Star Maze
Created for free at puzzleandprint.com
Your maze
Star 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 star is the tightest of the shapes: it keeps under a fifth of the grid it is cut from, and most of what it keeps is in the middle. The five points are narrow enough to be corridors rather than rooms, which gives the puzzle a distinctive rhythm, open in the centre, then a committed run out to a tip and back if you guess wrong.
Because so little of the grid survives, these run large. Even the twenty-eight-square sheet is a shorter puzzle than a twenty-square rectangle, so treat the sizes as a guide to how detailed the star looks rather than how hard it is.
The shape does a lot of work for reward charts and certificates. A star that is also a maze is a more interesting thing to hand a child than a star that is only a sticker, and it pairs with the star border if you are building a set.
One way through, no loops, dead ends that genuinely end. Solution on page two.
Common questions
Why is the star sheet so large and still so quick?
A star keeps under a fifth of its grid, and most of what survives sits in the centre. Treat the square count as a guide to how detailed the star looks rather than to how hard it is: the twenty-eight-square sheet is shorter than a twenty-square rectangle.
What is this good for besides being a maze?
Reward charts and certificates. A star that is also a puzzle is a more interesting thing to hand a child than a star that is only a sticker, and it sits alongside the star border if you are putting a set together.
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.