Christmas Escape Room: Reindeer Roundup, Printable Family Game (PDF)

A printable Christmas escape room for kids and families you can easily set up at home.
Reindeer Roundup is a theme especially for kids who love Christmas! You can play this Christmas activity with your family or your friends. It's a perfect activity for your next Christmas party!

Browse our shop for more Kids Escape Room Themes

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MISSION: Reindeer Roundup
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Santa & the elves are busy in the workshop getting ready to deliver presents for Christmas but the reindeer have run off to play hide & seek! Santa needs your help to find them before time runs out so they can pull Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. The reindeer are sneaky & have locked themselves up in their hiding places! Luckily, they have left you some puzzles to solve that will help you open the locks. Can you find all 8 reindeer & line them up before it’s too late?

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WHAT IS INCLUDED & AGES
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All printable puzzles, paper keys/locks, hint cards, detailed written instructions & photo instructions are included in the digital files.

10 puzzles designed for kids & families. Any number of players but you will get more turns to do something in a smaller group. Game play is about 30-60 minutes but will vary depending on previous escape room experience.

Age 4-5 will need lots of adult assistance but will still have fun.
Age 6-8 will likely need some adult assistance & hints along the way.
Age 9-13 should be able to do this with very little to no adult assistance.
Age 12-15 should need no adult assistance but everyone is different so you don't know for sure.

Hint cards are included. These are totally optional but might make it easier for the kids to work independently without any adult assistance. Or if you are playing with the kids & do not want to see the solution by accident when looking on the parent hint/solution page.

You are purchasing a digital download to print at home with regular paper & a colour printer.

Clear step by step set up instructions included in written form & with photos.

Add Christmas chocolates or presents for extra fun!

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NO LOCKS REQUIRED
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*All locks are made of paper.
*Some are QR codes you scan with your smart phone camera app to go to a google form where you will have to enter the correct code to unlock the box.
*Some are matching paper keys to paper locks.

**NOTE**
You  are welcome to replace paper locks with real locks as long as they are programed to the exact same code as the paper locks. Real key locks can replace paper keys.

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Home Escape Game Rules
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1. Only search in places when you are told to do so. You don’t want to accidentally find a key or clue too early.

2. If an object (box, bag, envelope, door etc.) has a paper lock on it (key locks or QR code locks), you must get the lock open before opening the object.

3. To open a box (or other object) with a picture of a key, you need to find the paper key that looks EXACTLY the same. Once you have the matching key, you can open the box that has the same key.

4. To unlock QR code locks scan the QR code with your phone’s camera app & click the link to a google form. You can enter your code in the form to see if it’s correct. Once it’s correct, you can open the box.

5. Stay in the game play area. The person who set up the game can tell you which room or rooms the game play area includes.

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You will need this to play the game:
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1. One smart phone with internet connection.
Star Rating

The faster you finish the game, the more stars you get!

< 30 min = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
30-45 min = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
45-60 min = ⭐️⭐️⭐️
60+ min = ⭐️⭐️
Gave up = ⭐️

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You will need this to set up:
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1. Printer with colour ink & white printer paper
2. Scissors
3. Tape
4. 10 empty boxes, bags, pencil cases, suitcases, doors to rooms/cabinets (to lock up & hide clues inside). Any size will work as paper can be folded to fit inside.
OPTIONAL: Use gift bags or wrap the boxes like Christmas presents for extra Christmas fun!

5. OPTIONAL: Chocolates or presents! You can choose to put any type of chocolates or presents in any or all of the boxes for kids to find as they are playing the game.


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You will be hiding paper keys in the following places.
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These items can all be in the same room OR you can spread them out around the house.

1. Christmas Stocking (real or fake*)
2. Chair (any kind)
3. Coffee Cup
4. Christmas Tree (real or fake*)
5. Table (any size)

*If you are not playing this at Christmas time or you just don’t have a Christmas tree or Christmas stockings out you can use a printed picture of these (included in the file: Reindeer Roundup HINTS-EXTRA) or any item that has a picture of a Christmas tree or Christmas stocking like tins or any decorations with Christmas tree or stocking images.

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HINTS - 2 ways to play
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There are 2 ways to get hints while trying to complete this escape room adventure.

1. Someone is the game master (usually parent, teacher or other adult or older teen). The game master uses the hint/solution sheet provided in the instructions to give hints along the way if needed. The hints can be as big or small as you choose.

2. Use the included hint cards so little to no adult involvement is necessary.
If kids are stuck on a puzzle, they flip over the matching hint card to get a hint on how to solve the puzzle. The exact solution is NOT given.

* Only use a hint card when you are REALLY stuck & everyone in the group agrees to use one.
* Maybe make a rule that you can only use a hint after spending at least 5 or 10 minutes on the puzzle.

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Set up the Escape Game
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** Be sure to complete EVERY step or the game won’t work. 
** You can use any room or multiple rooms. You can choose where you hide keys & locked boxes.

STEP 1: Prepare the printed materials.


1. Print all pages of the Reindeer Roundup PUZZLES. (21 pages)

2. OPTIONAL: Print required pages of the Reindeer Roundup HINTS-EXTRA. 

(3 pages) 
 - 1 hints page, 1 Christmas tree printout, 1 stocking printout

3. Cut out the 10 paper locks, 5 paper keys & 10 hint cards. 

4. Cut on the dotted lines to split pages into multiple puzzles or pieces for puzzles. (8 pages have dotted lines)


STEP 2: Set up hint cards (if using them):

1. Fold backwards on the solid line so you can put the words face down on the table & the word HINT & the Puzzle # will pop up.

2. Put all 10 hint cards face down on a table in the play area.

STEP 3: Hide the keys in these specific places.

The play area can include as many rooms as you like. (Living room, kitchen, boot room, front door area, bedroom, etc..) 

NOTE: Do NOT put these items inside a room that you are “locking” with a paper lock unless you are sure the room will already be unlocked when the players need the item.

1. Christmas stocking - hide the gingerbread man paper key inside a real or fake Christmas stocking.

2. Chair - tape the holly paper key under any chair in the play area.

3. Coffee Cup - hide the reindeer paper key inside a coffee cup & place it somewhere in the play area. 

4. Table - tape the snowflake paper key under any table in the play area.

5. Christmas Tree - hide the tree paper key inside a real or fake Christmas tree. 


STEP 4: Put the puzzles in the boxes/bags & lock them up.
Detailed instructions included in PDF download.

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Puzzle solutions included so a parent can give hints if necessary.
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