When the pandemic forced us all inside last year, my family became a little bored. Suddenly, my own kids were back home from college and after about three weeks of Netflix, they were wondering “Ok. What’s next?” Being a teacher’s kid is always a risk You’d think they’d know by now not to ever admit to feeling bored. And yet, they fall for it every time. So I put everyone to work. A lot of it was just this boring chore and that boring chore, but then we started reminiscing about all the normal stuff we weren’t doing during the quarantine. “Remember escape rooms?” one of them blurted out. So we made some of our own, which ended up being crazy fun. (And way better than Netflix, if I’m being honest.)
Before I go on, here’s a Free Easter Breakout Game I made during this phase of our quarantine experience. It’s intended for children in grades 2-3, but if you send it home as a holiday family game, older children can help younger ones with the challenges. This makes it a fun cooperative activity. Instead of competing with one another, they’re only racing against the clock. You can download it for free here.👇
And then … think about making your OWN breakout game. By making your own, you can tailor the skills and level of difficulty specifically to the people who will be playing the game. And don’t worry about making it high-tech. In all the escape rooms I’ve ever paid to go to with friends, we’ve never had access to an iPad or computer.
If you’ve done breakout games in the past, you know you can get creative with themed artifacts, locks & keys, flashlights, mirrors, magnifying glasses, riddles, and so much more, but these are the basic bones of designing your own game.
How to Make Your Own Breakout Games
Feeling up to it? You’re thinking about it, aren’t you? Download the free Easter game above for more details and directions. Once you’ve played it, you’ll be inspired with so many ideas of your own!
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Happy teaching!
