Two Small Mazes for Ages 4-5 — Set 67193
Before children read, their eyes must learn to move steadily along a line, and these two 8×6 mazes give 4- and 5-year-olds that practice without a single letter.
1 A4 page · for home and classroom use
Maze: small (ages 4-5)
How to use this worksheet
- On the first maze, ask your child to follow the way with their eyes only, from the entrance to the exit, before any finger or pencil touches the page.
- Then check with a finger and draw the route with a pencil.
- On the second maze, sweep the eyes along each row from left to right, the way a reader moves along a line of text, before drawing.
What this worksheet teaches
Small grids let young eyes track a corridor all the way to its end without losing their place. This kind of visual scanning, together with noticing where lines stop and turn, supports the pre-reading skills of tracking print from left to right and keeping one's place on a page. Drawing the path adds pencil control.
Play idea
Play 'eye detective': you name a spot on the maze, such as the top corner, and your child finds it with their eyes only, then says whether the correct path passes through it.
Questions and answers
Questions from parents
How does a maze help with learning to read?
Reading needs the eyes to move smoothly and keep their place; following corridors on an 8×6 grid practices exactly that kind of controlled eye movement.
Why small grids for eye tracking, and why two of them?
Short, clear paths suit eyes that are still learning to track, and a second maze repeats the practice while attention is still fresh.
Are there letters or pictures on the page?
No, just the two mazes and their walls, so nothing competes for your child's eyes.