How to Make an Avoid Items Maze

In a series of posts I will show you how to make a maze in a wide variety of design constructions. The 36th type of maze construction is the Find Items maze. Let’s define what I mean, then get into the example. Every example will use the sample basic outline (the state of Ohio) to better illustrate the differences between each maze type.

Avoid Items Maze - A maze that requires the solver to avoid specific places within the pathways or avoid items along the way before reaching the goal. This can be considered the opposite of the Find Items Maze.

How to Make a Avoid Items Maze

Step 1 - Draw the Outline

The outline of the maze makes the outer wall of the maze. It can be anything from a simple shape like a square, to a complex picture. The outline should be thicker than the internal lines to give the maze definition. In the example below I chose the state of Ohio.

Step 1.5 - Choose the Start and Goal

For the below example I chose the start of Cleveland and the Goal of Cincinnati.

Step 2 - Start to Draw the Maze Walls

Begin drawing maze walls from the entrance to the maze. I used a standard path maze for the example but most constructions of mazes will work for Avoid Item mazes.

Step 3 - Continue Drawing Paths, Adding Avoid items

As you continue to draw paths add the avoid items into paths. Essentially any avoid items work like dead ends, so use them as such as you make your design.

Step 4 - Complete the Maze

Complete the maze, placing avoid items periodically to challenge the solver.

Step 5 - Add Directions for the Solver

This step can be completed at any time. Ask the solver to avoid the items in the maze.

Step 6 (Optional) - Make the Maze Solution

Highlight the correct path in the final version of the maze to create the final Maze solution (shown here in blue).

Additional Avoid Items Maze Examples

Below is another example of the Avoid Items Maze that is more geared towards children. An apple avoids worms to solve this example. Could be used for an ant avoiding anteaters, a taxi avoiding potholes, or similar ideas.

My next example of Avoid items maze involves the dodging of flies to reach the goal successfully.

As I mentioned above the Find Items maze is the sibling of the Avoid Items maze. My third example is a combination of a Find Items maze and an Avoid Items maze geared towards children. A solver must find all the clothing while avoiding all the moths.

Interested in learning how to make or draw other types of digital mazes ? I have step by step instructions on how to make over 40 different maze types.

If you prefer making labyrinths, you can find step by step labyrinth making instructions.

How to Make a Letter Maze

In a series of posts I will show you how to make a maze in a wide variety of design constructions. The 35th type of maze construction is the Letter maze. Let’s define what I mean, then get into the example. Every example will use the sample basic outline (the state of Ohio) to better illustrate the differences between each maze type.

Letter Maze - A type of conditional maze where the pathways are formed by letters that need to be chosen in a correct sequence, or of a particular type to form a path to solve the maze.

HOW TO MAKE A LETTER MAZE

• Step 1 - Draw the Outline

The outline of the maze makes the outer wall of the maze. It can be anything from a simple shape like a square, to a complex picture. The outline should be thicker than the internal lines to give the maze definition. In the example below I chose the state of Ohio. A typical letter maze is square or rectangular in shape.

• Step 1.5 - Choose the Start / Goal (optional now)

For the below example I chose the start of Cleveland and decided to choose the goal after completing the solution. As with any gridded maze the start and goal can be either internal or external to the outline. In my example I used external.

• Step 2 - Draw a Grid

Draw a grid to fill the outline of the maze. Many of these mazes will be grid shaped squares and rectangles.

• Step 3 - Create the Maze Solution

Make the solution to the maze based on the letter system you have chosen, filling grids to create a path from the start to the goal of the maze. In my example below I will be using vowels to move the maze solver from grid to grid.

• Step 4 - Create False Paths

Create false paths by filling grids with possible branches off the main solution that lead to dead ends.

• Step 5 - Complete the Maze

Fill in any remaining blocks with incorrect or unusable letters, in my example below consonants.

• Step 6 - Check for Unwelcome Words

Any time you make a letter maze you should return back to it after completion to check for curse words. No need for me to make a list…

• Step 7 - Add Directions

Can be done at any time in the process, but must be done. At directions to explain to the solver how they can move through the maze. In my example you can use vowels to move between blocks.

• Step 8 - Create a Final Solution

Highlight the correct path in the final version of the maze to create the final maze solution (shown here in gold).

Additional Examples of Letter Mazes

Here is another example of a Letter maze. The structure is a more normal square shape and the start and goal are internal rather than external.

Letter Maze Solving Tip

One way to solve a large Letter Maze like the above is to eliminate the false answers by filling them in with black marker (or by covering with an X). This will leave only the good grids that could create a pathway leaving the solution apparent (most likely).

Comparison to a sister maze type - The Hidden Message Trail Maze

Now I want to tell you about what happens when you combine a Letter Maze with a Hidden Message Maze. This creates what I call a Hidden Message Trail Maze. While this can include clues and even an outline of word lengths, solving and reaching the goal involves finding the right phrase. Is it up and to the right “There are…”, continuing down, “The Beard…” or to the left “The Best”. So there is a solve needed beyond the “follow on the rules” of a standard Letter Maze. Hidden message mazes also can come with clues and letter lengths to help the solver discover the correct wording.

Interested in learning how to make or draw other types of digital mazes ? I have step by step instructions on how to make over 40 different maze types.

If you prefer making labyrinths, you can find step by step labyrinth making instructions.

How to Make a Conditional Path Maze

In a series of posts I will show you how to make a maze in a wide variety of design constructions. The 34th type of maze construction is the Conditional Path maze. Let’s define what I mean, then get into the example. Every example will use the sample basic outline (the state of Ohio) to better illustrate the differences between each maze type.

Conditional Path Maze - (sometimes called a Colored Path Maze) A maze where the paths that can be taken are subject to the conditions of the maze maker. Typically this involves a sequence of colored pathways that can only be taken in a specific order.

How to Make a Conditional Path Maze

Step 1 - Draw the Decision Stations

A conditional path maze does not NEED an outline, in fact most will not have an outline….but it does need decision stations. For my example, to be consistent I used an outline of Ohio and created decision stations in that general shape. I deleted the Ohio outline in the next step. Space the decision stations far enough apart a pathway can be drawn between them.

Step 1.5 - Choose the Start / Goal (goal is optional)

For the below example I chose the start of Cleveland. I prefer to choose the goal later as I construct the maze based on how difficult I want it to be to solve. I want to also note that I used an arrow and an initial pathway to start the maze. I could have also used a block with the word “START”. This would mean that the initial move is not set, but will most likely have multiple options (further explained in step 2).

Step 2 - Draw Pathways between the Stations

Draw pathways between the decision stations. I do not connect every station to every nearby station. Leave a few open. As you build the solution and false pathways you can adjust these as needed. I find it’s better to have less pathways to start than more. Following up on the discussion above, had I opted for “START” in the first block used the solver would have 3 options to move in (pre colors added of course, but had I chosen that START I would have made at least 2 of them possible first moves).

Step 3 - Create a Solution

Starting from the entrance color pathways to create a solution. Because this is a Conditional Path maze you will need to decide what those conditions are. In my below example it is to solve the maze by moving from orange to gold to green pathways. Don’t worry, we will add the instructions in a later step. To make the maze more fun and difficult I suggest you loop the solution thru a block more than once. In row 2 the second block from the top is visited twice.

Step 4 - Create False Pathways

Continue to color pathways, giving the solver additional options to move from one station to another. Add and delete pathways as needed. I well designed maze will create confusing loops that take the solver down false paths. In the example below I also added a final pathway to the goal. Similar to the discussion above on START, I could have used a GOAL block instead of the exit pathway and arrow.

Step 5 - Complete the Maze

Add directions to the maze to complete it, telling the solver the conditions for solving.

Step 6 - Make the Maze Solution

Highlight the correct path in the final version of the maze to create the final maze solution (shown here as a purple dashed line). If your pathways have multiple possible solutions, mark the best (shortest) solution. I also like to set this maze type to the side for a week and try to solve it later to see how complex it is.

Additional Conditional Path Maze Examples

Here is another example of a Conditional Path maze. Notice that the stations again do not have pathways to every nearby station, only select ones.

My next example was made for Kids and was done in greyscale for inclusion in a black and white book. Nothing too complicated as there are not many moves available to make.

Comparison of Conditional Path Maze vs Color Grid Maze

Compare the above Conditional Path maze to it’s sibling, the Color Grid maze. Each uses conditional movement to move from start to goal, but the structure is grid based vs. path based. A color grid maze also has much more open movement with a grid away from a wall being able to use 8 directions when it is landed on.

I did a 3 part blog series on maze constructions if you want to design your own type of maze. Part 3 includes all of the conditional maze options.

Part 1 - Starting and Ending a Maze - Speaks to the 9 most popular ways to start and stop a maze

Part 2 - Maze Path options - Explores the 12 different pathway options for a maze

Part 3 - Conditional Path options - Speaks to 11 different conditional options to add to a maze to make it more enjoyable

Interested in learning how to make or draw other types of digital mazes ? I have step by step instructions on how to make over 40 different maze types.

If you prefer making labyrinths, you can find step by step labyrinth making instructions.

How to Make a Go & Return Maze

In a series of posts I will show you how to make a maze in a wide variety of design constructions. The 33rd type of maze construction is the Go & Return maze. Let’s define what I mean, then get into the example. Every example will use the sample basic outline (the state of Ohio) to better illustrate the differences between each maze type.

Go & Return Maze - A maze where the start and goal are the same and the solver must travel to a specified area in the maze (the internal goal) and then return back to the start to exit. Often this includes the condition that the solver use a new pathway back than the one taken while entering.

How to Make a Go & Return Maze

Step 1 - Draw the Outline

The outline of the maze makes the outer wall of the maze. It can be anything from a simple shape like a square, to a complex picture. The outline should be thicker than the internal lines to give the maze definition. In the example below I chose the state of Ohio.

Step 1.5 - Choose the Start / Goal

For the below example I chose the start and goal of Cleveland which are the same for this construction of maze.

Step 2 - Add Directions and an Internal Goal

Add directions to the maze to tell the solver what they need to do in order to properly solve the maze. Because this includes visiting an internal goal before exiting, add that also.

Step 3 - Begin Drawing Walls

Starting from the entrance/goal begin drawing walls that lead in multiple directions. One of these will become the pathway to the internal goal and one will become the pathway back. You can see in the example below two pathways that will become part of the solution.

Step 4 - Create a Path to the Internal Goal

Continue to draw pathways, including some false ones until you have completed a pathway to the internal goal.

Step 5 - Complete the Maze

Draw a pathway to connect the internal goal back to the entrance. Include false paths. This will create 2 different paths from the start to the internal goal, that can be used interchangeably for travel in either direction by the solver.

Step 6 - Make the Maze Solution

Highlight the correct path in the final version of the maze to create the final maze solution (shown here in red). Notice how there is no specific direction to the solution.

Additional Go and Return Maze examples

In this second example of a Go & Return maze I used the shape of a triangle which gives a natural internal goal of the top point for the solver before returning to the start/goal of the maze.

This next example is very basic. It uses a normal square shape and a standard maze construction. Nothing fancy except the rule of how you must use different pathways to go and to return.

Interested in learning how to make or draw other types of digital mazes ? I have step by step instructions on how to make over 40 different maze types.

If you prefer making labyrinths, you can find step by step labyrinth making instructions.