Escape room: Operation Afikoman
A Passover escape room for kids 7–12: find the afikoman with riddles about the Four Questions, the ten plagues and the four cups.
The story
Grandpa hid the afikoman so well that even he forgot where! He only remembers it’s in a numbered drawer, inside a locked crate. Solve the riddles, find the afikoman and claim your gift.
5 story stations · online you can pick a level that adds more locks.
Run it at home or in class
What to prepare
- A matzah wrapped in a napkin (the afikoman)
- A locked box or drawer
- Printed station sheets
- A Haggadah to look things up
Tips for the facilitator
- Run the room after Kiddush, when the children start getting restless.
- Make numbered drawers out of shoeboxes and hide the afikoman in drawer 6.
- Let the children find the list of plagues in the Haggadah itself.
Difficulty level for “Operation Afikoman”
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.
🍷 Operation Afikoman
Grandpa hid the afikoman so well that even he forgot where! He only remembers it’s in a numbered drawer, inside a locked crate. Solve the riddles, find the afikoman and claim your gift.
0 of 6 stages solved
Stage 1: Ma Nishtana
1/6The song “Ma Nishtana” has four questions. This year there are 4 children at the table, and each one asks all the questions.
Facilitator guide: 🍷 Operation Afikoman
What the room practises
Multiplication, list positions, division in context and careful reading.
The 5 stations (without the answers)
- Ma Nishtana: How many questions were asked altogether?
- The plague drawer: What is the drawer number?
- The four cups: How many bottles are needed?
- The missing plate: How many pieces of matzah were left on the plate after the afikoman was hidden?
- Grandpa’s crate: What is the code?
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 matzah wrapped in a napkin (the afikoman) and a haggadah to look things up.
Most important: Run the room after Kiddush, when the children start getting restless.
Age and group size
Best with teams of 3–5 children. In a class or a big party, print a kit per team and run the room in parallel.
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 “Operation Afikoman” for, and how long does it take?
It was written for families and kids 7–12, at easy–medium difficulty, and usually takes 15–20 minutes. It has 5 story stations, and online you can choose between three difficulty levels that add more locks.
What do I need to run “Operation Afikoman”?
A printer and these props: A matzah wrapped in a napkin (the afikoman); A locked box or drawer; Printed station sheets; A Haggadah to look things up. 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.
Rooms like Operation Afikoman
The Silent Shofar
A letter-number cipher, shofar blasts and dates in Tishrei unlock the shofar’s case.
Kids 10–12 · also for the holidays
The Sukkah and the Wind
Gather the four species, sort the decorations and count meals in the sukkah.
Kids 7–9 and families · also for the holidays, families
The Tu BiShvat Seeds
Discover the seven species, count seedlings and spot a doubling pattern.
Kids 7–9 · also for the holidays
The Independence Day Flag
Crack a letter cipher, work out years and find the secrets in Israel’s flag.
Kids 10–12 · also for the holidays
The Case of the Missing Cake
Three gentle clues (a colour, a count and a riddle) lead little detectives to the birthday cake.
Kids 4–8 · also for families
The Stranded Space Station
Accurate space facts about the Sun and the planets restart the station’s navigation.
Kids and tweens · also for families