Children (especially younger ones) can have a lot of fun in a maze. It’s a chance to build courage and overcome fears. Those who are too afraid of the dark can also walk through the maze with a flashlight.
Game Information
- Age: 6 and up
- Number of players: 4+
- Location: indoors (large room)
- Leader: 1 or more
- Duration: 30 minutes to 2 hours
Material
- Chairs
- Tarps or cloths
- Items
- (flashlight)
Preparation
In a large room, a maze is created using chairs. Tarps or other covering materials (e.g., cloths, etc.) are placed over the chairs so that it is dark inside the maze. Participants can now only crawl through the maze on all fours. For example, the maze can be set up with one entrance, one exit, and many dead ends. Or it can be designed so that the entrance and exit are the same. Other creative ideas can also be implemented.
Gameplay
Each child enters the maze one at a time, and the time it takes them to find the exit is recorded. Groups can also be formed, and the individual times are added together to determine the group’s total time.
Objects are scattered throughout the maze, and two children enter the maze together. The goal is to locate certain objects (each child looks for different ones), take them with them, and then find their way out of the maze—who’s faster? Again, time the activity and evaluate the results individually and/or as a group.
Depending on the size of the maze, an entire group can enter the maze, and each child must find an object and bring it out of the maze.
Other game/competition ideas…
End of the Game
An awards ceremony can mark the end of the maze competition.
Image Credit
- Cover image:http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maze.JPG
