Valentine’s Day Escape Room Hunt

Love is in the air! Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and what better way to show your affection for family, friends and significant others than with a unique and creative Escape Room Hunt? Whether you’re searching for ideas to keep your kids entertained leading up to Valentine’s Day or looking for something special that sparks joy amongst all ages, an escape room hunt could just be it. Get ready for some puzzle-solving fun as I share how you can get started making this festive game come alive in the comfort of your own home – no cupids required!

WHAT AGE IS THE VALENTINE’S ESCAPE SUITABLE FOR?

This is definitely a cutsie game. I use pinks and reds a lot and some cute pictures of cupid, but that’s no reason it can’t be used by us adults too. It would make for a fun game to reveal those Valentine’s goodies. In the Valentine’s escape hunt, you will be deciphering codes, solving puzzles and following items leading to more puzzles to solve. If you want kids younger than six to play, I would recommend being on hand to help if they get a little stuck, but everyone, old and young, can get stuck into working together to reveal the treasure at the end of the game.

What is an escape room hunt?

So I’m sure I didn’t invent the whole concept lol, but I’m going to take credit for it, hahaha. In essence, an escape room hunt is a hybrid between an escape room and a treasure hunt. Instead of boring rhyming clues leading you around the house, each clue is a mini puzzle similar to what you may find in an escape room. At the end of the game, you can leave some treasure. In the case of this Valentine’s Day escape hunt, your treasure can be some Valentine’s treats. Below you will find some fun ideas that you can use as treasure at the end of your escape room game.

• A gift basket filled with everyone’s favourite candies and treats.
• A gift certificate to go out somewhere fun. A movie date or trip to an adventure would work well.
• A family movie date. Create personalised popcorn boxes with treats inside.
• A Holiday reveal for the whole family.

How long will it take to prepare?

I’m not going to lie; when I set up one of my hunts, from start to finish (printing and cutting out the clues), it probably takes me about an hour. That’s setting everything up in each location, adding locks to some of the puzzles. This type of game lasts well over an hour if you use everything in the kit, including adding in a few of the extra lock puzzles. Don’t panic though; you can make it a lot simpler but reducing the number of clues that you use and by not being as picky as I am when it comes to cutting up game material.

What puzzles are in the game?

There are over 14 different puzzles. They range from a simple word search to decoding secret messages. You don’t have to use all of the puzzles. You can pick a choose the ones you want to play.

I love using cypher wheels. They are a lot of fun to use. This is simple but can look a little daunting when you first look at it. When setting this puzzle up, I would split it into two parts. Hide the message card inside a locked box, and on the back of the decoder wheel, give a clue to tell players they need to find and open the box in the room to help them solve the puzzle.

As well as traditional puzzles like word searches and a sheet of rhyming clues, you will also find fun activities like searching for hidden items, following paths to lead players to clues and popping balloons to reveal secret messages. There is a nice variety of puzzles included so everyone can get involved in the Valentine’s Day escape hunt. One of the simplest puzzles is an overlay reveal puzzle. It is super simple to do. There are two halves to the puzzle; when overlayed one on top of the other, a message is revealed through the little love heart cut-outs. It is so simple but so fun. Again for this Valentine’s escape room puzzle, I would have the two halves either hidden separately in the room for players to find or, better still, lock one half inside a locked box, bag or container.

Where can the game be played?

As this is a treasure hunt escape room hybrid, I choose to set this game up in a home location. Each of the clues leads to a different location around the house. There are three puzzles included in the kit that you can adapt to create any location you want. If you want to send the players outside or to a fun room you have in your house, you can easily do that.

The Valentine’s Escape Hunt clue locations are as follows.

SHAMPOO
TABLE
FRONT DOOR
FRIDGE
SPOON
HAIRBRUSH
SHOE
CLOSE TO A SINK
TRASH/ RUBBISH BIN
PILLOW
BOOK
TELEVISION
3X FREE CHOICE – choose your own locations

CONCLUSION

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, my Valentine’s Day escape hunt is a fun and creative way to enjoy some family time. Not only is it full of family-friendly fun, but also encourages problem-solving and helps build your kid’s critical thinking skills. Plus, us grown-ups can join in too – making memories with those precious to us. So mark this Valentine’s Day with a unique activity that will let everyone feel the love! You can grab my game right from my Etsy shop.

other fun Valentine’s games

Here are some other fun ideas you can use for Valentine’s day activities. From a games bundle to a fun printable treat bag topper that kids will think is hilarious. Plus, make some fun love letters in my editable secret message kit.

• Valentine’s Game Bundle – 14+ games.
• Valentine’s secret message kit– make fun love notes.
• Valentine’s day decoded messages – fun kid’s activity.
• Valentine’s Cupid Farts Treat Topper. Free printable treat bag topper.
• Valentine’s Day 5 Second Game Free printable game, great for groups