Shamrock Maze
Created for free at puzzleandprint.com
Your maze
Shamrock 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.
Three leaves, not four. A shamrock is the emblem of the day and a four-leaf clover is a luck charm, and they are different symbols that get used interchangeably by people who are not from Ireland. This one has three, which is why it reads as the badge rather than the wish.
The shape is the most awkward of the nine to carve, and the open area at the centre is the reason it works at all. Three leaves spaced far enough apart to look like three leaves do not touch each other, and three shapes that do not touch are three separate mazes with no way between them. A small area in the middle joins them, and every route runs through it, which gives the puzzle a natural crossroads.
March is the quietest month on the printables calendar, which is the argument for the page. Halloween and Christmas are contested by everyone; St Patrick’s Day is a fixed date with an audience of classrooms and almost nobody making sheets for it.
One way through, no loops, and the solution on page two of every PDF. The maker on this page carves a shamrock at any size from eight squares upward.
Common questions
Is a shamrock the same as a four-leaf clover?
No, and the difference is the point. A shamrock has three leaves and is the emblem of the day; a four-leaf clover is a luck charm and a different symbol entirely. This one has three, which is why it looks like the badge rather than the wish.
Why is the middle of the shamrock so open?
It is deliberate, and without it there would be no maze. Three leaves spaced far enough apart to look like three leaves do not touch, which would leave three separate puzzles with no way between them. A small area at the centre joins them, and the route runs through it.
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.