Gratitude Escape Room | SEL Gratitude Activity for Upper Primary & Middle School

Students struggling with a negative mindset? This Everyday Gratitude Escape Room is the perfect way to get students shaking off their grumbles!

Designed as a low-prep, high-engagement SEL escape room, it helps students practise gratitude, teamwork, and reflection while turning frustration into perspective and thankfulness.

Hidden in even the gloomiest moments are small sparks of gratitude. Your students’ challenge is to hunt down those sparks, piece them together, and flip this day around before it slips away entirely.

👉What’s included in this Gratitude Escape Room:

• Four purposeful, puzzle-based challenges exploring gratitude and perspective
• A meaningful, student-led storyline that captures attention from the start
• Self-checking Google Form (no teacher marking required)
• Printable puzzles, student instructions, and a complete teacher setup guide
• Teacher answer key and a flexible tech-free version included
  

🧩 The four challenges students will work through:

• Pigpen Cipher – Decode a hidden message of gratitude
• Grumble to Gratitude Match-Up – Flip complaints into positives
• Unscramble the Gratitude List – Reveal the small things we often take for granted
• Final Puzzle Challenge – Piece together the closing message of perspective

💗Why you and your students will love this escape room:

• Encourages gratitude, emotional literacy, and self-awareness
• Builds collaboration and problem-solving skills through fun, meaningful puzzles
• Brings calm and reflection to the classroom without adding prep
• Perfect balance of SEL, wellbeing, and growth mindset learning

This resource also comes in a Thanksgiving themed Gratitude Escape Room. You can find it here: Gratitude Escape Room [Thanksgiving Edition]