Heart Maze
Created for free at puzzleandprint.com
Your maze
Heart Maze, Solution
Created for free at puzzleandprint.com
Or take one that is already made
Four mazes, each a different size. Every one is a two-page PDF, the maze, then the solution on its own page.
A heart maze is a plain maze with the corners taken off, and that turns out to matter more than it sounds. A square maze gives no clue where you are; a shaped one does, because the outline tells you how far you have come. Children who lose their place in a rectangle often do not in a heart.
The outline costs squares. A heart keeps roughly a third of the grid it is cut from, so these sheets start at sixteen squares rather than twelve, a sixteen-square heart is about as much puzzle as a ten-square rectangle. The route still runs left to right, entering at the widest point on one side and leaving at the other.
The obvious use is February, and it does the job, a class set of these is a Valentine activity that involves no glitter and no glue. But a heart is not only a Valentine shape, and these work as a get-well card insert, a Mother's Day sheet, or simply a maze that looks like something.
Every maze has exactly one route through and no loops, so a wrong turn always ends in a dead end. The solution prints on its own page.
Common questions
Why do the heart sheets start at a bigger grid?
Because the outline throws away most of the square it is cut from. A heart keeps roughly a third, so a sixteen-square heart is about as much puzzle as a ten-square rectangle. The sheets start at sixteen for that reason rather than to be difficult.
Where does the route start and finish?
It enters at the widest point on one side and leaves at the other, so it crosses the broad middle rather than dropping into the point. That is also why the shape helps: the outline tells a child roughly how far along they are, which a rectangle never does.
Is there always a way through?
Yes, and there is exactly one. Every maze is generated so that all squares connect and no route loops back on itself, which means a wrong turn always ends in a dead end rather than sending you round in a circle.
Where is the answer?
On page two of the PDF, printed as a line through the maze. It is on a separate sheet so you can hand out the puzzle and keep the solution.
What size suits a young child?
Easy, at twelve squares. The corridors are wide enough for a crayon and the route is short enough to finish in a couple of minutes. If that is still hard, use the stepper to go down to ten or nine squares.
Can I get a different maze at the same difficulty?
Press New maze. It generates a completely different layout at the same size, so you can print a set where no two children have the same puzzle.
Do you have circular mazes?
Not yet, rectangular only for now. Round mazes are a different drawing problem and we would rather ship one shape that prints properly than two that half work.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Mazes are generated in your browser, so nothing you make is sent to us.
Want to know when new printables go up?
New printables when they go up, mostly seasonal, a few times a year.