home to science experiments and printables, there are lots of things to keep kids busy and learning. Click image for activity description.