This block maze activity for toddlers and preschoolers (and their older siblings!) is sure to be the perfect antidote to the rainy day blues!
Nothing’s worse than “I’m bored!” in the summer than… a rainy day and kids saying, “I’m bored!”
For those blah days stuck in the house, I keep the boys busy playing at activity stations (coloring, modeling clay, stickers, etc). But one rainy Saturday, when I had some big projects planned, I knew I needed a more involved activity to keep the boys engaged for a longer time.
Creating a maze out of their cardboard building blocks came to mind, and I immediately got excited about laying out the plan!
Affiliate links have been used in this post. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
How to Create a Block Maze Activity for Kids
Cardboard blocks might seem like one of those gigantic toys that take up too much room, but they can be used so many ways, it’s worth it!
One set of 40 cardboard blocks can make a maze configuration to fill a 5×8 foot rug. For young kids like my boys this was fine, but for the five-plus crowd, two brick sets gives them the opportunity for a more detailed maze.
Then, to add a little interest, I set up our play tunnel at the start of the maze.
I thought the boys should “win” something when they completed the maze, so I filled a baby pool with play balls!
When the boys saw their maze set up the next morning, they were giddy with excitement! Surprisingly, they took great care (even my nearly three year old!) to avoid knocking down the walls as they crawled through the maze.
Even though the maze was short and simple (especially for my five year old), they had fun going back and forth over and over again. Maybe it was the novelty of the activity, but they couldn’t get enough!
More Ideas for a Block Maze Activity
After they had fun crawling and running through the maze, they thought of other ideas for their block maze activity.
They brought out their toy cars and drove them through.
Then they rolled some of the balls through.
And of course… if you give kids some blocks… they started to construct their own version of the maze!
A Block Maze Activity Inspires More Fun!
I’m learning as I’ve gotten further into parenting, the best play experiences are ones kids design themselves. Modeling one option of what they could do with their cardboard blocks (making a maze) was just a starting point. The boys took it from there, building bridges, forts, towers, “garages” for the balls, and anything else their imagination invented!
Later that same afternoon, I walked into the living room to find my oldest son constructing a “reading house” for himself, complete with a window!
See where a maze can lead? I can see we’ll be doing a lot of building this summer!
What rainy day activities do your kids enjoy? Visit this post for over 25 Rainy Day Activities!
