Escape Room for Kids at Home: 10 Ready-to-Run Scenarios

The fastest way to run an escape room for kids at home is to pick one ready-made scenario, hide four or five clue cards around two rooms, and let the children's phones or a tablet act as the final lock. You do not need padlocks, boxes with keys or a prop budget: a pen, a few sheets of paper, a pair of scissors and a device with a browser are enough. A good first game takes about 30 minutes to prepare and 30 to 40 minutes to play.

This guide gives you 10 complete scenarios, three for ages 5 to 7, four for ages 8 to 10 and three for ages 11 to 13. Each one has the story hook, the room setup, the puzzles in order with their solutions and the exact hiding place of every clue, the final code, the duration and the materials. After the scenarios you will find advice on running the game as a birthday party or as a rainy-afternoon activity, a simple hint system, safety tips and a short explanation of how to build the phone locks.

The 10 Scenarios at a Glance

| # | Scenario | Age | Time | Final phone lock | |---|----------|-----|------|------------------| | 1 | The Pirate Parrot's Missing Gold | 5–7 | 20–25 min | Color sequence | | 2 | The Teddy Bear Picnic Rescue | 5–7 | 20–25 min | Numeric (4 digits) | | 3 | The Dinosaur Egg Nest | 5–7 | 25 min | Directional | | 4 | The Wizard Academy Exam | 8–10 | 35 min | Password | | 5 | The Case of the Missing Cookie Jar | 8–10 | 35 min | Numeric (4 digits) | | 6 | The Space Station Reboot | 8–10 | 35–40 min | Numeric (4 digits) | | 7 | The Spy Agency Vault | 8–10 (or 11+) | 40 min | Login (user and password) | | 8 | The Pharaoh's Tomb | 11–13 | 45 min | Pattern (3×3 grid) | | 9 | The Mad Scientist's Lab | 11–13 | 45 min | Musical | | 10 | The Around-the-World Race | 11–13 | 40–45 min | Virtual geolocation |

If you are unsure which level to choose, go one step easier than your instinct. A game that children finish with two minutes to spare feels like a triumph; a game they fail feels like homework.

Before You Start: The 20-Minute Setup

Every scenario below follows the same recipe, so you only learn it once.

1. Choose two or three rooms. Tape a paper sign "Mission zone" on the doors and tell the children that anything outside is off limits.
2. Write the clue cards. Each puzzle is one card or envelope. Number the cards on the back in pencil (1, 2, 3...) so you can restock them quickly if a little brother or sister walks off with one.
3. Hide the cards while following the order. Puzzle 1 is handed over at the start; its solution tells the children where puzzle 2 is, and so on. The last solution gives the code.
4. Create the final lock on your phone (see the next section), print its QR code or keep the link ready, and test it once.
5. Prepare a visible timer and one sealed envelope per child team with three hints inside.
6. Prepare the prize. A small treat, a certificate, the birthday cake, a film night. Make sure it fits the story: the "gold", the "diploma", the "stolen cookies".

Printable clue cards are the part parents worry about most, but you do not need a download. Each scenario below tells you exactly what goes on every card, and handwriting suits children better than a perfect layout. If you want ideas for more puzzles to mix in, the list of 50 puzzle ideas for a homemade escape game is a good reservoir, and the home escape game ultimate guide covers the general method in more depth.

How Phone Locks Replace Padlocks

Physical padlocks have three problems for kids: they jam, they are bought for one lock type, and a forgotten combination ends the game. A digital lock is a web page that asks for a code and, when the code is correct, reveals a message, an image or a link. You share it by link or QR code and the children open it on a phone or tablet.

With CrackAndReveal you can build the lock types used in this guide:

• Numeric lock: a 4-digit code, ideal for counting puzzles and sums.
• Color lock: the children tap a sequence of colors. The available colors are red, blue, green, yellow, purple, orange, pink, cyan, teal and lime, so avoid clue colors such as white, black or brown.
• Directional lock: the children enter up to 8 moves, with 4 directions (up, down, left, right) or 8 if you choose the 8-way version. Great for pre-readers.
• Password and login locks: a word, or a username plus a password.
• Pattern lock: a 3×3 grid of dots to draw a shape on.
• Musical lock: a melody of up to 8 notes on a single octave, C4 to B4.
• Virtual geolocation lock: the children drop a pin on a map.

The hidden message behind the lock is where you write the final line of the story: "The gold is in the bread bin!" You can also chain 2 to 10 locks in a row, which is handy if you want to turn one scenario into a longer game.

A practical point about the free plan: it allows unlimited locks, but only 30 cumulated player attempts across all your locks, and your own tests count. Children who are guessing will burn through attempts quickly, so test your lock once, not ten times, and for a party with many children consider the Event Pass (a one-time payment of $9, or €9 in the eurozone, for 30 days of unlimited attempts, with no renewal). Taxes are included, and there is a 14-day money-back guarantee. For a younger audience, this guide to the best locks for kids explains which type suits which age.

Scenarios for Ages 5 to 7

At this age, reading is slow and frustration comes fast. Use pictures, counting and big physical movements, keep sentences to one line, and let an adult "be the parrot" (or the bear, or the dinosaur) who reads the cards aloud.

Scenario 1: The Pirate Parrot's Missing Gold

Age: 5–7 | Time: 20–25 minutes | Players: 2–6 | Final lock: color sequence

Story hook: Captain Polly the parrot has flown off with the pirate gold. She left four colored gems, and the treasure chest only opens when the gems are put in the right order.

Setup: Cut four paper gems: red, yellow, blue, green. Draw a simple treasure map of the living room. A shoebox with an anchor drawn on the lid is the "chest".

Puzzles in order:

1. The fridge riddle. The captain's letter says: "I am cold, I hum, and I keep your milk." Solution: the fridge. Hidden: the red gem is taped inside the fridge door, together with the next card.
2. Count the parrots. The card shows a drawing with three parrots and the line "Find the shelf and the book number three." Solution: the third book from the left. Hidden: the yellow gem is inside it.
3. The X on the map. The map shows a big X on the sofa. Solution: look under the cushion. Hidden: the blue gem.
4. The matching key. A paper key with an anchor drawn on it is on the sofa. The shoebox with the same anchor on its lid is on the windowsill. Solution: the anchor key opens the anchor box. Hidden: inside, the green gem and the rhyme.

Final code: the rhyme in the box says "Fire first, then the sun, then the sea, last the grass." That is red, yellow, blue, green. The children tap the four colors on the phone. The lock reveals: "The gold is in the bread bin!"

Materials: colored paper, a shoebox, a marker, tape, one phone.

Scenario 2: The Teddy Bear Picnic Rescue

Age: 5–7 | Time: 20–25 minutes | Players: 2–5 | Final lock: numeric

Story hook: Teddy was taken from the picnic and the picnic basket is locked. The four leaves Teddy dropped on the way carry the numbers that open it.

Setup: Cut four leaf shapes from green paper and number them on the back, 1 to 4. Choose five soft toys, including a rabbit.

Puzzles in order:

1. The long-eared friend. The first card says: "I have long ears and I love carrots." Solution: the toy rabbit. Hidden: under the rabbit, leaf 1 with three carrots drawn on it. Digit: 3.
2. Scrambled letters. The leaf also says "Where do you sleep? D–E–B". Solution: BED. Hidden: leaf 2 is under the pillow with four stars drawn on it. Digit: 4.
3. The odd one out. Four pictures on a card: an apple, a banana, a spoon and an orange. Solution: the spoon is not a fruit. Hidden: in the cutlery drawer, leaf 3 with one big moon. Digit: 1.
4. Shadow match. Draw two toy silhouettes on a sheet. Solution: the matching toys are the bear and the duck. Hidden: leaf 4, two cherries, is tucked under the duck. Digit: 2.

Final code: the leaves in order give 3, 4, 1, 2. The lock message says: "Teddy is hiding in the wardrobe!"

Materials: green paper, soft toys, a pencil, one phone.

Scenario 3: The Dinosaur Egg Nest

Age: 5–7 | Time: 25 minutes | Players: 2–6 | Final lock: directional (4 moves)

Story hook: A baby dinosaur is about to hatch, and Mama Dino left four bones. Laid in order, the arrows on the bones show the path to the nest.

Setup: Cut four paper bones. Write the arrows and the numbers: bone 1 has an up arrow, bone 2 a left arrow, bone 3 a left arrow, bone 4 a down arrow. Prepare a bowl of rice or dry pasta, three paper eggs of different sizes and ten paper footprints.

Puzzles in order:

1. The spiky tail. Stick three dinosaur pictures on the wall. The card asks: "Who has plates on the back and a spiky tail?" Solution: the stegosaurus. Hidden: bone 1 (up) is behind that picture.
2. The fossil dig. Solution: dig in the bowl of rice with a spoon. Hidden: bone 2 (left) is buried there, with two paper pebbles as decoys.
3. Count the footprints. Lay ten footprints from the door to the sofa. Solution: follow them and count. Hidden: bone 3 (left) is at the end, under the sofa cushion.
4. Smallest to biggest. Three paper eggs lie on the floor. Solution: put them in size order. Hidden: the biggest egg is a plastic egg or an envelope that opens, with bone 4 (down) inside.

Final code: up, left, left, down. The lock message: "The baby dino hatched under the dining table!"

Materials: paper, a marker, rice or pasta, a bowl, one phone.

Scenarios for Ages 8 to 10

Children of this age love the idea of "real" ciphers. Give them a decoder card and they will feel like codebreakers, and keep reading light by using one-sentence clues.

Scenario 4: The Wizard Academy Exam

Age: 8–10 | Time: 35 minutes | Players: 3–6 | Final lock: password

Story hook: To earn their wizard diploma, the apprentices must collect five potion ingredients. The first letters of the ingredients spell the magic word that opens the diploma.

Setup: Write five ingredient cards: Moonstone, Acorn, Ginger, Ink, Cinnamon. Number them 1 to 5 on the back. Prepare a tray with baking soda, vinegar and a drop of food coloring for the final fizzy potion.

Puzzles in order:

1. The hidden scroll. Write the message with a white wax crayon on white paper, then give the children a paintbrush and watery paint. Message: "UNDER THE FRUIT BOWL". Solution: the paint brushes over the wax and the words appear. Hidden: card 1, Moonstone, is under the fruit bowl.
2. Number code (A=1). Card 1 also has the numbers 13-9-18-18-15-18. Solution: M-I-R-R-O-R, so the mirror. Hidden: card 2, Acorn, is taped behind the hall mirror.
3. Caesar shift. Card 2 says: "GFBUIFS. Each letter is one step ahead in the alphabet." Solution: shift each letter back by one: FEATHER. Hidden: card 3, Ginger, is in the feather duster cupboard or under a feather pillow.
4. The riddle. Card 3 says: "I have keys but no locks, and I make music when you press me." Solution: a piano or keyboard. Hidden: card 4, Ink, is under the keyboard, piano lid or a toy piano.
5. Scrambled word. Card 4 says: "D–N–A–W". Solution: WAND. Hidden: card 5, Cinnamon, is taped to a wooden spoon in the kitchen.

Final code: the first letters of the five ingredients: MAGIC. The lock message says: "Your potion is waiting on the kitchen counter." Let the children pour vinegar onto the baking soda and watch the fizz.

Materials: white crayon, watercolors or watery paint, paper, baking soda, vinegar, food coloring, one phone.

Scenario 5: The Case of the Missing Cookie Jar

Age: 8–10 | Time: 35 minutes | Players: 3–6 | Final lock: numeric

Story hook: The cookie jar has vanished. The junior detectives must find the culprit and the evidence tags that hold the four-digit code of the evidence safe.

Setup: Write four evidence tags (small paper labels) with the digits 7, 3, 5, 1. Number them on the back. Prepare a note about three suspects, a mirror, and a Morse alphabet card.

Puzzles in order:

1. The Morse message. The first note reads -.. . ... -.- Solution: D, E, S, K: DESK. Hidden: tag 1, digit 7, is in the desk drawer with the next card.
2. Who did it? The card lists three suspects. Ana wears a blue hat and is left-handed. Ben wears a red hat and is right-handed. Cleo wears a red hat and is left-handed. The clue says: "The thief wore a red hat. The note was written with the left hand." Solution: Cleo, the only suspect who matches both clues. Hidden: an envelope labelled "Cleo" is taped under a chair, with tag 2, digit 3.
3. Mirror writing. Inside is a note written backwards: "LOOK UNDER THE BOOKS". Solution: hold it up to a mirror. Hidden: tag 3, digit 5, is under the pile of books.
4. A1Z26 again. The next note reads 2-18-5-1-4. Solution: B-R-E-A-D: the bread bin. Hidden: tag 4, digit 1, is in the bread bin.

Final code: 7, 3, 5, 1. The lock reveals: "The cookie jar was in the garage with Cleo's lunch. Detectives, you may eat one cookie each."

Materials: paper, a pen, a mirror, a Morse code card, one phone. The Morse code alphabet is easy to print or copy by hand.

Scenario 6: The Space Station Reboot

Age: 8–10 | Time: 35–40 minutes | Players: 3–6 | Final lock: numeric

Story hook: The station's computer froze and the astronauts need a four-digit reboot code. Each answer is both a digit and the address of the next clue.

Setup: Number ten paper cups, 1 to 10, on a shelf. Choose a book from your shelf and a cardboard rocket (a toilet-paper tube works). Make an alien alphabet by drawing a symbol for each letter used in the word ROCKET (R, O, C, K, E, T) and add a few decoys.

Puzzles in order:

1. The planet question. The mission briefing reads: "How many planets circle our Sun?" Solution: 8. Hidden: page 8 of the chosen book holds the next card. Digit 1: 8.
2. Fuel calculation. The card says: "Fuel tank number = 6 × 3 − 9". Solution: 18 − 9 = 9. Hidden: the next card is in paper cup 9. Digit 2: 9.
3. The alien message. The card is a line of symbols, and the key is on the same card. Solution: R-O-C-K-E-T, six letters. Hidden: the card is under the cardboard rocket. Digit 3: 6 (the number of letters).
4. The dice puzzle. A drawing shows a die with the number 2 on top. The text says: "On a die, opposite faces add up to 7. What is on the bottom?" Solution: 5. Digit 4: 5.

Final code: 8, 9, 6, 5. The lock message says: "System reboot successful. Return to the sofa, the crew can rest."

Materials: ten paper cups, a book, a cardboard tube, paper, a pen, a die for demonstration, one phone.

Scenario 7: The Spy Agency Vault

Age: 8–10 (a good bridge to 11+) | Time: 40 minutes | Players: 3–6 | Final lock: login (username and password)

Story hook: The agents must open the agency vault. It needs a codename (username) and a secret word (password), each hidden behind a different test.

Setup: Stretch yarn or string across a hallway to make a "laser maze", but keep it at knee height and never over stairs. Make a paper cipher wheel or an alphabet strip so the children can shift letters.

Puzzles in order:

1. The laser maze. The children cross the hallway without touching the yarn. Hidden: at the end, a sealed "classified memo".
2. Every second word. The memo reads: "Hello the agent codename of is our falcon friend." Solution: read every second word: THE CODENAME IS FALCON. The username is falcon. Hidden: the memo tells them: "Next stop, the bookshelf, third book from the left."
3. Caesar shift of 3. In that book is a note: "WLJHU. Move each letter back three steps." Solution: W→T, L→I, J→G, H→E, U→R: TIGER. This is the password.
4. The final door. On the back of the note: "Open the vault with codename and secret word."

Final code: username falcon, password tiger. The lock message: "Mission accomplished, agents. The prize is in the tin under the bed."

Materials: yarn or string, tape, paper, a pen, one phone. For a deeper cipher collection, see 15 cipher puzzles for escape rooms.

Scenarios for Ages 11 to 13

Pre-teens want puzzles with more than one step and a story with some drama. They like to argue about solutions, so make sure every puzzle has one unambiguous answer, and keep a wrong-answer path so the tension builds.

Scenario 8: The Pharaoh's Tomb

Age: 11–13 | Time: 45 minutes | Players: 3–6 | Final lock: pattern (3×3 grid)

Story hook: The explorers entered the tomb of a pharaoh and the exit is sealed. The curse breaks only when the explorers redraw the royal symbol on the stone door.

Setup: Draw a 3×3 grid of dots, numbered 1 to 9 left to right and top to bottom. Draw the royal symbol on it as a Z: 1, 2, 3 across the top, then the diagonal 3, 5, 7, then the bottom row 7, 8, 9. Tear the paper into four pieces and hide one piece at each stop. Make a symbol key for the letters U, R, N and a few decoys.

Puzzles in order:

1. Hieroglyph key. The first card shows three symbols. Solution: with the key they spell URN. Hidden: piece 1 is inside a vase or flowerpot.
2. Pharaoh's number code. The piece 1 backside reads 16-25-18-1-13-9-4. Solution: P-Y-R-A-M-I-D. Hidden: piece 2 is inside a pile of stacked boxes or cushions built like a pyramid.
3. Caesar shift. The next note says: "PXPPB. Each letter is three places ahead." Solution: shift back by three: M-U-M-M-Y. Hidden: piece 3 is inside a toy "mummy", for instance a teddy wrapped in toilet paper.
4. The riddle. Piece 3 asks: "The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?" Solution: footsteps. Hidden: piece 4 is on the bottom stair, or on the floor near the entrance, or under a doormat.

Final code: put the four pieces together to see the dot grid with the Z path. The children draw it on the phone's pattern lock. The message says: "The stone door opens. The pharaoh's treasure is in the room where you keep the board games."

Materials: paper, a pen, flowerpots or boxes, a teddy, toilet paper, one phone.

Scenario 9: The Mad Scientist's Lab

Age: 11–13 | Time: 45 minutes | Players: 3–6 | Final lock: musical

Story hook: The scientist has locked her last invention behind a melody. The kids must find the notes, learn the order, and play the tune on the lab's keyboard (the phone).

Setup: Number thirteen envelopes 1 to 13 and clip them to a string. Prepare red cabbage juice (boil chopped red cabbage in water and strain it when it has cooled), three cups labelled with the numbers 1, 2, 3 that contain vinegar, plain water and a baking soda solution, and a notebook.

Puzzles in order:

1. The cabbage test. The instruction says: "The acid holds the next clue." Pour a bit of cabbage juice in each cup. Solution: the cup that turns pink or red is the vinegar, so the acid; plain water stays purple and baking soda turns blue-green. Hidden: a card under that cup tells the children to look in the notebook. The notebook has the solfège key: Do = C, Re = D, Mi = E, Fa = F, Sol = G, La = A, Si = B.
2. Binary lamps. A card shows four lamps labelled 8, 4, 2, 1, with the lamps lit for 8, 2 and 1. Solution: 8 + 2 + 1 = 11. Hidden: envelope 11 contains: "Do Re Mi Do".
3. Number sequence. A card says: "1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, ?" Solution: 13 (each number is the sum of the two before). Hidden: envelope 13 says: "Play the sequence twice."

Final code: translate with the key: Do Re Mi Do is C, D, E, C, played twice: C, D, E, C, C, D, E, C. That is eight notes, the maximum for the musical lock, and the melody is the beginning of a well-known French nursery song, so most children will recognise it. The message: "Experiment successful! The invention is behind the television."

Materials: red cabbage, vinegar, baking soda, three cups, thirteen envelopes, string, paper, one phone. The cabbage juice stains, so use an old tablecloth.

Scenario 10: The Around-the-World Race

Age: 11–13 | Time: 40–45 minutes | Players: 3–6 | Final lock: virtual geolocation

Story hook: A treasure was buried in a city, and four travelers each hold one letter of its name. The children must visit four cities and drop the final pin on the right place.

Setup: Print four city signs and stick them on four rooms or places: Rio, Oslo, Moscow, Edinburgh. Write one letter on each of four cards: R, O, M, E. Hide each card in the matching place. Keep an atlas or a world map handy.

Puzzles in order:

1. The first riddle. "A giant statue of Christ the Redeemer watches over this Brazilian city." Solution: Rio de Janeiro. Hidden: the card with R is in the room labelled Rio.
2. The second riddle. "I am the capital of Norway." Solution: Oslo. Hidden: the card with O is in the room labelled Oslo.
3. The third riddle. "Red Square and the Kremlin are in this capital." Solution: Moscow. Hidden: the card with M is in the room labelled Moscow.
4. The fourth riddle. "The capital of Scotland has a castle on a volcanic rock." Solution: Edinburgh. Hidden: the card with E is in the room labelled Edinburgh.

Final code: the letters in order spell ROME. The children open the lock, find the world map, and drop a pin on Rome. On the virtual geolocation lock you set the target and a tolerance, from 10 m up to 100 km, so for a city-level pin choose a generous tolerance, such as 50 km. The message says: "You found the eternal city. Dinner is served."

Materials: paper, tape, an atlas or world map, one phone.

Birthday Party or Rainy Afternoon: How to Adapt

The same scenario works in both situations, but the pacing differs.

For a birthday party (6 to 10 children):

• Split into two teams of 3 to 5 and give each team its own color-coded set of cards, so nobody competes for the same clue. Two phones, two locks, one finish line.
• Cut the game down to 30 minutes, then end with cake. Children are excited and distracted, and long games drag.
• Give each child a role: reader, searcher, writer, code-keeper. Rotate them half-way.
• Expect many wrong attempts. If you are using the free plan, count on the 30-attempt cap or consider the Event Pass for the day.
• For younger guests, take inspiration from escape game for kids ages 5 to 7 and from this free birthday escape room guide.

For a rainy afternoon (1 to 3 children):

• Skip the timer, or make it generous. A relaxed pace is the point.
• Let the children help build the next game. Many children enjoy creating a puzzle for a parent as much as solving one.
• Play across the whole house and combine two scenarios: finish the pirate hunt, then follow with the dinosaur nest.
• If you have just one child, play as the guide yourself and add a "secret agent" duel: the child against the clock rather than against other children.

For outdoor ideas by age, the treasure hunt for kids by age article is a useful companion.

Giving Hints Without Spoiling the Fun

A good hint system keeps the story going and protects the mood. Our favorite approach, based on running many home games, has three levels:

1. The nudge. Re-read the clue aloud and ask: "What is this sentence really asking you to find?"
2. The pointer. Name the area or the method: "This one is a code, look at the key card."
3. The answer. Show the answer to the current clue only, then move on.

Write the three levels on sealed envelopes: "Hint 1", "Hint 2", "Hint 3". The children choose when to open one and the game master keeps score if you want it as a challenge (each hint adds a minute to the final time). For more ways to hide your hints inside the story, see how to create hints for an escape game.

If a child is blocked and the group moves on without them, assign them a job: "You are the keeper of the decoder card." Being useful is the best cure for frustration.

Safety Tips for Kids' Escape Rooms

• Keep hiding spots low and reachable. No step stools, no shelves above shoulder height.
• Block the stairs and the kitchen hotplates. Use oven or fridge only as cold, switched-off locations.
• Yarn lasers stay at knee height and never cross a stairway or a doorway where someone could run through.
• Small parts. Coins, beads and buttons are for older children only; use big paper tokens for the youngest.
• Allergies. Check prizes for nuts, gluten and dairy, and clear them with the other parents at a party.
• Experiments. Red cabbage juice and baking soda are kitchen safe, but supervise anything fizzy and protect the table.
• Phones. Use one parent's phone or a tablet, not the children's own, and keep it in an adult's hands for the lock when kids are very young.

FAQ

How do I make an escape room for kids at home?

Pick a short story, write four to six clue cards in a logical order, hide them in two or three rooms, and use a digital or physical lock for the final step. Each puzzle's answer should tell the children where the next clue is hidden. The scenarios above are already built this way, so you can copy one and adjust the names and places.

How long should a kids' escape room last?

Twenty to twenty-five minutes for ages 5 to 7, thirty-five to forty for ages 8 to 10 and forty-five for ages 11 to 13. If you are not sure, aim shorter: it is easy to add a bonus puzzle afterwards and hard to rescue a game that lasts too long.

How many puzzles do I need?

Four to six puzzles are enough for a 30 to 45 minute game. Younger children do better with four, and if you want a longer game it is better to add a second scenario than to stretch the first.

Do I need to buy padlocks and boxes?

No. A phone or tablet with a digital lock replaces all of them. A cardboard shoebox or an envelope is enough as a "chest", and you can keep the reveal for the lock's hidden message. Locks on CrackAndReveal are free to create, within the limits of the free plan.

What if the children are different ages?

Pair older and younger children on the same team, and give each role a job. Younger children search, count, and match pictures; older ones decode and do the math. You can also use two difficulty levels for the same scenario by simplifying a puzzle: replace a cipher with a picture riddle for the little ones.

Can I reuse the same game for another group?

Yes. Keep the cards in an envelope and re-hide them. If the first group might have told the second the solutions, change the final code and swap one or two puzzles. The structure stays the same, only the details change.

What do I do if a team gets stuck?

Use the three-level hint system: nudge, pointer, answer. Do not step in with the answer first, and never let a stuck team fall behind for more than about five minutes.

Conclusion

A good kids' escape room at home is a short story, four or five clear puzzles, an easy final lock and a prize that fits the plot. With the ten scenarios above, you can start with the one that matches the age of your children, run it once, then change the names and the hiding places to play again. Once you are comfortable, try a longer chain of locks or build your own scenario around your child's favorite interest.

Ready to create your first lock? Build a free digital padlock on CrackAndReveal in a few minutes, print its QR code and hand the phone to your detectives, pirates or space crew.