Escape room birthday parties are a fun way to make sure even reluctant birthday party attendees have a great time. DIY escape rooms are the perfect mix of adventure and messy fun. This list of escape room puzzles and a step-by-step guide so you’ll have everything you need to make your own escape room for kids.
Easy Homemade Escape Room Plan
In escape rooms, everyone works together to solve puzzles and beat games, all before the clock runs out. They’re a great group activity that’ll get everyone talking, which is why escape rooms are the perfect birthday party game!
1. Create Escape Room Goal(s)
When making a diy escape room for kids, you have to create clear goals for them to find. Even if birthday party chaos erupts, they need to know where to go and what to look for.
2. Make & Hide Escape Room Keys & Codes
In real escape rooms, the goal is to find keys or codes to open doors. For our homemade escape room, we created a lockbox that kids can place the keys they find inside. That’s why the first steps for making a homemade escape room are:
- Creating a lock and set of keys. We normally use 3 keys.
- Deciding where the end goal is. The front or back door are great options because they’re easy to spot.
You can use real locks and keys, such as locks meant for bikes and lockers, but these are often difficult for younger kids to use. They can also be scary, so it’s important to know what’s appropriate for your party attendees.
Related: Free Printable Birthday Party Invitations
Homemade Lock & Keys for DIY Escape Rooms
You can make your own lock and keys for an easier, cheaper, more kid-friendly game. There are lots of options for the lock– shoe-boxes, tuber-ware, plastic cups, even a giant bowl. You can decorate it like a real lock, make it match the birthday theme, or leave it as a simple container for keys. The important thing is that it’s noticeable and that kids can easily put keys inside of it.
You can be as crafty or as simple as you want with the keys. You can make them of cardboard, clay, pipe-cleaners, straws– you could even make them out of paper. Just make sure the kids know what they’re looking for!
3. Prize at the Clear End Goal For Kids To Find
The same goes for the end goal. All party participants have to know what it is. The front or back door works well because they’re often in the center of the house and easy to find. You can decorate it with streamers, banners, and balloons so it’s even more obvious. When you’re done, place the lockbox near it.
To add even more fun, place prizes on the other side of the end goal. Goodie-bags, piñatas, little toys, and candy, are great options! The prizes are one of the things that make diy escape rooms better than real ones!
Set Escape Room Rules Before the Birthday Party
There are two things you need to decide before you unleash the children upon their escape room:
- How many hints do they get?
- How long do they have to finish the escape room?
Both of these will depend on your kids and how competitive they are. Most escape rooms give participants an hour to escape and three hints. While we normally give the kids three hints and an hour limit, what matters most is that they’re having fun. If their happiness means an extra hint or couple more minutes, then we give it to them.
This is a great time to decide on a time monitor and where non-participants should sit while the game is in action.
Hiding Keys: The Key to Every DIY Escape Room
Where you place the keys will determine the types of puzzles you use and the answers to those puzzles. If you hide a key inside the closet, then a puzzle’s answer needs to lead the kids to the closet.
- Because diy escape rooms will most likely be at your home, most of your puzzle answers will be household objects. Vacuum cleaners, fridges, TV stands, book cases, window sills, fish tanks, shoe racks, flower vases, and fruit bowls are all great options!
- For birthday party specific fun, try leaving keys by presents, cakes, cupcakes, piñatas, birthday banners, and goodie-bags!
- Because this escape room is for kids, make sure the hiding spots are where they can reach!
- Remember where you put the keys, these locations are going to be the answers to your puzzles,
An Example: How to Make an Escape Room for Kids
Now that you’ve made a lock, keys, chosen the end goal and hid the keys, it’s time to creates puzzles and games that will lead the kids from puzzle to puzzle!
We’ve created a step-by-step example to show you how to link puzzles together so your diy escape room will flow together smoothly. After the example, there will be a list of puzzles and games for you to choose from. This way you’ll be able to craft an escape room that’s perfect for your house and kids!
For the first example, we’ve hidden the keys in three locations: a cupcake, the freezer, and a piñata. Our goal is to lead the kids from one of these locations to the next. This example will show you one configuration of puzzles that would work!
Download & Print Escape Room Puzzle Printables
Escape Room Puzzle #1: Jigsaw Puzzle Balloon Pop Game
Choose the first key that needs to be found. This comes down to preference and what kind of puzzles you want to do. For this example, we’ve chosen the key hidden inside the cupcake. Whatever our first puzzle is, it needs to lead the kids there.
- Supplies Needed for Game: balloons, confetti, and a paper jigsaw puzzle.
- Set up of Game: Before the escape room starts, stuff the balloons with jigsaw puzzle pieces and confetti, then blow them up.
- How the Game Reveals the Key: When completed, the jigsaw puzzle needs to show a picture of the first key‘s location. You can print out a cupcake jigsaw puzzle and a blank puzzle below!
- Play the Game at the Birthday Party: Gather the kids in room or small area and free the balloons! Kids need to pop the balloons, gather the pieces, and put them together to figure out where the first key is. After seeing the cupcake jigsaw, they should be led towards the cupcake table where the next puzzle awaits!
Escape Room Puzzle #2: Cupcake Surprise
This puzzle requires a bit of prep and is a little messy, but kids are sure to love it! On a tray far away from the real birthday treats, have a set of cupcakes you’ve made specifically for the escape room. Inside one of them, hide the first key. Inside another, hide the puzzle that will lead them to the next second key.
- Supplies Needed for Game: Homemade cupcakes, first key and puzzle to lead to second key that can be hidden inside cupcakes (see below for key & puzzle ideas).
- Set up of Game: Depending on what type of key and puzzle you are using, bake inside homemade cupcakes or strategically cut pre-made cupcakes to be “fixed” with frosting. The second puzzle can be anything that fits inside a cupcake– riddles and secret codes hidden in plastic bags or tiny objects from the next second key‘s location. In the second example, we’ve used a color-by-number that reveals a vacuum cleaner.
- How the Game Reveals the Key: After party-goers have torn the cupcakes apart with their hands (and you’ve cleaned everything up!), the first key and the second puzzle should be found.
- Play the Game at the Birthday Party: Kids will be lead to the cupcakes by the previous puzzle and will need to search the cupcakes for the key and their next clue.
Escape Room Puzzle #3: Birthday Banner Tangle
This should lead the kids to the next puzzle, which is tucked away inside the hallway closet. You can download a color-by-number vacuum below! Inside the closet, the next puzzle, the birthday banner tangle, awaits.
- Supplies Needed for Game: Birthday party banners, permanent markers, something to hang the banner with – tape or removable hooks.
- Set up of Game: Prepare for this puzzle by purchasing multiple banners and writing the next clue on the back of one. These free decorative banners are printable and easy to make! We want to lead the kids to our second key, which is in the freezer. A clue such as “cold,” “ice,” or “I scream for ice cream” would do.
- How the Game Reveals the Key: After you’ve written the clue, tangle the banners together so that the clue is unreadable until the kids have separated the banners.
- Play the Game at the Birthday Party: Kids will find where the banners are hidden (they can be hidden in plain site if hung against wall so the clues are not obvious) and it will lead them to the next key and puzzle: Our last key is hidden inside a piñata. Inside the freezer, kids should find the second key and their last clue. For our last example, we’ve written the letters for “piñatas” on different pieces of paper. To figure out where they have to go, kids have to unscramble the letters!
Escape Room Puzzle #4: Birthday Party Pinata
If your end goal is the back door, then the piñata needs to be in the front yard. If it’s the front door, then the piñata should be in the back with adult supervision. The kids will find the last key when the pinata is broken.
- Supplies Needed for Game: Homemade piñata or store bought piñata, candy and letters inside piñata that can be unscrambled for final clue. Something to hit the piñata with or a string piñata that has strings to pull.
- Set up of Game: Fill the piñata as you normally would with the addition of letter clues (these can be single plastic letters, scrabble tiles or letters written on small pieces of paper). Hang the piñata as you would for any birthday party.
- How the Game Reveals the Key: When the kids break the piñata, all the letters will be revealed and they can unscramble them for the final key.
- Play the Game at the Birthday Party: Kids will play a traditional piñata game with an additional goal beyond candy!
After all of the keys are placed in the lock, open the last door. The kids have won! It’s prize time!
Pick & Choose Puzzles To Make Your Own Escape Room
DIY escape rooms depend on the objects in your house, the activities you’re willing to do, and, most importantly, the kids themselves! Making sure you pick puzzles that are the right difficulty for your kids is important. It’s just as frustrating to fly through an escape room as it is to get stuck in one! This list of puzzles provides options. Hopefully, you’ll find puzzles that fit your house and kids perfectly!
Instructions For Birthday Themed Escape Room Games
- Pin-the-Hand-on-the-Key: A fun birthday themed game! All you need is a big piece of paper, a small paper hand, tacks, tape, and the key. Tape the key onto the sheet of paper, then roll it up and hide it. Once found, have the time monitor or hint-giver tack it up and moderate the kids as they try to pin the hand on the key.
- Puzzle Punch: Another messy one, but what kid doesn’t love to get messy? Get some plastic bags and the paper jigsaw puzzle of your choice–our free printable cupcake jigsaw and blank jigsaw will be below. Our favorite birthday punches are made of Sprite and Sherbet, so they’re green, foamy, and mysterious. Place the puzzles pieces inside the plastic bags, then put them in the punch. Let kids use their hands or a set of tongs to fish the puzzle out! The completed puzzle should lead them to the next clue.
- Present Jumble: Get some extra boxes and make sure they’re clearly separated from any real presents. Next, place the key in one box, and objects of different weights in the others. Objects with drastically different weights work best, such as a rock and feather. Place a riddle or instruction card in front of the presents. It should tell kids that they’re allowed to shake, throw, and bang all the gifts, but they can only open one. Once they’ve opened a present, that’s their guess!
Riddles, Mazes, and Codes– Oh My!
- Color-by-numbers are scary at first glance, but easy to do. We recommend using the resulting picture to lead kids to the next clue. They’re great for young escape room goers!
- Popsicle stick puzzles are easy to make. You can put whatever picture you want on them, so they’re a great way to complete your diy escape room.
- Riddles are an easy answer if you ever get stuck making an escape room. If you’ve hidden a key in an obscure location, making that location be the riddle’s answer is a great solution. You can always make them harder by putting it in code!
- These secret codes are a great way to spice up an escape room.
- If the birthday is around New Year’s Eve, these free secret code printables are an easy puzzle to include.
- Create a maze. When completed, the line drawn should reveal the next key’s location. This work’s best with simple images, such as fish bowls, vases, or cakes.
- If you have younger kids, letter mazes are a great escape room option! You can use multiple letter mazes to spell out a clue!
- Word scrambles are quick and easy to make, but are still lots of fun for kids to solve. Take separate pieces of paper and put one letter on each piece until you can spell out the name of the next location. Mix the letters up, and let the kids un-scramble them!
- If you don’t want paper jigsaw puzzles, here’s some tips for making your own cereal box puzzles.
–>Download Free Escape Room Printables HERE!
Pre-Made Printable Escape Room Party Solution
We recently found a complete party solution if you decide the DIY version is not for you. Check out the printable escape room details on how you can get a complete game that is 45-60 minutes of escaping puzzle solving!
Use the Puzzles Inside an Escape Room Book for Your Party
This series of escape room books for kids is filled with magical puzzles that could easily be modified for a birthday party event. Use the colorful punch out puzzle pages as-is or change them to lead somewhere inside your house.
More Escape Room Ideas for Birthdays
More Ways To Create A Mysteriously Puzzling Birthday Party
Do you have any birthday party escape room ideas to share? We would love to hear them in the comments below!
