Best Free Escape Room for Kids (Printable Game)

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Mary needs your help. She wants to recover an irreplaceable treasure from inside her childhood home. The problem is many mysteries surround this house and rumors of the happenings within. Help Mary recover her keepsake by solving all of the puzzles in this best Free Escape Room for Kids.

Bring the adventure and fun of an escape room to your home without any expense. Print the free puzzles and set up the game in virtually any location. You only need a few other simple materials to create this game and most of the pages don’t require any preparation.

This free escape room contains a slighter more mature theme of a mystery manor. The manor has only one existing inhabitant searching for their long lost keepsake. There is nothing too scary, because it is intended for children, but the game is more challenging and holds a theme of mystery for slighter older children (roughly over the age of 10). Read through the game below to discover if it would be a good fit for your child(ren).

The puzzles are challenging and require critical thinking and problem solving. The game can be played by one, or several players and it works well for parties or even a family game night.

Try something new and different with this free printable escape room game. Bringing an escape room to your home has never been easier!

free escape room for kids shows a pinterest pin.

Printable Escape Room Set

There are many free escape room games offered on this blog. This is the fourth of the games. If you haven’t tried the other games, or have young children (preschool aged) start with one of the escape rooms for young children. A list and link to these games are shared below. The are shared in order of easiest to hardest. The escape room described below, Mystery Manor, is the fourth, and hardest in the set.

Free Escape Room for Kids Materials

Start by printing all of the pages for the escape room. Printing in color on sturdy paper, such as cardstock is best. A few of the pages require some cutting or pasting. The set up for each puzzle is described below.

Best Free Escape Room for Kids shows eleven pages of puzzles.

Beyond the puzzles you will need a few materials to do your game. You will need:

  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Pencil/Pen
  • Paper/Scrap Pad of Paper
  • Prize (Optional)

All of the puzzles needed for the free printable escape room are available, for free. A link can be found to subscribe at the bottom of this post. The set up instructions and solutions are also described below. However, if you would like to download and print the instructions and answers, a printable product is available through Hands-On Teaching Ideas shop.

If you would prefer a hard copy vs. reading the instructions online, click the image below.

Click the image for more information.

Free Escape Room for Kids Locations

The locations for each of the puzzles are listed below. The puzzles can be set near or right with the location listed. For several of the puzzles there are many possible locations you can put the clue. For example, water could direct players to a tap, shower, water bottle etc. It’s up to you where you place the clue.

  • Plates
  • Rug
  • Clothes
  • Water
  • Bed
  • Sofa

Escape Room Game Set Up

You can choose how to set up your escape room. You can decide to not put up any decorations and the game will work perfectly well. If you want to add to the excitement, add some decorations to fit your theme. Black table cloths, music, candles and other materials can add to the engagement and fun of the free escape room for kids.

You can also choose to set a timer and have it play/tick while players work through each of the clues. I typically suggest giving players one hour to complete the game; however, if you have young or inexperienced players, a timer may cause frustration and stress. You have the option to not time players and simply let them take as much time as they need to solve the game.

Below are the instructions on how to set up each clue as well as the solutions. The description is written how players will experience the game.

Free Escape Room for Kids Welcome Letter

The welcome letter and grid with a bunch of squares with words in each square are given to players upon entering the room. You can choose to roll the grid page up like a scroll. The welcome letter needs to be read and solved before players can go onto the grid, but the puzzles are connected.

As players read the welcome letter, they discover that they are searching for a long lost treasure an elderly woman left in her manor when she was a child. As the only remaining inhabitant of the house, she is eager to get this keepsake back but is too scared to retrieve it herself because of strange and mysterious happening in the house years ago.

Best Free Escape Room for Kids  shows a welcome letter and scroll with a few golden keys.

When players enter the room two pages are quickly found. Players read the welcome letter and notice that several of the letters are bolded. When these letters are printed, they spell out the clue, “Cut out all the word mystery on this note.” Players will notice that the word mystery occurs four times in the welcome letter.

family game shows a welcome letter puzzle and the decoded sentence, "cut out all the word mystery on this note."

With scissors, players carefully cut around each of the words. Leaving four rectangular holes in the page. Players remember the second grid page that was also placed with this welcome letter. The holes seem to match up with words on the grid.

Best Free Escape Room for Kids shows a page with a welcome letter with words cut out.

When the welcome letter with the holes is placed on top of the grid, four words quickly become clear. Players will read their next clue location, “Look with the plates”.

Each of the puzzles will take players on an adventure around the house.

Best Free Escape Room for Kids shows a welcome letter with cut outs and set on top of a list of words to revel the clue, "Look with the plates".

Free Escape Room for Kids Clue #2

Players race to the kitchen and look where plates are stored for their next clue.

puzzles for kids shows stack of plates and a printed puzzle.

This clue is also two pages, but one of the pages includes a bunch of squares to be cut out with what appears to be a maze. This page also includes a list of directions for the puzzle. Cut out each of the squares and the directions and place them with the plates. Secure the squares with a paper clip or in a bag so that pieces do not go missing.

diy escape room for kids shows a grid page with instruction and thirty squares with disconnected paths.

Once players discover the clue with the plates, they will read the directions on the bottom of the grid for how to set up the clue. Each of the squares includes a number. These squares are ordered from 1 – 30 in rows. Place squares onto the grid and then read the directions on the other page for how to move the squares.

Best Free Escape Room for Kids shows a grid with square cut outs.

Looking at the puzzle set up, it does not create a path, but is rather a jumble of letters and paths.

family games shows two children solving a puzzle.

Players carefully follow the directions and move and switch squares on the grid.

Once squares have been placed by carefully following the directions, players will notice that there is one path they have created from the top row to the bottom. Following this row, players will read each letter to spell out the words, “Look under the rug.”

Best Free Escape Room for Kids shows a grid puzzle with a bunch of squares that create a path.

Players now have their location of their next clue.

Puzzle Game for Kids Clue #3

You can choose any rug to put the third clue under. Part of an escape room is having to try different things and search different locations before moving on. Choose any rug you want players to search. If you have young or inexperienced players, you can choose the rug they will be closest to and you can leave part of the puzzle visible.

games for kids shows a puzzle under a rug.

If your players are older and have done escape rooms before, you can place it under a rug they won’t check first. This challenge is also great if you have a group playing because it requires everyone to search.

Under the rug players find a twirling circular clue. Players also notice a code at the bottom. Following the code, players will read the following clue from the circles. “The rooms each hold memories, but only one holds…the lasting treasure…you hear whispers, as you lay to sleep. Check where your clothes you…always keep.”

activity for kids shows a child pointing to an image on a circular puzzle clue.

Printable Escape Room #4

Players race to where they keep all of their clothes. They find a puzzle with five mixed up words. Trying different combinations, they are able to decode the clue and find the five words: whisper, secret, haunted, puzzle mystery.

Best Free Escape Room for Kids shows a closet with clothes and a printed puzzle under a basket.

The clue also tells players that they must unscramble the letter in each box on the page. The letters in the box for each word are: WTEAR

Best Free Escape Room for Kids shows a puzzle with jumbled words.

Players mix around these letters to finally spell out the location for their next clue: water!

Best Free Escape Room for Kids shows two children solving a scrambled puzzle clue.

This clue can be interpreted in different ways. Again, this is part of the fun of an escape room. Players may search taps, water bottles, showers or anything else that could fit the clue “water”. You can place the clue in any water location you choose.

puzzle game shows a scrambled clue and some letters in boxes that give the five letters WTEAR which unscrambles to spell WATER.

Mystery Manor Clue #5

The fifth clue includes two parts. It includes a bit of writing with a picture of a book as well as a triangle. Both of these pages are found with the water.

Best Free Escape Room for Kids shows a rolled up puzzle sticking out of a water bottle.

Players check out the triangle and quickly realize that there is no writing or puzzle on the triangle. However, there is a picture of a book that seems to match the book on the page with writing.

escape room for kids shows a triangle and a page with instructions.

When this triangle is placed on the page and the books are line up, the arrows point to three letters, BED. Players may read over the information on the page, or quickly run off to search a bed for their next clue.

family game night activity shows a page with instructions and a triangle on the middle of the page with the corners pointing to the letters BED.

If players choose to read the information first before searching the bed, that’s okay and usually best in escape rooms. However, they will need the next clue, in the bed, in order to move on. The information is required for the next clue.

Free Escape Room for Kids

The clue in the bed appears to be a book, or diary! It is Mary’s, the child’s diary! Players notice that there appears to be lots of writing on the pages of the book as well as words of things around the house.

puzzle game shows a printed booklet under a pillow in a bed.

Players also notice the note on the first page of the book. The note needs to be read in a mirror. When reversed the note reads:

escape room for kids shows a clue telling players to read the backwards clue in the mirror.

Players can be congratulated for finding the keepsake and it can now “be returned and given peace to Mary, the child of the manor“. Filled with memories of her childhood, this important diary will bring peace to Mary.

Players have been successful, but there is still more to do. There is a reward for finding the priceless diary, but one more clue to solve.

Players notice the word on each page of the diary. If players glanced or read the information on the previous clue (with the triangle), they know that the information tells about different locations in the house. Places and things are ruled out from being the location of the final prize.

escape room game shows a few folded pages folded like a book.
  • Microwave
  • Dishwasher
  • Computer
  • Bathtub
  • Vacuum
  • Basement Cellar
  • Fridge
  • Sofa
  • Rug
  • Broom
  • Television
  • Attic

Players read through the previous page and cross out things that don’t fit. For example, the final prize is not in the kitchen, so the microwave, dishwasher and fridge can be crossed out.

When each of these words are eliminated, only one word is left that fits the description for the final prize: the sofa.

Completion Certificate

Players quickly go to the sofa and check around for the final prize for finding the diary and bravely solving the escape room puzzles. Around the couch players find the escape room completion certificate and a prize.

mystery manor game shows a box with a congratulations certificate.

You can include any prize, or just the certificates. If you are using the game for a party, treats or goodie bags are a great idea to include here. You can even include a coupon for something simple like an ice cream treat or a movie. This reward can be anything you want to reward players with.

The completion certificate can be printed as many times as you wish for the number of players for your game.

escape room completion certificate.

I hope you enjoyed the Mystery Manor game and if it sparks an interest in escape rooms and puzzle games, try another hands-on escape room activity with some of the ideas below.

Hands-On escape rooms include puzzle clues that players have to manipulate and search to solve. The are sometimes harder than paper puzzles and can be more engaging. You can add a few hands-on puzzles to any printable escape room to make it even more exciting and challenging.

Download the Free Printables

Join Hands-On Teaching Ideas and download the free escape room printables featured above. All of the printables in the activity are included in the resource. Once you subscribe, through Grow, the puzzles will download.

Shortly you will also gain access to the Free Resource Library filled with over 100 free resources, and more are being added all the time. When you subscribe you will also be the first to learn about my latest products, promotions and activity ideas. Join today!

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