School may be out, but that doesn’t mean the learning has to stop! Whether you’re teaching summer school, running a camp, or just hoping to keep your students sharp over the break, Breakout EDU has you covered with fun, teacher and student-approved ideas to keep brains engaged and boredom at bay.
Here are five easy, impactful ways to use Breakout EDU this summer—perfect for classrooms, camps, or at-home learning!
1. Build a Daily Critical Thinking Habit with Lock of the Day
Perfect for: Summer school warm-ups, at-home enrichment, camp morning routines
Time needed: 5–10 minutes/day
Lock of the Day is a short daily puzzle that students can solve independently. It’s available all summer long with a new puzzle every weekday! Each challenge promotes logic, pattern recognition, and critical thinking. Students earn digital rewards, streaks, and avatar customizations as they play, adding a gamified twist that keeps them coming back.
Bonus: As an educator, you can access all the puzzles in the Lock of the Day Library and assign them so that students can revisit past puzzles or catch up on missed days.
2. Embark on Academic Adventures with Breakout+ Games
Perfect for: Post-activity downtime, small-group collaboration, remote summer play
Time needed: 20–40 minutes/game
Breakout+ point-and-click games are immersive digital adventures packed with challenges, clues, and surprises. Students solve multi-step puzzles, collect digital clues in their “backpacks,” and collaborate to unlock each level. A new game is released every month, and for classes with a Digital+ Subscription, the full Breakout+ Library is available on the student dashboard.
It’s easy to assign weekly challenges or encourage independent play. Teachers can track which students played, completed, or even partially attempted the games. Students earn avatar accessories and experience points as they complete games, helping them level up while they learn.
3. Reinforce Math Skills with Lesson Content Games
Perfect for: Combatting the summer slide, structured weekly review
Time needed: 30 minutes/week
Want students to keep up with core content? Assign Lesson Content Games, Breakout EDU’s standards-aligned digital experiences that blend instructional videos with interactive puzzles.
Each game begins with a video lesson on concepts like angles or place value. Then, students apply their knowledge in puzzles that require both content mastery and problem-solving skills.
The search functionality makes it easy to choose the right skill to reinforce. Search “Lesson Content” and filter the results by subject, grade, and standards. Then assign the chosen games to your students to work on over the summer.
4. Engage In-Person Learners with Kit-Based Games
Perfect for: STEM camps, enrichment programs, summer school groups
Time needed: 30–45 minutes/game
There’s nothing like the thrill of cracking a physical lock! Breakout EDU’s Kit-Based Games offer tactile, collaborative fun as students race to solve puzzles and open the blue box.
Great for team-building and communication, these games are ideal for in-person settings. Set up science-themed kits for your summer camp, or use math and reading-based kits to reinforce skills in a hands-on way.
Not sure where to start? Sign up for the free monthly “Getting Started with Kits” webinar to learn setup tips, how to configure locks, and more.
5. Spark Creativity with Student Game Design
Perfect for: Project-based learning, enrichment extensions, creative tech time
Time needed: Flexible, multiple sessions
Let students take the reins and become game designers! With the Student Game Design Studio, learners can build their own digital Breakout EDU games using images, storylines, videos, and custom-made clues.
Encourage students to explore the Learn and Play Modules first, then sketch out ideas using printable templates. Once their games are built, you can approve them and share them in the class library so peers can play (and try to break out of!) each other’s creations.
Did You Know? Students can use Adobe Express for graphic design elements from right inside the Game Design Studio thanks to the Breakout EDU integration with Adobe.
Start Strong This Summer
Whether you’re running a classroom, a camp, or sending students off for summer, these ideas offer flexible, high-impact ways to keep learning fun and active. Set your students up for a summer of critical thinking, collaboration, and curiosity with access to Breakout EDU’s full library of curriculum-aligned games.
Want to bring this level of engagement to your students this summer and beyond? Now’s the perfect time to get started. Buy now and get the summer for free. Use code FREESUMMER to prorate your subscription at checkout or when requesting a quote—you’ll get $20 off, the same as receiving two months free. This offer is valid for new 12-month digital subscriptions through July 15, 2025.
Extra Credit: Register for Camp Breakout EDU, a free virtual professional development series in July and August. You'll get new ideas, sneak peeks, and hands-on sessions to help you make the most of your summer—and your Breakout EDU experience!