Halloween is the perfect time for an escape room! There’s no need to go anywhere because you can easily make a Halloween escape room at home. With the collection of escape room ideas below, you can easily create your own escape game for children, a family game night or even a Halloween party.

This escape room is perfect for Halloween because it includes all the best things about the holiday – pumpkins, spooky skeletons, gooey goods, a little bit of mystery and time with friends and family.

Escape rooms are a great way to build problem solving skills, team work, thinking outside the box and much more. There is a lot of learning and educational value to escape rooms, but for kids, and most importantly, they’re just fun!

The puzzles can be created and used for children, or groups of all ages. To save you some time I have included the printables that I created and used in the example below, for free.

I have tried to keep the materials fairly simple and inexpensive. However, if there is a clue, or two, that you don’t feel will work for you, check out my collection of over 40 escape room puzzles that you can take another puzzle idea from and add it to your Halloween escape room.

Halloween Escape Room

If you’re looking for another escape room game for Halloween, try Hands-On Teaching Ideas printable Fall/ Halloween Escape Room game. You can simply print, and play.

No additional materials are required and you can set up in minutes. Play at a table together as a family or in a classroom. There are no scary images so it’s perfect for even little kids.

We create a lot of escape rooms at my house, but this is the first fully hands-on escape game that we have done for Halloween. It turned out better than I had hoped and my kids had a blast.

For more fun at home for Halloween, make sure to print a Halloween Scavenger Hunt around the house. It’s free for subscribers and can be set up in minutes. The free hunt is also available for the classroom: Classroom Scavenger Hunt.

As with any escape room, make sure to use materials and locations that are age appropriate and supervise children while playing their Halloween escape room at all times.

Make a Halloween Escape Room at Home -Materials

You do need several materials for this Halloween escape room, however, most of the materials are simple and many you probably already have at home. A link to some of the products that I used, such as my locks, are located at the bottom of this post.

Don’t get too intimidated by the list below. There are a lot of things on the list, but keep in mind you are creating many puzzles and each puzzle has a few parts to create it.

Also, several of the materials are things that you may already have at home, like pumpkins, paint and jello.

Material List

To Make a Halloween Escape Room, you will need:

• Free Printable Pages (Subscribe for free and download today)
• Halloween Decorations (To set the theme of the escape room)
• Recordable Button (Link below)
• 5 Picture Frames
• Lockable Treasure Box
• 2 Number Locks
• Black Foam Board
• Metallic Marker (To show up on black foam board)
• Lychee Fruit
• Red Jello
• 2 Jars
• Googly Eyes
• Food Coloring (Red)
• Laminating Sheets
• 5 Pumpkins (Different Sizes)
• Black Paint
• Candy Corn (+ A container for the candy corn)
• Treasure Chest or Container for Prizes
• Printable Completion Certificate

Some of the materials that I used are old objects that I already had and simply painted, such as the picture frames. I also found several items at a local dollar store.

I do like to include a few special items in my escape rooms, such as the recordable button to make the room feel more professional. These special items are also great because you can use them over and over again in your escape games.

If you don’t want to include one of the puzzles in your escape room, you can leave it out or add another one in its place. As long as each clue leads players to the next clue, your game will work.

Make a Halloween Escape Room at Home Set Up

You can choose to simply set the clues up around the room and it will be enjoyed by the players. However, a big part when you make a Halloween Escape Room at home is setting the tone and theme of the room.

The nice thing about a Halloween escape room is that if you celebrate Halloween, then you can use decorations you already own to create the theme. I ended up doing the escape room in a family room and kitchen.

I used plastic black table cloths taped to the ceiling to section off the room and create ‘walls’. This is a simple idea if you don’t have a specific room available to you.

You can do the escape room in virtually any room of your home. For my teacher friends, you can even do the escape room in a classroom! Use whatever space you have.

I turned out the lights for our Halloween escape room, but you can decide how bright you want your room to be. I also had a speaker with music and a timer going in the background.

Make a Halloween Escape Room at Home – THE ROOM

As you enter the room, you hear eerie music. As you look around, the lights are off but the room is lit by a few flameless candles and strings of light. There are several decorations and Halloween items strewn about. You search from a place to start.

The Recorded Message

You enter a dark room with a few spooky decorations lit up around the room. Right away, you notice an interesting button machine that says “Press Me”. You pick up the button and press it to hear a recorded message.

The message lets players know that they have one hour to solve the room and ‘escape’. It also tells players to stay within the boundaries of the room unless instructed otherwise. You can add any other information that you want players to keep in mind as they play on this recording.

The recording finishes to say that ‘the goblin holds the first clue’. You can record your button to direct players to any object in the room and place the “Enter if You Dare” welcome letter with the object.

A link to the recordable button can be found at the bottom of the escape room. I have used one of these buttons for several escape rooms and my kids love it! If you want to add something special to your escape room, I suggest this button!

For your convenience, this post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases and I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Welcome Letter

You quickly run to find the clue on the goblin. You find a rolled up sheet of paper with a message telling what your mission is. On the piece of paper you also notice three images on the bottom corner.

A ghost, potion and a skull. You start searching the escape room for these images.

You can set this note out or roll it up for players. I added a few small holes for it to appear worn and perhaps like someone tried to get rid of it.

The Pictures – Halloween Escape Room Ideas

You look around room and notice a bunch of picture frames with spooky pictures in them. You also notice the same images from the welcome letter in these pictures.

Quickly you begin to count the number of ghosts you can find throughout the pictures, there are 3, then the number of potions, there are 5 and finally the number of skulls, there are 8. You have the 3 digit code 357!

If you are using a lock that you already have, your code will not be the same as I have included in the pictures. You can either add some other ghosts and images to the pictures to match your combination. Or you can purchase a lock that you can choose the combination for (Link below).

Another idea is to simply put a picture of a lock on the treasure box and players have to tell you the code. When they get it right, you can give them permission to move onto the next clue and open the treasure chest.

The Treasure Chest

With the code from the pictures, you are able to open the treasure chest.

Inside you find a piece of paper with what appears to be a code and a lot of different eyes. It seems to be an alphabet with a different set of eyes representing each letter.

You begin searching the room for any more eyeballs like the ones seen on the paper.

For this clue, you can simply print off the eyeball alphabet and secure it in a lockable box.

Spider Web

You find a large spider web with eyes like the ones on the alphabet code. You look closely and notice that it is not just a web, but a maze. Find the ‘Start’ and begin working your way through the maze.

The spider web maze is a maze drawn on black foam paper and silver metallic marker. You can place the web anywhere in the room. If you have an older, or more experienced group of players you can hide the web somewhere in the room so that players have to search and find it before they can solve it.

The free printable for this “Make a Halloween Escape Room at Home” includes the eye alphabet code as well as the eyes you need to cut out to place throughout the maze.

If you don’t have foam board, you can use regular paper or Bristol board. If you want to get really creative you could create a maze using tape and create it on a wall.

As you work your way through the maze, you notice that you are moving over different sets of eyes each time you move. You print the letter associated with each set of eyes to spell out the clue, “CHECK JARS”.

Spooky Jars

You noticed a few jars in the room when you first entered. They seemed to be filled with some spooky things. At first you lift the jars and see if you notice anything and then you start to put your hands in the jars searching for your next clue!

The jars can be filled with anything. I used lychee fruit that I was able to find canned from a grocery store.

The lychee was put in one of the jars with a label of brains and I added water and a bit of red food coloring. I also had a jar with Jello and googly eyes.

Inside each jar place the six word clues for the next puzzle. (These are included in the free printable.) It is best if you laminate each of the words because they will smudge when they get wet in the jars.

If you are not able to laminate, you can use clear tape and tape the front and back to form a seal or a plastic baggie can also work. Links to self sealing laminating pouches can be found at the bottom of this post.

When you find each of the six words in the jars, you notice that they spell out “ORDER THE PUMPKINS SMALL TO LARGE”.

Halloween Escape Room – Pumpkins

There are pumpkins scattered all over the escape room. You quickly find all of them and bring them together. Then, using the clue from the jars you sort the pumpkins and put them in order starting with the smallest to the largest pumpkin you can find.

Once they are all in order you decide to look closely at each pumpkin. When you turn the first pumpkin over you notice a few letters on the bottom of the pumpkin.

On their own the letters don’t mean much, but when you put them all together, it spells out, “CLEAN THE SKELETON”.

Halloween Escape Room – The Skeleton

The room has a few skeletons in it. You check and find one of the pictures of a skeleton in a picture frame. You decide to open the picture frame and take out the picture.

Right away you notice that there is something different about the picture. Around the skeleton image there appears to be black paint dried on.

You start scratching the black paint off, and ‘cleaning the skeleton’. As you do you start to notice another image that was covered by the paint.

You see a picture of a candy corn with the words, “Count Me”.

This is a really fun clue to include when you make a Halloween escape room at home. Start by printing off the skeleton clue (which is included in the free printables) and laminating the page.

Once laminated, paint around the outside of the skeleton image with black paint. Make sure to leave the skeleton image visible but the candy corn picture must be fully covered. Once dry, place the picture inside a picture frame.

The Candy Corn

Once reading the clue, you quickly grab the container filled with candy corn. There is a lot of candy in the jar, but you dump it out and start counting. Making sure to count carefully, you end up with 137 pieces of candy corn.

You look around for something or somewhere to use the number on. You notice a number lock on the door and try it!

This clue is easy to set up. Using the 3 digit number for your number lock, count out the same exact number of candy corn pieces. You can add a label to your candy corn jar to add to your theme.

If you think players may snack on the candy corn as they play, you can print a message on the lid of the candy telling players not to eat the treat.

The Final Prize

With another number code, you look around for another lock. You spot a lock hanging from a locked door and try the number and… you did it! You escaped the Halloween escape room!

All of the escape rooms that I have done outside of my home have included a second, or even third room that you progress to. I liked this idea and used it for this Halloween escape room. I put the final prize in the pantry in the kitchen.

However the door does not include a spot for a lock. You can still use the idea of a second room too by twisting string or wire around the door knob and latch to ‘lock’ it and secure it with a number lock.

Make a Halloween Escape Room at Home SOLVED!

Once you unlock and open the door, you notice another box and completion certificates! You escaped the room and solved all of the puzzles. When you open the box it is filled with lots of Halloween treats!

You can fill the final treasure box with anything you want. You can keep it simple and only put the completion certificates in the box. However, you can also add some treats or Halloween candy.

Make a Halloween Escape Room Extension Ideas

I did this escape room with a group of five kids aged 7-12. They were able to complete the room in just under 40 minutes.

You can make the room more challenging by hiding some of the clues instead of out on countertops and table and having them visible to players when they walk in.

You can add other interesting features of your escape room by adding more themed parts to the room. For example, since some of our escape room took place in the kitchen, I added spaghetti and water to the sink with some red food coloring.

The kids enjoyed exploring the room and all of the different objects and decorations around the room. This is especially great if you have younger children playing the escape room. It gives them something to explore and touch as they experience the escape room.

Classroom Extension Ideas

I have done several escape rooms in my classroom over the years. They are always well received and the kids love them. I love watching them learn as they play.

Using the Halloween escape room above in a classroom can be a bit trickier, but you can certainly still use it with a larger group.

There are a few ways I would suggest to use this game in the classroom.

Small Groups Competition

One option for using this escape room in the classroom is to split the class into smaller groups. Roughly 6-8 kids per group for a total of 4 groups. You could have an older student from another class lead each of your groups, but this is not always an option.

Prepare enough materials for each of the small groups to work their way through the room. For example, place 4 containers of rotten teeth throughout the room. One for each group.

The teacher will need to monitor the locked boxes and make sure to relock the lock after each group opens it. Or have a box for each group to open.

Groups would complete to be the first group to open the final prize.

Whole Class Game

When I do escape rooms in my classroom I make sure to focus on the learning that happens during the game. I tend not to use a timer so that we, as a group, work through the questions without having a few children lead and race through the room.

Start by decorating the classroom to set the theme.

If you have access to a smartboard or overhead, print or display the printable puzzles on the board to show to the whole class when players get to the puzzle.

For example, I would have the welcome letter large on the board for all children to read together.

With the pictures to put in the frame, I would have the pictures set in the room and when children notice the clue and start trying to solve it, I would bring the group together and show them a larger version of the picture on the screen.

For things like the messy jars, I would suggest using materials like water beads instead of jello or sticky fruit. Water beads will give the same effect, without the mess.

When it comes time to count the candies, I would give a few candies to each child and have them count their candies. Once everyone has counted, I would use a number line and add up how many each child had to tally to find a total number.

Running Your Classroom Escape Room

If you are looking to make a Halloween escape room for your classroom, it will run differently then if done at home. It will be more teacher lead and players will not race through the puzzles in the same way.

The teacher will lead and work students through each puzzle until they get to the end.

If it feels like too many children solving the puzzles at once, you could either pick a student for each question/problem you come across and work your way through each student in the class.

There is a lot of learning that happens when children collaborate and share their ideas as they work through each puzzle. Children hear what their peers are thinking as they see and solve each puzzle.

My biggest suggestion is to take your time to do the escape room. By not setting a timer you can spend a morning learning and really getting into each puzzle. As much as the game is fun and exciting, you are still teaching and children are still learning – in the most meaningful and effective way because they are engaged.

If you do more escape rooms in your classroom over the year, and students get better at them, then you could set a timer.

Free Printable Halloween Escape Room Puzzles

Save yourself some time as you make a Halloween escape room at home with the free printable puzzles. The pages seen in the escape room above can be downloaded from Hands-On Teaching Ideas Free Resource Library.

By subscribing, for free, you gain access to the ever growing Resource Library and you will be the first to learn about latest activity ideas and promotions.

Print and Play Halloween Escape Room

Love the idea of an escape room, but don’t have the time to set it up or get the materials prepared? Try a print and play escape room for Fall and Halloween. Simply print the puzzles, and hide them in specific spots around the house and you’re ready to play!

More Hands-On Teaching Ideas

If you enjoyed “Make a Halloween Escape Room at Home”, you like more ideas from Hands-On Teaching Ideas. From more escape rooms to fall STEM activities and even ideas for Thanksgiving, there is lots to keep kids busy and learning.