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Themes

Settings that carry a whole adventure.

A theme is not decoration. A good one makes the puzzles obvious before anybody explains them, which is most of the work of running a game for children.

Pirates come with a map, a chest, a key and a reason to count coins, and a six year old already knows all of that. Spies come with codes, a mission briefing and a reason to be quiet. A heist supplies a floor plan, a time limit and a guard rotation. A haunted house explains why the lights are off and why a room is locked. Pick the theme that already contains the puzzles you want and half your explaining is done.

Age matters more than taste here. Pirates and treasure work from about five to nine and then drop off a cliff. Spies hold from seven to about thirteen. Detective mysteries and heists work from ten upward and keep working on adults, which is why they are the ones to reach for when the group is mixed or when teenagers are involved and would rather be somewhere else.

Guides

Thanksgiving Games for Kids: 5 Free Printables for While Dinner CooksThemesThanksgiving Games for Kids: 5 Free Printables for While Dinner CooksFive printable games that keep kids busy while the turkey cooks, from a coded menu to a treasure map that leads to the pie.1 min readPrintable Halloween Treasure Map: Make a Spooky Map for Your HuntThemesPrintable Halloween Treasure Map: Make a Spooky Map for Your HuntDraw a haunted treasure map of your own house in five minutes, with spooky names for every stop and an X where the candy is.1 min readHalloween Party Games for Kids: 8 You Can Print at HomeThemesHalloween Party Games for Kids: 8 You Can Print at HomeEight Halloween party games you can print tonight, from a trick-or-treat hunt for little ones to a haunted escape room for teens, most of them free.2 min readHalloween Treasure Hunt Clues: 20 Printable Riddles for KidsThemesHalloween Treasure Hunt Clues: 20 Printable Riddles for KidsTwenty Halloween riddles that each lead to a hiding place, for inside, the yard and older kids, with the candy at the end.4 min readHalloween Scavenger Hunt for Kids: A Free Printable for a Party at HomeThemesHalloween Scavenger Hunt for Kids: A Free Printable for a Party at HomeA Halloween scavenger hunt for a party at home, with lists for three ages and every line changeable. How to run it so the costumes and decorations do the work.2 min readTrick-or-Treat Scavenger Hunt: A Free Printable List for Every AgeThemesTrick-or-Treat Scavenger Hunt: A Free Printable List for Every AgeA list of things to spot on the walk, by age, that turns trick-or-treating into a game. Change any line and print one for each kid.3 min readHalloween Escape Room Ideas for Kids and TeensThemesHalloween Escape Room Ideas for Kids and TeensHow scary to make it at five, at nine and at fifteen, puzzles with a Halloween twist for each age, and the four things that go wrong in the dark.5 min readPrintable Christmas Escape Room: The Locked WorkshopThemesPrintable Christmas Escape Room: The Locked WorkshopIt is Christmas Eve and the workshop is locked. Four puzzles on one sheet open it, and the password at the end tells them they got it right.2 min read

More Ideas

Puzzle DesignCodes & CiphersEscape RoomsGame DesignAdventure PlanningPuzzle IdeasMechanisms that reward working it out.Clue IdeasWhat a clue says, and what it holds back.Codes & CiphersCiphers a solver can crack unaided.Hiding PlacesFindable, but not on the first pass.DIY PropsProps built from what is already in the house.Setup TipsLess time setting up, more time playing.Adventure PlanningGetting from an idea to a played game.Finale IdeasEndings worth all the work before them.