A family-built tabletop maze

STARTER GUIDE · AWAITING MAKER TESTING

Let’s make something lovely.

Before you begin: Stay within arm’s reach. Use age-rated washable materials; grown-ups handle cutting. Skip beads, buttons, loose magnets, batteries and other small parts around children who mouth objects.

1. 01

   Choose a rigid box lid and cover sharp edges with tape. Make a paper ball too large to fit in a young child’s mouth.

2. 02

   Sketch a start, finish and a few wide turns on the base. Leave paths comfortably wider than the ball.

3. 03

   Adults cut broad cardboard strips and fold little feet along one edge. Tape them down as walls.

4. 04

   Test one section at a time by gently tilting the lid. Widen any path that traps the paper ball.

5. 05

   Take turns steering. Add a new wall only after everyone has solved the first version.

Make it personal

Make a map to a treasure chest, a pumpkin patch or a rocket launch.

The diagram illustrates the project idea; it is not a maker-tested result. Allow additional drying time. Estimated materials cost excludes equipment. Check your equipment and material instructions, verify template dimensions, and make a sample before a batch.