Escape rooms have become a popular activity for families and people of all ages, transforming problem-solving into a fun adventure. You can harness this excitement with your students. Here’s a simple step-by-step guide on how you might go about creating your own maths escape room for your class.
This is such a great project. You can make it as simple or elaborate as you want, link it to other topics, or involve older students in designing escape room puzzles for their peers.
If you treat your escape room planning like a typical station based maths activity with a story wrapped around it, it is not too hard.
If you are in a large school, two classes could make escape rooms for each other. In a multigrade setting, older children can flex their maths knowledge by developing clues for younger classmates.
In setting up an effective and educational escape room scenario, I find it useful to go through some steps.
Define my objectives
What maths concepts do I want my class to practice and master?
Whether it’s addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, data, geometry or a mix of concepts, having clear goals will help guide the design of the puzzles and challenges.
If I am having the children help design clues for others, its important that they know the objectives too.
Choose a theme and story
A compelling theme will make the escape room experience more immersive and enjoyable for the children. You could pick a theme like “Pirate Treasure Hunt“, “Space Adventure“, “Dinosaur Discovery“, “Mystery at the Museum” or tap into your class’s interests. The theme will influence your story, the clues, the props and the overall atmosphere of the escape room.
Consider having a captivating introduction to set the scene and a story that can unfold as the children work though the clues. You may even involve yourself as character to introduce some drama and role play!
Imagine how a letter might arrive for the class from a pirate that hints at a treasure buried on one of 8 desert islands!
Consider the organisation
If your escape room is your classroom, you will certainly need to keep it simple and quick to set up. If you have the time though, you could set it up after school to amaze them the following morning!
I find small teams of 2-4 work well and the teamwork encourages collaboration and communication.
You will need to think about time. Five or six puzzle activities should be enough.
The role of the teacher
You can provide all the resources for the children to solve the puzzles to find the next clue themselves but it can make things much easier if you, as the teacher, act as The Puzzlemaster (Pirate Captain, Dungeon Wizard, etc.).
When a team comes to you with a correct solution to a puzzle, you can choose where they go next to help manage the space and activity more efficiently and avoid any ‘bottle neck’ puzzles.
By keeping a time record for each team to solve each puzzle you can keep a running score and find the fastest team/s at the end.
Design the puzzles: Some ideas
The heart of any escape room of course, is the puzzles. You will need a series of maths challenges that align with your learning objectives.
You may simply be able to recycle or adapt popular activities from worksheets or maths workbooks but it can be fun to create your own.
Here are a just few ideas for maths you or the children might explore:
NUMBER OR COMBINATION PADLOCKS
These are a great general resource to have for you Escape Room challenges. I would recommend getting hold of a few.
Create puzzles that require children to solve maths problems to find the correct combination for the lock. Each solved problem reveals a number in the sequence or the code. You can vary the difficulty of the problems based on your class’s abilities, including addition, subtraction, multiplication or division.
You can buy physical number (or combination) locks with three or four digits (allows numbers up to 999/9999) for €5-12 which you can use to lock a box with a clue inside or to release a pair of scissors needed to create a clue shape cut from paper. If you have three or four locks, you can set their codes to open different clue or treasure boxes.
Here is an example of a clue that reveals a code for a combination lock.
TIP: Mark each combination lock with tape or a permanent marker colour so you can identify their codes later. You can also change the code easily in case the kids remember it!!!
PATTERN RECOGNITION WITH SHAPES
Design puzzles where children must identify and complete patterns. This can involve sequences of shapes or colours.
PATTERN RECOGNITION WITH NUMBERS
A number sequence could be simple or more sophisticated with multiple operations.
What is the next number in this sequence?
2, 6, 14, 30, 62, ???
or this one?
2675, 6752, 7526, ????
WORD PROBLEMS
Incorporate word problems that fit your theme and require children to use their mental maths and communication skills to find solutions.
The double of four then the half of six,
add the number of months in the year to reveal my tricks!
(8312)
COMPASS/ANGLES CIPHER
Use a compass and a ruler to locate letters or numbers located at particular angles and distances from a starting point. Mark north on a map made on grid paper. A point of distance could be 1cm on a ruler.
From the tree on Big Island, travel 30 degrees for 8 points to reveal the first number.
If you have a programmable robot, you could have a program they have to create to make the robot move to particular location to reveal a clue.
NAVIGATE A GRID OR MAP
Populate a 100 square with letters and numbers and provide instructions to locate each letter or number in a clue. E.g. Left 5, Up 2, Right 7, Down 6, etc.
For a geography link, you can use the coordinate system and grid squares on a map and use the letters or names or locations found to spell out a clue or final location.
PHYSICAL CHALLENGES
Integrate physical activities that involve maths concepts, such as weighing objects to unlock a number on the weighing scales, measuring distances, counting steps or sorting objects by size or shape etc. You could have a classroom scavenger hunt. For example, “find three objects that add up to 15” or “find two items that, when multiplied, equal 24.” This activity helps reinforce arithmetic operations and number sense.
SHAPE SORTING PUZZLE
Create a puzzle where children need to sort different shapes into categories. For example, you can use geometric shapes and have them classify by type (triangle, square, circle) or by properties (number of sides, angles). Once sorted correctly, they’ll receive a clue or part of the key to their next challenge.
MEASUREMENT MATCH UP
Set up a series of measurement challenges where children need to use rulers, scales and other tools to find the length, weight or volume of various objects. Correct measurements will unlock a clue or part of the escape room’s final key.
TIME TELLING TASKS
Create activities that involve reading clocks and solving time-related problems. For example, children might be given a series of events and need to put them in chronological order or calculate the duration between two times. Correct answers yield clues for their escape.
INTERNET RESEARCH BASED PROBLEMS
You can link lots of topic work by asking the students to do internet based research to find clues.
Key historical dates for topics being studied could be found that are used as part of a maths puzzle.
Of course you can integrate Gaeilge into any of your clues to expand the opportunity and challenge!
Bringing it all together
Lay out the different stations or areas where children will find clues and puzzles. Use decorations, props, and thematic elements to add to the fun.
Ensure that each station has clear instructions and all necessary materials. This could be some printed instructions they have to follow.
Set a time limit
To add an element of excitement and urgency, set a time limit for the escape room. Depending on the complexity of the puzzles, 30 to 45 minutes is usually sufficient for primary children. A countdown timer can enhance the sense of adventure.
Provide hints and support
While the goal is for the children to solve the puzzles independently, be prepared to offer hints and support if needed. Ensure that children remain engaged and do not become overly frustrated. Hints can be given verbally or through written clues hidden around the room.
Celebrate success
Once the children complete the escape room, celebrate their success! A small reward, such as a certificate, sticker or a few minutes of free play, can be a great way to acknowledge their hard work and teamwork. Use this opportunity to review the maths concepts covered in the escape room and reinforce their learning.
Reflect and improve
After the escape room activity, reflect with the children on what worked well and what could be improved. They will be full of ideas and surely will be keen for their next adventure!
I have found creating a maths escape room type activity to be an innovative way to engage children in learning maths. By combining storytelling, problem-solving and collaboration, you can create a memorable educational experience that helps to nurture a love for maths.
So, gather your props, design your puzzles and embark on an exciting adventure with your class!
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