Two Small Mazes for Ages 4-5 — Set 682670

Once a four- or five-year-old reaches the exit of each small 8×6 maze, the real trick begins: going backwards along the line to the entrance to check the answer.

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1 A4 page · for home and classroom use

All printables: Mazes

Maze: small (ages 4-5)

How to use this worksheet

Let your child solve the first maze in the usual way, from the entrance to the exit.
Then ask them to put a finger on the exit and slide it back along the drawn line, all the way to the entrance.
If the finger meets a wall or a gap, that is the spot to fix; do the same with the second maze.

What this worksheet teaches

Checking work is a habit that starts early, and a 48-cell maze makes it quick enough for a preschooler to try. Following one's own line backwards trains careful looking and shows that an answer can be tested. Children also discover that there is only one path, so a line that works in both directions without crossing walls must be right.

Play idea

Play 'there and back again': your child is a little train that goes from the station at the entrance to the exit and then must drive back on the same track. If the track is broken, the train stops, and the driver repairs it with the pencil.

Questions and answers

Questions from parents

Is checking backwards too hard for a four-year-old?

With a finger it is quite easy on an 8×6 grid; the child simply follows the pencil line they have already drawn.

Should my child check both mazes the same way?

Yes; the first maze introduces backwards checking with your help, and the second lets your child try it alone.

What does a correct answer look like?

One unbroken line from the entrance to the exit that never crosses a wall.