Introduce children to the unique and mysterious world of escape rooms. Filled with problem solving and clever challenges. Each escape room is its own thrilling adventure where your puzzle skills are put to test. Make your own escape room with this collection of 25 Free Escape Room Puzzles and printable clues.

Choose at least five of the puzzles and decide on a way to lead one clue to the next. As players solve each puzzle they unlock the secrets hidden in the room. Print and use the puzzles as shown, or use them as inspiration to create your own escape room puzzles.

Whether your children are avid puzzle solvers, or new to escape rooms, these puzzles were all created with children in mind.

Each of the puzzles are taken from an escape room game or collection of puzzles. All of the puzzles are available in Hands-On Teaching Ideas Free Resource Library.

All you have to do is subscribe (for free) to Hands-On Teaching Ideas below, click on the image for the 25+ puzzles and then print the puzzles you want.

Take your chosen puzzles and put them together to create your own game.

So gather your friends, family or students to experience the journey of an escape room in your own space or home.

Some of the puzzles are complete puzzles. Meaning the puzzle is already created and leads to a specific number or location and you don’t need to add anything to the puzzle.

Other puzzles are simply templates. You can create them however you want based on your room and where you want your puzzles to lead. Add in your own numbers and words to really make your escape room your own. You can also combine the two types of puzzles.

Creating Your Escape Room

Once you get started and decide on the the free printables that you like, you can also choose to add in some hands-on clues. Extra ideas for other, non printable puzzles, check out this collection of 40 escape room puzzles and the second part of this collection, 49 escape room puzzle ideas.

You can also print a template to help you sort out how to make an escape room. And you can even make an escape room lock box using a free printable.

As with all activities for children, make sure to supervise the game while they play, use clues that are appropriate for the group playing and place clues in safe locations.

How to Use and Download the Freebies

Each of the free escape room puzzles below are taken from full escape room games. You can use the freebies to create your own game by connecting each puzzle to the next. Once you know which printables you want, subscribe to Hands-On Teaching Ideas.

After you subscribe (for free) you will receive a confirmation email. If you don’t see it, double check your spam/junk folder. Confirm to this email and then another welcome email will come to your inbox.

There is a link to the Free Library in the email where you will find the freebies! Click the image for these 25+ Free Escape Room Ideas and then print the pages in the file you want.

Once you’ve printed the puzzles decide on a way to connect each one to the next. You can use any mix of the puzzles and as many as you want. Generally, you want at least 5 puzzles for an escape room. The more you use the more challenging, and longer the game becomes.

Using these printables requires you to get a bit creative to connect the puzzles together. If you want a full game that is already prepared for you, click the links below the printables for the full escape room game they come from.

Mix and match the free puzzles below to create your own ultimate free escape room! Each picture includes a brief description. Click the link below each puzzle to see an example of how the puzzle can be used in an escape room.

Free Escape Room Welcome Letters

To begin any escape room, you need a clue for players to start with. The welcome puzzles below can tell players some of the rules of the room, but it will also guide them to their next clue.

Ideas on how to use the puzzle, and connect it to your next puzzle, are included in descriptions below.

#1 Escape Room for Kids Welcome

This colorful welcome letter tells players that there are envelopes with numbers on them in the room that will be opened. This welcome letter is also covered with the number 11. If you use this printable for your room, make sure to have an envelope or another clue in the room with the number 11 on it to lead players to next clue.

#2

The next welcome letter is one of my favorites! You can print the letter with the aged background. The clue has numbers at the bottom that can be connected with items in the room (like popsicle sticks hidden around).

Each item (stick) has one of the numbers from the bottom printed on it and any other words or code that you want players to solve. Once the numbers are put in the order shown on the welcome letter, the clue becomes clear for players.

#3 Escape Room Ideas

You can mix numbers and words to lead players to clues in the room. This welcome letter has five letters in the clue that are circled. These letters together spell out “SHOES”. Players then search around for shoes in the room (or house) where you will hide their next clue.

#4

The next welcome letter is from a summer escape room, and leads players to the letter X. Two copies of this page are included with the free printables. One is the summer copy and another copy is generic and can be used any time of year.

If you use this free escape room printable for your DIY game, place an X somewhere in your room along with the next clue.

Make Your Own Escape Room

#5

This is a really easy clue and can be used to lead players just about anywhere. Each letter of the alphabet is associated with a simple picture. Draw the picture to spell out words or sentences for players to follow.

For example drawing a heart, start (with 5 points), and X tells players to search and check a hat.

This is a great clue because it is very open to allow you to create any clue you want. This way you can also make it specific to your room.

#6

These circle puzzles can be used to create a challenging clue. Print numbers on the edge of each slice. If you print letters you can print a few letters on each to then spell out a word when they are placed in the right order.

The smallest circle shows an orange circle in the center, then a yellow circle in the middle and then blue on the outside. This order (orange, yellow, blue) tells the order players must line up the other (bigger) circles. The orange slice on the smallest colorful circle must be lined up with the yellow slice on the medium sized circle and then the blue slice on the largest circle must line up.

Once they are all lined up, the solution/code becomes clear.

#7

There are a few options for this free escape room puzzle. You can create a word search and have the letters that are left over, after all of the words have been found, spell out the next clue.

Or you can place the words that need to be found in the shape of a word or number. When the words are found, and highlighted, the code becomes clear.

#8 Escape Room

This free puzzle creates a really popular escape room puzzle. Print letters, words or numbers across the strips horizontally and then cut out the strips. Tape the strips around a paper roll and players have to turn strips until they match up.

#9

For this puzzle, decide on the message you want to give to players. It may be a lock number or words telling where the next clue is. Put the letters on the small circle and then hide the equal sign card somewhere else.

One the card with the equal sign tell which shape to match a letter with. Players set the small circle on the large to match the letter and shape. On another page, draw a message using the shapes on the large circle.

This free escape room puzzle is similar to the alphabet code example #5, but the full alphabet is not used.

#10 Free Escape Room Printables

This clue is a favorite! Cut out the slices and print a letter in each slice to spell out the next clue. Color each spot or slice a different color.

On the floor of the room place three strips of tape criss cross on the floor, to make six slices. Put colored dots in the taped slices for players to match the cut out slices hidden around the room. Once placed, players can read the letter in each dot to reveal the next clue.

#11

This shape puzzle can be created to lead players to specific numbers or locations.

Draw arrows on one set of shapes to be matched up and point to specific letters, numbers or words on the other shapes hidden around the room.

#12

An ordinary puzzle becomes something extraordinary with this free printable puzzle. Print letters or words into each circle on each piece so that when the puzzle is completed, it spells out the next clue for players.

Escape Room Ideas – Hands-On Puzzles

Beyond printable puzzles for players to solve with just the printed page, use the printable puzzles below in combination with some hands-on materials for an extra engaging escape room puzzle.

#13

Print the color coded sheet and place rocks, or other item around the room. Print a word or number on each rock painted in the specific color order shown on the printable.

#14

If you are looking for an extra challenging puzzle, this is a great place to start. With small colorful shapes, made out of clay or simply drawn on paper, players have to read the descriptions on the printable and place each shape in the correct combination and spot.

This is a great puzzle for school and for following directions.

#15

Print and cut out the colorful leaves. In each leaf, print a letter or number code. Either describe or copy the leaves for players to match the same leaves to give them a code.

#16 DIY Escape Room

Create a grid by printing the numbers 1-36. As players complete each group of number combinations on the printable, they look at the lines they created and will notice that each combination creates a letter of the alphabet.

As they create letters, together the letters become words until a full clue is revealed. In this case, it tells players to go through red leaves. It is a really simple clue that can be easily changed to fit any escape room.

Escape Room at Home Puzzles

Escape room games are fun to go to and visit, but creating one at home is perfect for kids. They are familiar with the location and you can transform your home into an escape room easily and fast. These free escape room printables below are all ideal to use to set up your game around the house.

#17

It’s folded up like a letter, but as you open it something else is revealed. A fridge becomes clear when players open this puzzle up. This tells players to then go and search the fridge at their home for the next clue.

#18

The next clue is a simple image of a bedroom. However, you can use this map in different ways to direct players to something in the room. Place an X on a piece of wax paper that is the same size as the printed map. When players find the wax paper, they lay it on the map and notice that the X is strategically located over an object in the room.

This is where the next clue will be found.

#19 Free Escape Room

This is a premade example of puzzle #12 on the list above. Each puzzle piece has a word on it so when the puzzle is put together players read the words in order.

However, when read the words do not immediately make sense. There is another small code that tells players they need to cross out some of the words. Once these words are crossed out, then the puzzle makes sense and tells players to “Look Under Your Pillows.”

#20

You can use this free escape room puzzle in the same way as the map in #18 or you can glue the map onto popsicle sticks and then cut them out to create a puzzle. Once the puzzle is put together by players, they can read the words in the picture, from left to right to tell players that, “Under where you sleep is your next clue.”

Place the next clue under the child’s bed or pillow.

#21

This free escape room puzzle was created for a New Years Eve game, but can be used any time of year. It’s ideal for an escape room at home because when players follow the clues and keep track of the letters they land on, the puzzle tells players to “Check the Closet”.

If you use this puzzle, place your next clue in any closet in your house. You can keep it simple and tape the clue to the door of the closet so players find it fast, or hide it in a pocket to increase the challenge and players will have to really search for the clue.

Number Code Free Escape Room Puzzle Ideas

Numbers tend to be all over the place in escape rooms. They are an easy way to incorporate locks and combinations into your game. Each of the puzzles below give players a number once solved.

These numbers can be used together to give a lock combination. The first number can give players the first number for a three or four digit lock. Three or four puzzles need to be solved in order to fully open the lock.

You can also have envelopes in the room with numbers on each of them. Once players solve the puzzle the number that is the solution tells players which envelope to open. If they open the wrong envelope, it is empty. If it’s the right envelope the next clue will be inside.

#22

Word searches are a great escape room puzzle, especially for kids. For this free printable puzzle, players find the words at the bottom of the page and highlight them.

Once all of the words are found, the highlighted words make the number 3. Players then search the room for something with the number three.

#23 Free Escape Room Puzzles

This maze puzzle is a simple one, perfect for young players. As kids begin at the word start, they find their way through the maze and count the number of keys they pass through on their way to the end.

There are seven keys that will be counted. Players then find something in the room with the number 7 on it.

#24

This colorful puzzle includes a collection of strips with three pictures and a number each. The clue card gives five descriptions to eliminate all but one of the strips. Once players are left with the final strip, they then have a number to use for their next clue.

#25 DIY Escape Room

This number puzzle is a great math and hands-on clue. The colorful strips need to be matched with the other strip that has same number of dots on it. For example, the bright read and dark red rectangles both have one dot. Touch the dots together and then move on to match the two dots on the other end of the bright red rectangle.

As the strips begin to get matched up, a large number 15 will be formed.

#26

This puzzle has several numbers on it. At first glance, there doesn’t appear to be a single solution. Players need to put the whole puzzle together in order to see the solution. Once together the arrows clearly all point to the special number 16.

#27

The final free escape room puzzle includes lots of numbers and shapes. The clue on the orange rectangle tells players to count the sides and pick the one that doesn’t belong.

All of the shapes, except the circle all have four sides. The blue circle has the number 8 so this is the shape and number players were looking for. Players search the room for the number 8 where their next clue will be found.

I hope that you have found a great collection of free escape room puzzles to create the perfect escape room for you. Keep in mind you can visit again and download different puzzles to create another escape room next time.

If you have any questions about how you can connect the puzzles so that your room leads from one puzzle to the next, let me know. I’d be happy to help!

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