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Maze Design Challenge

Students solve printed mazes, then design their own and swap with a partner, exploring paths, dead ends and simple algorithms.

Learning outcomes

All tools are free, with no sign-up, and every sheet can be printed with an answer key.

Print one Easy and one Medium maze per student from the Maze tool. Keep the solution view open on your screen.
Students solve the Easy maze and trace the path in colour. Ask them to note where they hit dead ends.
Introduce the wall-follower idea: keep one hand on the left wall and walk. Let students test whether it always works on the Medium maze.
Pairs now design a small maze on squared paper, making sure there is only one path from start to finish.
Partners swap and solve each other's mazes. The designer checks the answer and explains any dead ends they built on purpose.

Give students a 5 x 5 grid for their own design and a pre-drawn path to build walls around.

Challenge students to write their solving strategy as numbered steps that another student could follow without looking at the maze.

Students backtrack deliberately, record a strategy in steps, and design mazes that really have a single route.

Are the generated mazes always solvable?

Yes. The generator builds a maze with a single continuous path from start to finish.

Does this teach coding?

It introduces algorithmic thinking: following a rule, testing it and describing it in steps. No coding is needed.

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