Kids Can Love a Challenge

What I Learned In School Today: Kids love the chance to work together on a challenge.

Today I observed a group of 2nd grade students completing a group activity called BreakoutEDU. In BreakoutEDU, the goal is to figure out the combination to a series of locks - number locks, letter locks, directional locks - to open a series of boxes. In order to determine the combinations, students are given a series of clues from which they can crack the codes. For those who have tried some derivative of “escape the room” imagine the same premise, but instead of getting out of a room, you are getting into a box.

The experience was fantastic! The kids had never participated in any task like this before, so it was completely novel. It required genuine teamwork and communication to complete, something that was evident early on in the problem solving process for the kids. Additionally, the process required significant resilience for the kids as the answers to the clues were never immediately clear. Most importantly, the students were so completely invested in the activity that they were focused and determined, wanting nothing more than to solve the problems and complete the challenges. Giving kids the chance to work together and show resilience was so exciting. I can’t wait until we try it again.