The Great A-MAZing Students use Mazes, Puzzles, to expand Critical Thinking, Problem Solving

Tiffany McDonald
Feb 9, 2023
4 min read

Updated: May 17, 2023

Hey Parents! Hey Teachers!

Happy New Year! Happy 2023!

I know it has been a little over a month since we last connected here at 'TEACH & Talk" and if you only knew how life has been on this emotional rollercoaster of thoughts, feelings, and actions... You would definitely understand the need for a sabbatical. Ok?!

After December 2022, I decided to take January 2023 off and do a deep cleanse, revamp, and recharge my business. I wanted to make sure that I was providing my parents and teachers with quality educational content that will sustain them to become Thriving Educators who are Achieving Classroom Harmony.

"Life is a maze which we never escape, but with the proper tools, strategies, and resources; you can still TEACH your way through!"

Nevertheless... We are back! We made it through! TEACH & Talk is ready to bring you 'A-MAZing new educational content to help you TEACH and become Thriving Educators Achieving Classroom Harmony for your children and students!

If you have been following TEACH on Facebook last week and this week, you may have noticed that we have challenged you with a few maze activities.

Have you been able to solve them?

Did you make it to the end in record time?

Or did you "productively struggle" to make it through?

Or maybe gave up before the end became clear?

It's ok if you had these thoughts.. our students have the same thoughts when they are in class or at home, completing their homework.

Mazes are a great source of entertainment and will keep you busy for hours and hours on end. They can also be a little frustrating and even stressful too. You are working through a maze and you get almost to the end and reach a dead end..... Now you have to go all the way back to the drawing board and start over... Rethink, Revamp your plan again.

Isn't that how life is sometimes?

I used to love mazes as a kid and that love is still present during adulthood. One of my all-time favorite movies is The Escape Room, It's a science fiction, action adventure where "Six adventurous strangers travel to a mysterious building to experience the escape room -- a game where players compete to solve a series of puzzles to win $10,000. They all have a different purpose and have to work together to solve various puzzles to 'escape' the room and win the prize." (Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dSKUoV0SNI)

Each time I watch this movie, my educator hat is turned on and I ask myself,

"What is the educational benefit of solving mazes?"
"Is it primarily just for fun?"
"Does completing mazes really strengthen a child's learning"

In my educational research and helping teachers and parents create innovative and engaging lesson plans for their students, I have found that completing mazes indeed does have an educational benefit on the academic achievement of children, students, and adults!

A Maze, A Day makes A-MAZing Students!

Four (4) Reasons Mazes, Puzzles, increases Critical thinking, Problem-Solving, and achieves academic success.

1. Mazes don't have an age limit! They are GREAT for anyone as young as pre-schoolers up through adulthood.

Three and four-year-olds can work easy printable mazes and enhance their tracing, pre-writing, and fine motor skills.

2. Mazes create an internal challenge for students! One of the biggest skills that are lost in students today is the ability to problem-solve, critically think and strategize through a problem, question, and answer. Students want the 'microwave' answer; they want to find the quickest way possible to solve the problem or complete the work instead of doing the work.

Mazes provide students with the physical and mental challenge that stimulates, entertains, and educates the brain.
Mazes create a long-lasting unique learning experience by blending education and physical activity into one.
Mazes stimulate thinking, pose questions, create empathy, and challenges perceptions.

3. Mazes develop visual skills! To complete a maze, you have to be able to see the big picture before paying attention to detail finish the maze. It's important to scan the entire paper first and formulate various solutions to get from one end to the other. This enhances their visual motor skills needed to write and draw, as well as builds their hand-eye coordination and spatial recognition.

4. Mazes improve cognitive thinking skills! They are the perfect enrichment activity to give your brain a boost. When students are solving maze puzzles, they are giving their brains a workout. It makes them think, reason, and remember. When students can complete and achieve all three; their memory, focus levels, and concentration are sharpened to unlock and unleash their maximum potential.

Did that help?

I hope this was able to open your mind, strengthen your heart, and look at mazes and puzzles just a little differently now. The next time your child or student is working on a classwork assignment, homework assignment, or even taking a test; they are feeling a little stressed and struggling......

Don't give them a brain break with electronics; Give them a maze instead and watch them 'Be A-MAZing!'

Well... that is all for now... for this episode of 'TEACH & Talk'! Thank you for hanging out with me and learning about how you and your child can be 'A-MAZing individuals of success!

Don't forget to Like, Comment, and Subscribe so you don't miss the next topic of discussion! If this helped you, your students, your child, or your family in any way, Don't keep it to yourself! Share this with someone! Tell a friend to tell a friend to tell 10 more friends about TEACH & Talk!

Homework:

Parents/Grandparents...

Work with your children/grandchildren and see if they can help Greg the Groundhog to his home.

Teachers...

Start a Maze war and see if your small groups can get Greg the Groundhog home the fastest.

Once they have finished the maze, Discuss the following questions with your child or student:

Was this maze easy or hard to complete? What did you do to help you solve the puzzle? Did you solve it on the first try or did it take multiple tries?
What skills do you learn while working this maze? How can you use these skills in real-life at home and at school?

I would love to hear how your children and students have done with the Maze Activity; Share with me on FB at www.facebook.com/teachincorporated or IG at www.instagram.com/drtiffanymcdonald.