How to write escape room clues for 10 year olds

Adults write clues that adults find clever. A ten-year-old needs a clue they can read on the first go.

This guide gives you rules you can apply to any puzzle, whether you write your own or adapt someone else's.

Read it aloud first

Before a clue goes in the game, read it aloud to someone who has not seen it. If they hesitate, rewrite it. If they ask what it means, rewrite it.

Children get stuck on reading before they get stuck on thinking. Take away the reading problem and the puzzle is still there.

Keep the words short

• Use short sentences.
• Use one idea per clue.
• Use words a nine-year-old uses every day.
• Put the question last, so it is the last thing they read.

Compare these two:

"Ascertain the numerical value corresponding to the number of items positioned upon the mantelpiece."

"Count the things on the mantelpiece. That number opens the first lock."

Say what the answer looks like

Many stuck children do not know what a finished answer is. Tell them: a four-digit number, a five-letter word, three colours in a row.

Give the padlock or the answer sheet the same shape. A four-digit lock means a four-digit answer.

Choose puzzles that suit the age

Good puzzles for 7 to 12:

• Matching pairs and sorting into groups.
• Finding hidden objects and putting them in order.
• Simple codes with the key provided, such as a letter for each number.
• Counting and adding small numbers.
• Reading a short rhyme for a location.

Puzzles to leave out:

• Anything that needs long sums or fractions.
• Codes that need a key the children have to work out.
• Riddles with wordplay that depends on spelling or accents.
• Clues that need a phone or the internet.

Limit the steps

Each puzzle should have no more than two steps. "Find the key, then open the box" is fine. "Find the key, decode the note, add the numbers, then open the box" is too many.

Ten minutes is a long time for a single puzzle. Aim for three to five minutes.

Add a check

Give children a way to know they are right before they use the lock. A correct answer might make a picture, or a word that makes sense. If the word is nonsense, they know to look again.

Have a fallback for every puzzle

Assume that at least one puzzle will not work as planned. Prepare three hints for each, from a nudge to the full answer. How to give escape room hints in character shows how.

Get the free mini-game

The free mini-game uses these rules. Every clue is short, prints in black and white and comes with a three-step hint card.