Have You Heard of The Best Activity Cubes That Stimulate Little Minds?
Babies and toddlers are a constant source of joy and entertainment to adults. They learn about things and objects by feeling and tasting. It is paramount that young minds be guided in the right direction from the beginning and what better way to do then by using the activity cube. This will appeal to their sense of sound, sight, and touch – the perfect method for all-round development which includes cognitive abilities, logical thinking, and gross motor skills. To know more about the best activity cubes for your toddler read on.
What are activity cubes?
These are traditional wooden cubes that were designed to stimulate cognitive skills in kids from early childhood. The interactive games include abacus, cubes, bead mazes, sliders, and sorters. They develop the ability to focus, logical thinking and motor skills.
Some models come with sound and visual effects that attract young mind to learn and retain.
How to select an activity cube?
Some of the common factors that must be considered while buying a cube are:
- Size: Children can’t comprehend too small toys; they need large objects to learn. An ideal activity cube must be large, sturdy and stable.
- Number of activities: Choose cubes which have a varying level of challenge on each side because the difficulty level must match with each developmental stage of a child, each side of the cube is targeted at a certain skill. The most common games on activity cubes are:
- Pathfinders
- Sliders
- Spinning gears
- Shape sorters
- Cubes teaching math and alphabets
- Some have sound and visual effects.
- Durability: Since the cubes are directed at toddlers’ extra care must be taken during their construction. There should be no loose parts and all parts must be rounded and polished. The material used must be non-toxic.
- Age of the child: Each toy built for young children must meet the safety standards for the particular age and have features pertinent to that age. Too advanced can be daunting and frustrating and too basic will be boring and unattractive. Each child is different and the recommended age on a package is a mere guideline. Choose according to your toddler’s skill and needs.
Check out 13 of the best activity cubes designed for toddlers from leading toy manufacturers. All these toys aim at developing sensory skills, cognitive abilities, and fine motor skills in young children.
1- Battatt Farm Animals Activity Cube
This cube is a favorite with all toddlers and infants, and a bestseller on Amazon. This activity cube is designed to bring your child’s imagination to life when it comes to discovering animals.
Hand-eye coordination
The maze wire improves the hand-eye coordination of the child while providing hours of fun as the child learns to open doors, flip the different pictures, roll the marbles across the top while the animals slide underneath. It improves motor skills also.
Durable
This activity cube is made from wood and will bear the brunt and frustration and the moments of immense pleasure that toddlers often show by either slapping or thumping a toy on the floor.
Notable features
- Wooden Cube
- Suitable for kids over 12 months
- Five sides of fun
- Measures 16x12x12
- Bright and colorful.
Overall Summary
An affordable wooden activity cube, this farm animal box will keep your toddler busy unraveling the mysteries of the bead maze which curves, the cars that race and comprehend the alphabet that will form the basis for future education.
2- Country Critters from Hape
Let your child’s imagination run riot with this very versatile and durable activity cube from Hape. It is probably one of the best activity cubes in the market because it is designed to captivate a wide range of kids between the age groups of 12 months to 6 years. Every side has a story to tell, an activity to enthrall.
Safe
The Country Critters is made from wood which is non-toxic and biodegradable – safe for the kid and the environment. The cube doesn’t have any sharp edges that may cause injury to tender hands and skin. The paint used is also child safe and non-toxic.
Learn about insects and bugs
A young child is always fascinated by small insects and critters; in fact, they try to grasp these insects. Activities on this cube teach little minds about the neighborhood insects and bugs among other things.
All round learning
This fascinating cube will keep your child enthralled for hours as it weaves through a wire maze and a rotating maze and learns to sort shapes and colors. The Hape Country Critter Cube will lead to the sensory development and encourages problem-solving skills and improves fine motor skills.
Notable features
- Made from wood procured from environmentally sustained forests
- Durable
- Made in Germany
- Measures 13.8 x 13.8 x 19.7 inches
- The paints used are non-toxic
- Five sides of activities
- Suitable for kids over 12 months to 6 years.
Overall Summary
Priced around $110 the activity cube will lead to overall development of your toddler. It makes learning fun and interesting. Your child will learn about various animals and bugs in a fun-filled and colorful manner.
3- VTech Alphabet Activity Cube
An activity cube that comes pre-loaded with over 100 songs and phrases the VTech will keep your child engaged for a long time. Your child will learn numbers, alphabets, and colors. This cube is an electronic toy that runs on 2 AA batteries.
Display of light and sound
Built to appeal to the young mind, this electronic educational toy displays a wide array of songs and rhymes that are catchy and easy to follow.
Energy saving
Loud sounds are always not necessary to learn new things or play with the activity cube. This product has a switch which allows you to mute the sounds or reduce the volume. The cube auto shuts off if not used for 45 seconds.
Two modes
All learning and no play can be tiring for tender children. In this cube, you can select between learning mode and the play mode. This is a great way of learning about the various shapes colors and alphabets.
Notable features
- Made from high-grade plastic
- An electronic toy that runs on 2 AA batteries
- Has five interactive sides
- It includes 13 building blocks with all the 26 alphabets on them
- Pre-loaded with over 100 songs and popular rhymes
- A phone that works and teaches numbers
- Can learn shapes, colors
- Interactive slots for easy learning
- Suitable for children aged between 9 months to 3 years.
Overall Summary
A modern age electronic activity cube from Vtech, the toy is designed to teach and entertain small children with sound and light effects. They will never be bored in this cube’s company.
4- EverEarth Garden Activity Cube
An eco-friendly activity cube from Ever Earth Garden, the activity cube is suited for kids above 18 months. This is an interactive toy with all the usual suspects of mazes, cubes, colors and shape sorters.
Safe for children
Made from FSC certified Beech and tested to EN71 standards, the cube is free of any kind of harmful chemicals either from paints or the main material itself. It is completely safe for little hands to handle. Water-based paints have been used to brighten up the cube. This product has a small carbon footprint.
Stimulating games
There are six sides of exciting games that include beads, mazes, shape sorter and spinning shapes and peg maze to keep little minds and hands productively engaged for a long time.
Notable features
- Made from non-toxic and safe wood
- Measures 13.97 x 15.74 x 15.94 inches
- Ideal for developing motor skills
- Six sides of learning
- Ideal for kids above 18 months.
Overall Summary
The EverEarth Cube is a non-toxic wooden cube made from sustainable material aimed at stimulating young brains. It is safe and durable and will help in the development of gross motor skills, logical thinking, problem-solving abilities and improvement of focus.
5- Anatex Deluxe Mini Play Cube
This cube needs a little more maturity and is suitable for three-year-olds. It is small and designed to stimulate all the sense of the children. A great entertaining and educational toy that improves the hand-eye coordination, recognition of letters, colors and shapes and improvement of visual tracking.
Small size
It can be an ideal playmate for your toddler to take to a friend’s house or even for your family to travel with. This small but busy and stimulating toy has all the necessary games like the Pathfinder, a huge rollercoaster bead maze, Ziggidyzag panel, abacus, known your alphabet and even gears.
Notable features
- Suitable for 3+ years
- Five sided
- Measures 14 x 14 x 13 inches
Overall Summary
This toy is ideal for travelling, taking to a family gathering or friend’s house, or even keeping in the back seat of the car. Also a nice affordable price if you’re looking to keep your toy spending down!
6- VTech Busy Learners Activity Cube
A fun-filled sound and light cube, this five-sided cube from VTech is designed to please and captivate impressionable minds. The interactive buttons name the animals, produce their sounds and identify shapes. It is an interesting way to learn about the world around us.
Interactive learning
In the initial stages of learning, children learn through repletion and what they hear. Very young kids have limited retaining power but when they listen to sounds they remember better. This activity cube lights up and names the animals and the sounds they produce.
Safe construction
The cube is made from BPA free plastic and is perfectly safe for small children to play with. Rounded edges and no sharp angles also ensure there are no unexpected bruises or cuts while using the cube.
Notable features
- Five-sided BPA free plastic cube
- Motion sensors attract attention
- Measures 6.2×6.2×6.5 inches
- Aids sitting up in kids
- Ideal for 6 months to 3-year-olds
- Requires 2 AA batteries
- Comes loaded with 25 songs.
Overall Summary
This toy is probably one of the cheapest on this list. It is highly interactive and will be loved by your kids. You can regulate the volume to suit your choice. For those on a low budget, this is the best activity cube that money can buy.
7- My Busy Town from Alex Toys
Peek-a-boo is a favorite with all toddlers and infants. This activity cube from Alex is based on this popular game and has one side of the cube to educating kids on the various professions like a doctor, fireman, and a mailman. This Oppenheim gold seal award winner is suitable for children over 1 year.
Hand-eye coordination
The maze wire improves the hand-eye coordination of the child while providing hours of fun as the child learns to race the bus and the car on the tracks. It improves motor skills also.
Durable
This activity cube is made from wood and will bear the brunt and frustration and the moments of immense pleasure that toddlers often show by either slapping or thumping a toy on the floor.
Notable features
- Wooden Cube
- Suitable for kids over 12 months
- Five sides of fun
- Oppenheim Award winner
- Measures 16x12x12
- Bright and colorful.
Overall Summary
An affordable wooden activity cube, the ALEX Jr. will keep your toddler busy unraveling the mysteries of the bead maze which curves, the cars that race and comprehend the alphabet that will form the basis for future education.
8- ALEX Jr. Maxville Wooden Activity Cube
Another class product from Alex toys, the Alex Jr. Maxville helps few kids in learning to stand as they hold the cube for support. Well, this conveys the message that the cube is a solid piece and has a stable base – a must in activity cubes. It has the regular bundle of mazes, beads, spinning gears.
Durable
The toy is non-toxic as it is made from eco-friendly wood. It is also sturdy and stable and crafted well to last a long time.
Notable features
- Spinning base
- Activity on each side
- Durable
- Suitable for kids over 12 months.
Overall Summary
Like all toys from Alexa, this Maxville too is a toy aimed at improving the cognitive skills of little children. It has won the Creative Child Magazine Toy of the year award. It is brightly colored and there are no hazardous edges.
9- KidKraft Deluxe Activity Cube
Bright attractive and immensely likable, the activity cube from Kidkraft is built to intrigue and enthrall a child’s mind. This product is made in China and has met with mixed reviews. Several users were unhappy with the assembly of the piece while others denounced the construction of the piece. But those who were lucky to receive a good piece praised the color and layout of the cube.
Safe for children
The paints used are non-toxic and all edges are rounded and blunt. A mathematics genius in making The cube comes with the complete abacus which helps kids learn to count and improve logical thinking.
Notable features
- Wooden Cube
- Complete abacus included
- Five faces with five different games
- Non-toxic paint used
- Equipped with 21 beads.
Overall Summary
There are always defective pieces and this product is no exception. But when you look at the overall product, it is well designed and aids in the growth of hand-eye coordination and the ability to recognize shapes and colors.
Bottom Line
So, you have seen the several activity cubes in varying price range above. Each model is unique and has its own style, color scheme but they are all connected by the same games and activities. You know your child best, so choose wisely. Don’t let cost deter you from investing in a good quality activity cube for your toddler. If still in doubt browse through manufacturer’s website and user feedback columns to help you choose nothing but the best activity cube that you can buy.
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