Escape room: The Candy Factory
A sweet escape room for kids 4–8: count candies, guess flavours and colours, and get the candy machine running again. Perfect for a party.
The story
The big machine at the candy factory is stuck, and without it there are no sweets for the party! Only a team that solves 4 riddles will find the start-up code.
The factory manager, Mrs Lollipop, left sweet clues in every department.
4 story stations · online you can pick a level that adds more locks.
Run it at home or in class
What to prepare
- A bag of sweets for the surprise
- A box to be the “machine”
- A lemon or a drawing of one
- A piece of chocolate (for the riddle and the prize)
Tips for the facilitator
- Prepare two jars with 5 real sweets in each for counting.
- For station 4, line up 6 real sweets on the table and let the children count them aloud.
- Put the prize bag inside the “machine” box and open it only after the code.
Difficulty level for “The Candy Factory”
The story clues stay the same on every level; harder levels add more locks in between. You can ask for a hint at every stage.
🍭 The Candy Factory
The big machine at the candy factory is stuck, and without it there are no sweets for the party! Only a team that solves 4 riddles will find the start-up code.
0 of 6 stages solved
Stage 1: The sweet department
1/6One jar has 5 sweets, and the other jar has 5 more sweets.
Facilitator guide: 🍭 The Candy Factory
What the room practises
Adding to 10, colours, a riddle and counting objects.
The 4 stations (without the answers)
- The sweet department: How many sweets are in both jars together?
- The lemon drop: What colour is the lemon drop?
- Mrs Lollipop’s riddle: What am I?
- Starting the machine: How many sweets are on the belt?
Preparing and printing
On the easy level the printed kit has 7 pages: a facilitator sheet with the opening story, the setup list and every answer, plus an A4 card for each of the 6 stages. Besides printing, get ready: a bag of sweets for the surprise and a piece of chocolate (for the riddle and the prize).
Most important: Prepare two jars with 5 real sweets in each for counting.
Age and group size
Up to 6 children with a grown-up who reads the stations aloud. With more children, use two grown-ups and two teams playing side by side.
Giving hints in this room
Online the hints open one at a time; in the printed kit they sit in the facilitator table next to each answer. Give the first hint after a couple of minutes of silence, not at the first wrong guess.
Frequently asked questions
What age is “The Candy Factory” for, and how long does it take?
It was written for kids 4–8, at easy difficulty, and usually takes 15–20 minutes. It has 4 story stations, and online you can choose between three difficulty levels that add more locks.
What do I need to run “The Candy Factory”?
A printer and these props: A bag of sweets for the surprise; A box to be the “machine”; A lemon or a drawing of one; A piece of chocolate (for the riddle and the prize). The printable kit includes a facilitator sheet with every answer and a card for each stage.
What if the players get stuck?
Every stage has graded hints. Online they open one at a time; in the printed kit they sit next to each answer on the facilitator sheet. The first hint never gives the answer away.
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