Planning Steps
Creating an escape room can be a fun and engaging way to bring a new element of challenge to your classroom or event. There are three main elements to consider when designing an escape room: the story, the puzzles, and the locks.
Here are some steps to help you create your own escape room:
- Determine the skills and knowledge you want to practice or introduce. This will help guide the theme and challenges of your escape room.
- Develop a compelling story for your escape room. You can use one of your own ideas or draw inspiration from online resources such as lockpaperscissors.co.
- Decide on the overall structure of your escape room. Will it be linear, with one puzzle leading to the next, or will players have the freedom to tackle puzzles in any order?
- Design your puzzles. You can create these digitally or on paper, and there are plenty of templates and ideas available online to help you get started.
- Optional: Add a digital element to your escape room, such as using Google Forms to locks that players must open (Here is a Video Tutorial)
- Optional: consider creating a Google Site or Genial.ly presentation to house your escape room materials. This can be a convenient way to add videos, interactive images, or longer text descriptions to your game.
By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to creating a fun and engaging escape room experience for your students.
The Setup
There are several different approaches you can take when designing the structure of your escape room. One option is to use a linear setup, in which tasks must be completed in a specific sequence in order to progress through the escape room. This can be useful if the tasks are presented in chronological order or if certain concepts need to be revisited before moving on to more challenging material.
Another option is to allow players to tackle the tasks in any order, but only unlock the final lock once all of the tasks have been completed. This setup requires players to figure out which tasks correspond to which questions, adding an extra layer of challenge.
A third option is to allow players to work on the tasks simultaneously, with each group member tackling a different puzzle. In this setup, everyone must come together at the end to combine their findings and solve the final password in order to escape.
Each of these approaches has its own benefits and can be tailored to fit the needs and goals of your escape room lesson.
Digital Escape Rooms in Lessons 