Maze — Hard
Kids · 5–8Help the mouse reach the cheese. More junctions and longer false routes, so it rewards looking before moving. If your child is stuck, suggest starting at the finish and working backwards — it is a legitimate strategy and it usually works. Let your child find the route with a fingertip before picking up a pencil — solving it and drawing it are two different jobs, and separating them usually produces a much neater line. Print it on A4 or US Letter.
Planning ahead
With more junctions and longer false routes, this one rewards looking before moving. Children who scan ahead from the exit backwards often find it faster than working forwards, and discovering that strategy themselves is the best thing this sheet can produce.
Suitable from about six. Handed to a four-year-old it produces frustration rather than practice.
Working backwards
If your child is stuck, suggest starting at the finish. It is a legitimate strategy, it usually works, and it is a small introduction to the idea that a problem can be approached from either end — which is worth more than the maze itself.
Frequently asked questions
- What age suits a hard maze?
- Around six and up. Handed to a four-year-old it produces frustration rather than practice, because it rewards planning ahead rather than pencil control.
- Is starting at the finish cheating?
- No, it is a legitimate strategy and it usually works. Discovering that a problem can be approached from either end is worth more than the maze itself.