In a series of posts I will show you how to make a maze in a wide variety of design constructions. The 23rd type of maze construction is the Kids maze. Let’s define what I mean, then get into the example. Every example will use the sample basic outline (the state of Ohio) to better illustrate the differences between each maze type. At the end of the post there is a free downloadable maze book for Kids !
Here is an outline for this blog post with jump links if you want to skip ahead to a section:
ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES OF KIDS MAZES
KIDS MAZE DEFINITION:
Kids Maze - A maze that is geared for young children is an easy maze. You don’t want the child to get frustrated and quit before reaching the goal. Kids mazes have wide pathways and obvious, short dead ends. It also should include labels for the start and goal.
THE 5 RULES OF MAZE DESIGN:
These 5 rules apply to any maze you make so we start with them !
1. Always keep an open pathway for the solution
While drawing a maze you will need to juggle multiple open pathways each of which could become the solution. One of them will become the solution. Keep track of it. This is especially important if you are designing pathways in both directions (from the start and from the goal).
2. Clearly mark the start and goal, or the objective of the maze
A maze should have a start and a goal that you can assess just by glancing at it. There are many ways to start and end a maze I review in this blog post: Options for Starting and Ending a Maze
3. Ensure the difficulty matches the intended audience
Most people want to solve a puzzle/maze that is just slightly below or slightly above their skill level. Many things help determine the difficulty of a maze. Size, number of branches, the length of dead ends, the number of choices, the complexity of the rules (if the maze has them).
4. Ensure your maze has a solution
When your maze is complete, solve it to determine the difficulty level and to ensure it is a real, solvable maze. Depending on the complexity of the maze you may want to do this right away or wait so you can properly assess the difficulty.
5. Explain anything that needs explaining
Some mazes have rules or conditions. Explain them with directions. If it isn't obvious, make it so.
How to Make a Kids Maze
Step 1 - Draw the Outline
The outline of the maze makes the outer wall of the maze. It can be anything from a simple shape like a square, to a complex picture. The outline should be thicker than the internal lines to give the maze definition. In the example below I chose the state of Ohio.
Step 1.5 - Choose the Start and Goal
For the below example I chose the start of Cleveland and the goal of Cincinnati. Consider adding the words START and GOAL to the maze to replace the arrows, or in addition to them,
Note that a kids maze construction can be standard, grid, arrow, or really anything that is able to be adjustable in difficulty for children. Below is a Kids Standard Maze !
Step 2 - Start Drawing the Walls
Starting from entrance, begin drawing walls. Walls should be far apart to build wide pathways. Any dead ends you make should be short and obvious. I also widened the entrance and goal.
Step 3 - Complete the Walls
Draw the necessary walls to make the final pathways and complete the maze.
Step 4 - Label the Start and Goal
Give kids an extra cue by labeling the Start and Goal of the maze.
Step 5 - Make the Maze Solution
Highlight the correct path in the final version of the maze to create the final maze solution (shown here in red). Notice how the white spaces ( the dead ends) are obvious.
ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES OF KIDS MAZES
You just learned how to make a standard style kids maze, but you have dozens of options to consider.
I have created a gallery of 15 different types of kids mazes. Each of these has it’s own how-to, but I wanted to give you an example of many so you get an idea of the many different types of kids mazes you could create. The use of many different maze types creates a more fun book in my opinion.
FREE KIDS MAZE SECTIONS ON THE SITE
This website is full of free mazes for kids. Here are links to the different styles:
and more….
START AND GOAL OPTIONS
I want to take the time to show you some of the many options you have for starting and ending the maze. I did not use any labels above, but arrows are pretty standard. You have other options as I outline in Options for Starting and Ending a Maze. Here is the above maze but using 5 different choices to for the start and goal. You have options !
MAZE TEMPLATES FOR KIDS
I have been asked for templates so kids can create their own mazes. Here is a gallery of 7 maze templates with downloads. You can choose the type of start and goal to include and fill in the gaps you want to make a maze ! I included 3 holiday versions that come from my free Christmas Books.
FREE DOWNLOADABLE KIDS MAZE BOOK
EASY MAZES FOR KIDS BOOK
A free downloadable book featuring 30 different mazes. Includes standard mazes, mazes where you need to avoid items, and mazes where you need to collect items ! A nice beginning maze book.
File Size: 2,013 KB
Interested in learning how to make or draw other types of digital mazes ? I have step by step instructions on how to make over 40 different maze types.
If you prefer making labyrinths, you can find step by step labyrinth making instructions.
