Maze: The Squirrel Carries Nuts to Its Hollow — Ages 8–10
A squirrel with an acorn looks for the way to the hollow in an old oak where it stores food for winter. A story maze for children aged 8–10.
1 A4 page · for home and classroom use
Maze: The Squirrel Carries Nuts to Its Hollow — Ages 8–10
How to use this worksheet
- Find the squirrel at the start of the maze and the tree hollow at the finish.
- Older children can plan the squirrel's route with their eyes alone, then draw it to the oak hollow in one pencil line that never touches a wall.
- The 12 × 8 grid has many forks, so an eight-to-ten-year-old has to plan several moves ahead to get the nuts home.
What this worksheet teaches
Carrying the nuts through a 12 × 8 grid trains a child of 8–10 to plan several moves ahead, rule out dead ends by scanning back from the hollow and keep a neat line in narrow corridors. The winter store gives the task a goal.
Play idea
Count how many nuts fit in the hollow and draw them in.
Questions and answers
Questions from parents
Why is this maze so big?
It is for children aged 8–10: many dead ends teach planning the route several moves ahead.
What if my child gets stuck?
Go back to the last fork the squirrel passed; older kids can also start at the hollow and work backward to the squirrel.
How long does it take?
About ten minutes for most 8–10-year-olds; a child who finishes quickly can time a second try or count the dead ends they skipped.