NEWS$show=/search/label/news

Here's where you'll find all the latest news about technology for children. We love to follow cool new inventions on Kickstarter and we hunt out all the latest announcements about tech toys and gadgets for the coming Christmas holidays. You'll also get our take on children's technology stories in the media.

REVIEWS$show=/search/label/review

Our kids technology product reviews are intended to help you work out whether a toy, gadget or kit is a good fit for your child or family. There's lots of cool stuff available, but is it the right choice for the child or teenager that you are buying for? We'll help you make the right choices and get the best value for money.

GIFT GUIDES$show=/search/label/gift%20guide

Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends assemble. We create gift lists to help you make good choices for kids technology which helps them develop the right skills for the future. We research the best in Coding Toys and Games, Making / Craft Tools and Kits, STEM/STEAM related gifts, Programmable Robots, Electronics Kits and Gadgets for Tech Age Kids and Teens.

PROJECTS$show=/search/label/project

Get crafty with technology. Here we'll post all our ideas and projects using technology to get creative and making with kids. You'll find anything from making a lemon battery to a glow-in-the-dark Minecraft sword. Our projects are tried and tested on our own kids or at events we run, so we are sure you can have a go at home with your kids. Some of our projects use specific tech gadgets which we provide links for you to purchase.

STEM$show=/search/label/stem

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In recent years there is an increased focus in these areas of study. We like to include Art and Design too, so we often talk about STEAM (A stands for Art). At Tech Age Kids we believe Coding is a new literacy and children need to understand how technology works, practice making skills and grow in their curiosity to make a better future for us all.

CODING$show=/search/label/coding

Coding is increasingly being recognised as an important skill for children to learn. Some will learn to code at school or at a coding club, but it's brilliant if they get support at home too.

ELECTRONICS$show=/search/label/electronics

We think it's really important for kids to get hands-on with electronics and learn how to make circuits and write code to control hardware. Younger kids can start with conductive playdough. For kids who like to combine craft and tech, littleBits are fab. And we love SAM Labs wireless electronics components for making it easy for kids to make Internet of Things inventions. Lots of electronics kits for kids have support for the Arduino microprocessor environment. The DuinoKit Jr is one of our favourites. Arduino is a fab skill for older kids and teens to develop.

ROBOTICS$show=/search/label/robotics

We love robots at Tech Age Kids, especially programmable ones. We've got lots of them and write reviews and projects that use them. Our programmable robots for kids buying guide is a good place to start if you're not sure what's available. Roby the mBot Meccano robot dog is one of our popular projects and has been with us to lots of events. Our Ozobot LEGO trailer is fab for kids who love LEGO and robots.

MAKING AND CRAFT$show=/search/label/making

We're advocates of the creative use of technology, but this needs to be balanced with developing physical skills such as papercraft, woodwork, clay modelling, technical drawing and soldering. If children don't develop these skills as they grow up then physical making projects can become frustrating rather than fun. The Maker Community uses the term 'making' as a broad term to include all sorts of artisan skills or craft activities. Being able to make things can lead to life-long hobbies or even careers. It's a great feeling to be able to take a project from an idea in your head to a real object that does something. We're particularly interested to explore products that combine maker skills with tech skills such as electronics but others focus purely on the physical making skills that are still important to modern making.

Escape Rooms for Families - Tips


An Escape Room is an experience where you have to find clues and solve puzzles to escape from a physical room. It might involve padlocks, keypads, physical problems to solve and more. Rooms have a theme and a backstory and many are fully immersive and try to make you feel like you're in the situation for real.

We think Escape Rooms are a brilliant activity for families. You'll have to combine your skills and work as a team to succeed.

Tip: Lots of Escape Rooms have deals on Groupon so it's well worth checking.


What Are Escape Rooms?

Escape Rooms are physical rooms that you enter as a group and have to solve puzzles to escape within a time limit, typically one hour though some offer extensions if you are nearly there. Many Escape Rooms have two rooms that you need to complete. 

Typical puzzles involve using logic to solve clues and codes to reveal combinations for padlocks, electronic keypads or other innovative ways of entering solutions. You may also find some physical puzzles where you have to manipulate props to release an object or clue. 

Some rooms are packed with technology while others just rely on padlocks. Some create an immersive experience with music and sound effects. Some have an elaborate back story while others are all about the puzzles. 

The thinking involved is similar to that in adventure style video games or room escape apps. Or problem-based geocaches or geocache trails. 

There are also outdoor escape experiences in many cities. These take a similar approach but clues are hidden around a city and you are given props that you need to solve the puzzle. Many cities also have family trails which are often less expensive and don't need props. An outdoor experience might be a better option for kids who aren't well suited to being stuck in a small room for an hour or more. 




Are Escape Rooms Family Friendly?

Many Escape Rooms are family friendly. We've seen the lower age for full participation given as 9 in some places, but most permit children unless the subject matter is unsuitable (there are some horror-themed rooms that aren't suitable.)

Our 9-year-old was kindly provided with a step ladder recently so that he could fully participate in high-up puzzles. We found that our kids aged 9 and 10 were able to fully contribute to helping us escape.

Rooms often have multiple puzzles active concurrently so having multiple team members helps to complete the room in time. This works really well because it gives kids the chance to spot some things first. Our kids have been genuinely useful and really enjoyed the experience.

Note that you're not really 'locked in', either the door will just be open or there will be a button release.

What Skills Do Escape Rooms Develop?

Escape Rooms are fantastic for encouraging logical thinking and collaboration skills in kids. These are great skills for computational thinking.


The experience is a bit like being in a computer game (Escape Rooms are inspired by video games) so it should appeal to gamers.

They also create an environment where you have to think under time pressure.

Escape Room Board Games

There are now quite a few Escape Room board games that you can complete at home. We recommend trying some of these before booking into a physical Escape Room. They'll help you understand the kind of thinking needed (though there's lots of variation) so you'll be able to make the most of your experience. Escape Rooms are, understandably, fairly expensive activities so you want to make the most of your time there. 

We've previously reviewed Escape the Room: Star Gazer's Manor which we would recommend for families.

Our Escape Room Experience

We've now completed three escape rooms as a family, with more planned. These are:

  1. The MAYAN room at Other World Escapes in Southampton. This was a fantastic first experience. It's a fully immersive set with loads of great features and interesting puzzles. The kids were really involved and my younger son was provided with a step ladder so that he could be involved with everything. There's a full backstory on the website which I read to the kids first (editing out some non kid-friendly content!) The room itself is completely child-friendly. 
  2. Pandora's Escape at City Games in Oxford. This was quite a good experience but we escaped in under 25 minutes. The puzzles just seemed to unfold in front of us. The main obstacle was that it's dark in the second room. We would have preferred more light and more puzzles to solve. There's no story that we could discern here. If we had completed this room first then we would have really enjoyed it and there were some nice touches. 
  3. Mission to Winchintzy at Clue Capers in Winchester. This was a really well put together experience. Lots of variety in the puzzles and really great props. The backstory was a bit weak, I don't think we thought about it at all while we were in the room. But it didn't matter, the setting was really nicely designed with lots of interesting details. 

Are Escape Rooms Worth the Money?

Escape Rooms aren't cheap. They typically cost more than a family trip to the cinema and are often close to the cost of a family day at a theme park or attraction. You may be able to find deals that reduce the cost (we've had success on Groupon.)

Unlike in a cinema or at a theme park, you are getting a really custom experience which does cost money to provide. Quite a lot of Escape Rooms are small independent businesses which we like to support. 

If your kids are the right age and temperament then a good escape room feels like value for money if it's an affordable amount of money for your family. We're finding that they're a great way to spend family time together now that our kids are entering the tween years and aren't so interested in younger kids attractions anymore. 

If escape rooms are beyond your budget, you could try an Escape Room board game, or try geocaching first. 

Escape the Room Video Games for Kids

I'd recommend the Hooda Math Escape Games for Kids, these are computer games where you have to move between rooms looking for clues and solving puzzles. They involve a lot of the skills that kids will need in Escape Rooms and in the real world. 

The graphics aren't fancy, but there's lots of thinking to be done and there are video walkthroughs if you get stuck. 

I'd also recommend adventure game apps. There are some brilliant ones out there. I'd particularly recommend The Lost City by Fire Maple Games. 

History of Escape Rooms

My partner and I both watched The Adventure Game on TV as children, this was a TV show where teams had to solve puzzles to escape from a series of rooms in a fantasy setting. (We've made our children watch it too!) I also watched Knightmare which used green screen techniques to create a puzzle environment through which a team had to guide an adventurer. Then there was The Crystal Maze which took a similar approach and has had a recent revival (on screen and with a physical venue for adults.)

I played lots of text adventures as a child which have similar puzzles, but on a computer (and I still do play them though they're called interactive fiction now.) There are also lots of escape the room apps and games. Early ones influenced the physical games. My partner and I devoured games like 7th Guest and Myst when they first came out.

The first Escape Room for the public is generally reported to be the Real Escape Game by Takao Kato in Japan. 

Tips for Taking Kids to Escape Rooms

  1. Check the age limit first, it's usually in the FAQ. It would be really annoying to book and then find out that it's not suitable. 
  2. Check what the arrival time means. Sometimes it's the time you should arrive at the venue, sometimes you need to be there 10-20 minutes before that start time. 
  3. Some Escape Rooms set an age recommendation based on the difficulty of the puzzles rather than the maturity of the content. After they've got some experience, these may be suitable. 
  4. Make sure no one is going to be hungry or need the toilet during the escape. You don't want any distractions!
  5. If you have solved something or worked out how to solve something that your kids will be able to solve then pass it over to them while you look at something else. This makes sure they're involved and makes the best use of everyone's time. 
  6. Tell them it's their responsibility to look for clues that are low down in the room (this gives them a specific focus and offsets any high up clues that they can't see.)
  7. Encourage kids to look for details you might miss and examine everything closely. 
  8. Try and get their attention before doing anything major like unlocking a padlock so that they don't miss any important parts of the puzzle. 
  9. Don't take kids who are likely to be boisterous or get bored. There may be props that could easily be damaged and it's no fun for anyone if the kids aren't keen to engage with the puzzles. 
  10. Do some research and find an easy escape room to complete first. This will give you the chance to get used to the idea and it's less fun to do easy rooms later after completing harder ones. 
  11. Plan to go for a meal or a walk afterward so that you can discuss the experience. This is half the fun - talking through the puzzles and making sure everyone understands any puzzles they missed. 
24 days of Scratch coding book cover and cute penguin
Name

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Tech Age Kids | Technology for Children: Escape Rooms for Families - Tips
Escape Rooms for Families - Tips
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Tech Age Kids | Technology for Children
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