By Aniya More

The escape room industry is a phenomenon that has not slowed down in popularity, even after a decade since the first escape room started in Japan. People from all over the world welcomed this concept with open arms and an open heart. The activity took the travel industry by storm as well.   

Escape room enthusiasts travel all over the world in search of the thrill of each escape room, be it an escape room in Bangalore or in Seoul, or in Amsterdam. The activity is popular among adults and teenagers alike. However, as much as people benefit from escape rooms (aside from the enjoyment, obviously), they are also a great activity for kids. In fact, the skills children learn through escape rooms help them in inculcating good habits and important soft skills.  

In fact, escape rooms are truly the NextGen activities for kids, and here is why-   

1. Developing critical thinking and deductive skills  

Escape rooms are no child’s play, even for a child. They are a puzzle within a puzzle, within a puzzle. Hence, you cannot expect to solve the mystery just yet and hope to get out soon. Even when there are escape rooms designed especially for kids, they are not as easy as one may think. This is because escape rooms tend to challenge one’s critical thinking and deductive reasoning skills. 

One needs to make sense of the situations and puzzles at hand and figure out the next clues around it, which are a puzzle on their own, as well. It is a whole loop that one must follow and solve to get out of. When children develop these skills from early on, making sense of complex situations and challenges is a relatively easier task for them.  

2. Develops patience  

As stated above, the escape room is a game of puzzle with a puzzle. Hence, it goes on in a loop, which is why one must be patient when trying to look for clues. It is hard to hold a child’s attention to one activity, and this is exactly where escape rooms differ from others. With a thrilling storyline, engaging activities, and interactive puzzles, your ids will not ever get bored of an escape room. 

Moreover, upon being unable to succeed, kids will tend to try again, for the initial step is crucial to complete to get to the next clue. Putting their critical thinking skills to use, they develop the patience to get to their answer.  

3. Enhances teamwork and communication skills  

Escape rooms are not the place where one can play one-man-army. With different people come different perspectives that help in solving the riddles and puzzles. This requires that you respect your teammates and their opinions. Doing so inculcates teamwork skills, which is a crucial skill not only inside an escape room but in the world outside, as well. 

Moreover, with teamwork comes the requirement to communicate. Kids often tend to shy away and hold back on sharing their opinions. The need for teamwork in escape room games requires them to put forth their opinion, regardless of whether they are right or wrong. Effective teamwork and communication skills are what prepare you for real life, be it in business, corporate, government, or education.  

4. Develops creative thinking and decision-making skills  

Escape rooms are not supposed to be easy, as we said earlier. While it is a requirement to put your intelligence to use, it also requires you to tickle the lift side of the brain and flex your creative muscle, and put it to use. The puzzles in escape rooms are not only complex but also require the players to think outside of the box. 

Hence, when we force our brains out of the comfort zone and explore the other unique options, that could be a potential answer. Not only that, once you arrive at a possible solution, you also need to have enough courage to put it to practical use. We understand that being wrong can be very embarrassing sometimes. However, making decisions and learning from your mistakes is an important skill that children can learn at escape rooms.  

5. Time management  

One of the most important skills that kids learn in an escape room experience is the skill of time management. An escape room is not a game where you can take your own sweet time to finish. Every passing minute is a moment lost forever; hence you absolutely cannot afford to lose the precious time.

While the kids do acquire the skills mentioned above and put them to use, they also need to be mindful with the time. The acquired skills, when put to use together, help in devising a good time management strategy. Time management is a very crucial skill that one must possess. Time is valuable, and no game explains it better than an escape room.  

6. Boosts confidence  

Having so many skills at hand, it is a given that your kids will come out as more confident individuals than they went in as. This is a wonderful feeling, not just for the kids but for the parents, as well. No game could build your confidence as soon as an escape room game does. 

Conclusion

Whether your kid emerges victorious or not, escape rooms have an enviable capacity to teach them effortlessly, without compromising on the fun. Today, when most parents are losing their kids to iPad and iPhone screens, escape rooms can be a good recreation to introduce to them.  

Aniya more is one of the brightest content writer at Breakout escape room. She is a passionate writer who loves to read books and explore different escape rooms. With a great work ethic, she spends most of her time researching and reading. When she is not working, she likes to relax with a cup of coffee and enjoy watching her favorite tv show or walking her dog peanut. You can find her on LinkedIn