Santa Christmas Escape Room 3rd Grade Reading and Math Challenge

3rd Grade Christmas Escape Room Activity

This Christmas escape room activity is a super fun and engaging way for third graders to practice math and reading skills during the holiday season!

The goal of this activity is to help Santa save Christmas and escape from the North Pole, so he can finally get to his vacation in sunny Florida!

What skills are involved in this activity?

Each puzzle has its own task involving 3rd grade math and reading skills. These include:

• Basic multiplication and division

• One-and two-step word problems

• Understanding basic fractions

• Addition and subtraction with numbers up to 4 digits

• Comparing and rounding numbers

• Reading for details (non-fiction text)

• Using context clues to understand vocabulary

• Cause and effect

• Author’s purpose

How do I use this resource?

You will begin by reading an entertaining storyline that explains how everything has gone wrong at the North Pole. It is your students’ mission to help Santa find the tools he needs to fix all the problems. Unfortunately, they are all locked up and Santa has forgotten the codes. The only way to save Christmas is by solving puzzles that will unlock each cabinet that holds the required tools.

Everything is included to set up your Christmas escape room:

• Lock cards

• Puzzle sheets for each room

• Recording sheets

• Answer keys

• Teacher directions

• Student directions

This escape room has 2 options for the secret codes:

• Students enter their answers in Google Forms using a computer, tablet, or phone

• Students check their answers against the teacher’s printed answer key

You can choose whichever option works best for your classroom. The Google Forms option does not require students to sign in or use any personal information. You do not need a Google account. They will simply enter their answers in the form. If it is correct, the form gives them the next clue.

This 3rd grade Christmas escape room activity is very easy to implement. There aren’t a bunch of pieces to put together and organize. It allows you to review a lot of skills in one fun activity!