Another Great Book in the Kumon Maze SeriesThis book of mazes is recommended for ages 3-4-5, and we got it for my son when he was 3 years old. He had previously worked through “My Book of Easy Mazes” (for ages 2-3-4), and within a few months, he was on to the next book, “Amazing Mazes” (for ages 4-5-6). I like that there is a series, so there is a clear progression of difficulty, and even if my son does not match the recommended age range exactly, we can still gauge which book is the appropriate next level for him.I like mazes because they encourage my son to pause in the thinking process to look ahead to see which path will pan out – this seems like a good cognitive ability to have. Also, it gives him a chance to practice his pencil grip, which is something I think about because I never corrected my daughter’s pencil grip when she was a pre-schooler (I didn’t think it mattered!) and now, as a 7-year-old in first grade, she still holds a pencil incorrectly (which makes her writing messy, and her hand hurts after even short writing assignments).My only complaint about this book – and all Kumon workbooks – is in regards to the workbook’s binding. The spine is thick enough so that when the workbook is open, the book and pages do not lay flat, making it difficult to write on them. For every new page my son works on, I have to REALLY press down on the binding to open up the pages and keep them down. My son could easily be self-sufficient while he works on his mazes, except that I have to be always nearby to push down the pages for him, otherwise he gets frustrated. I don’t know if the binding is a function of the paper quality – which is very good – or what, but I just wish the pages would stay flat when opened, or at least be perforated so they could be easily removed and used as worksheets.
