Maze Generator

Printable mazes for kids and puzzle fans, from a gentle 6×6 for preschoolers to a 40×40 brain-twister. Every maze has exactly one solution, and the answer prints on a separate page.

Title

Quick size

Columns

Rows

Style

Shape

Mazes to print

Print solutions Show solution on screen

Mazes are more than busywork

For young children, following a path with a pencil builds the fine-motor control and hand-eye coordination they later need for handwriting. Older children practise planning: looking ahead, spotting dead ends before walking into them, and working backwards from the exit when the start is confusing.

Tips for printing mazes

For pencil work by preschoolers, keep it to 10×10 or smaller so the corridors are wide.
Print a few different mazes at once for a quiet-time pack or a long car trip.
Laminate a maze and use a dry-erase marker for a reusable puzzle.
Challenge older students to time themselves, then try a Branchy maze at the same size.

How to solve any maze

The wall-follower rule works on every maze made here: keep one hand on the wall and walk without letting go, and you will reach the exit. It is not the fastest route, but it never fails on a perfect maze because all the walls are connected.

Watch a maze being carved

Every maze starts as a grid of closed boxes. The generator knocks down one wall at a time, never into a square it has already reached, until every square is connected. That rule is why there's exactly one route through.

The backtracker wanders as far as it can, then backs up to the last square with an unvisited neighbour. Result: long corridors.

Questions teachers ask

What size maze is right for my child?

As a rough guide: ages 3–4, 5×5 to 8×8; ages 5–6, 10×10; ages 7–9, 15×15 to 20×20; ages 10 and up, 25×25 or larger. The "Twisty" style is harder than "Branchy" at the same size because its paths are longer.

Does every maze have a solution?

Yes, exactly one. The generator makes a "perfect maze": every square can be reached, and there is only one route between any two squares, so there are no loops to go round in circles.

How do I print several different mazes?

Set "Mazes to print" to 2–12. Each maze is different and prints on its own page, followed by solution pages if you choose "Print solutions".

What is the difference between Twisty and Branchy?

Twisty uses a depth-first "recursive backtracker", which makes long winding corridors with few dead ends. Branchy uses randomised Prim's algorithm, which makes many short dead ends branching off everywhere. Branchy mazes look busier but are often easier to solve.