9 Best Activity Cubes for Babies and Toddlers {2024 Update}

Parents naturally want the best for their babies. Your child needs crucial skills to grow and thrive, and finding the best activity cube is one way to help them! 

Activity cubes provide three primary benefits: 

• fine motor skills
• understanding cause and effect
• learning letters, numbers, shapes, and more

This article reviews 9 activity cubes that will stimulate your child’s brain and provide hours of fun!

What Are Activity Cubes?

Activity cubes are toys that offer various tactile and pattern-based activities for babies and toddlers to enjoy. They commonly include beads to push, gears to spin, shapes to sort, and doors or switches to flip. Some even include musical elements. They come in many different sizes, shapes, and themes.

Parents sometimes wonder, “Are activity cubes worth it?” If you’re a new parent, you understand that those first months of life are critical to your child’s development. Stimulating the brain is an essential part of fostering their growth and learning, and activity cubes accomplish that goal.

Here are 9 of the best activity cubes for babies and toddlers. 

EverEarth Garden Activity Cube

The EverEarth Garden Activity Cube boasts six different sides, each with a new activity. On top, it has a brightly-colored bead maze to work on tactile skills at a height that is perfect for babies and toddlers.

Made with non-toxic materials and natural hardwood, you can rest assured knowing that your child is safe.

Because this is so much larger than many other activity cubes, it is perfect for parallel play. Your child will have plenty of space to play. This activity cube is recommended for ages 18 months and up.

If you want an option that is big with more variety, this is a perfect choice. It’s full of patterns, shapes, numbers, and colors that will help your child learn while having fun. It is built to be durable and last.

PROS

• It is very durable and well made
• Offers a variety of activities
• Made with non-toxic materials
• Wood is sanded, and corners are rounded; no sharp edges

CONS

• Magnetic shapes are on the smaller side, and you may want to put those away until your child is older
• It is very sturdy but can topple over if kids pull up on it

Country Critters Wooden Activity Play Cube

The Country Critters Wooden Activity Play Cube is an adorable option. It features four sides and one top, all featuring different activities for your child. It offers a maze, wooden balls, and even a shape sorter along with the usual activity play options, such as bead mazes.

This wooden activity cube is designed with cute animals and bright colors to attract your child’s attention. It keeps it fun with activities that help develop vital coordination and physical skills. True to Hape quality, this option safely provides durability.

This particular option is designed for children between 12 months and 6 years of age. It is built using sustainably sourced wood with non-toxic paints.

PROS

• It has a variety of activities
• Minimal assembly required
• Built from sustainably sourced wood and non-toxic paints
• It has lots of educational components

CONS

• The pull knob to release the shapes can be hard for kids to do on their own
• Some customers complained that shapes don’t always fit inside their designated holes

Battat — Wooden Activity Cube

The Battat Wooden Activity Cube is expertly crafted to keep your child’s attention. With beautiful colors and plenty of adorable illustrations, it teaches children about cause and effect, logic and boosts fine motor skills.

It also shows many different animals and objects found on a farm, expanding vocabulary as you play.

With many different doors, beads to push, and spinners to spin, this toy has five different sides to play with. The movable characters and adorable barn offer your child an opportunity for storytelling and creative play.

Battat is known for producing high-quality wooden or natural products, and this activity cube is no exception. Your child will love pushing around the characters.

This particular option is recommended for 12 months and up, making it one of the best toys for a 1 year old. 

Corners have been rounded to prevent injury. You can also rest assured that this toy is safe and non-toxic.

PROS

• It has a good variety of activities
• Comes fully assembled
• Great quality and made with non-toxic materials
• It has lots of educational components

CONS

• It is heavy, and you will need to be mindful that it may topple over if kids pull up on it
• Some pictures and characters are placed low on the cube and would be hard to see unless your child is lying on the ground

BATTOP 10-in-1 Multi-Play Activity Cube

The Battop 10-in-1 Multi-Play Activity Cube is actually an activity cylinder. It is packed with many different exciting activities that help teach children. With some of the activities offered, it works well for older children.

This toy has all of the typical activities, such as shape sorting, a bead maze, counting beads, and gears to spin. Where this toy really excels is in offering Flying Chess, a clock, and a fishing game built into it as well.

Because these games have smaller pieces, this toy is recommended for ages 3 and up under direct parental supervision.

This toy offers high-quality wood and maximum utility thanks to its round design. Each game and activity gets its own separate panel around the cylinder.

PROS

• It comes with 10 different activities for your child
• Great for traveling
• Great for fine motor skills
• It has a lot of educational components

CONS

• It has smaller pieces and would not be good for younger children
• It is a lot smaller than other activity cubes

LUKAT Musical Activity Cube

The LUKAT Musical Activity Cube creates a plastic option that plays music and lights up. It is advertised as a 4 in 1 keyboard, piano toy, and activity cube with several different activities, sounds, and phrases. It can teach your child about colors, numbers, animals, and more.

Children love the ball ramp, the piano, and the ability to assemble their own ramps. It fosters creativity, coordination, and other essential fine motor skills.

If you’re worried about the plastic build, don’t be! This is built with BPA-free plastic. It has been fully tested to comply with several stringent safety measures.

Keep in mind that for this particular toddler toy, you will need batteries. You can convert the toy into several different modes to find something suitable for any child.

PROS

• Easy to assemble
• It has sounds and phrases
• Great for fine motor skills
• Offers a variety of activities

CONS

• It needs batteries
• You can’t adjust the volume

TOYVENTIVE Wooden Activity Cube

The TOYVENTIVE Wooden Activity Cube is a phenomenal option if you are looking for versatility. Your child will be kept engaged with a maze, shape sorter, counter, clock, and gears. Stacking cups fit neatly inside the top, offering another fun and exciting way for your child to play.

This compact activity center is slightly smaller than a soccer ball (not counting the bead maze on top). However, it manages to pack a lot in such a small space. This option is perfect for on-the-go fun.

This design is created from sturdy wood that is expertly crafted. The entire design is painted brightly with non-toxic paint, making it perfect, even if you have a child prone to chewing.

PROS

• Made from non-toxic materials
• Offers a variety of activities
• The top maze part detaches and can be used separately 
• You can flip the cube over to store everything

CONS

• It is a lot smaller than other activity cubes
• It has a lot of pieces that could potentially get lost

VTech Sort and Discover Activity Cube

If bright lights and sounds are your child’s jam, the VTech Sort and Discover Activity Cube has you covered. It offers over 75 sounds, songs, and phrases. Your child can play with a piano, turn pages on a book, sort shapes, and more.

This toy combines several traditional baby toys, such as the piano, a see-and-say spinner, and a toy sorter, saving space. It is built to be engaging and interactive for children between 9 and 36 months.

This toy is easily cleaned. Keep in mind that it will require 2 AA batteries.

PROS

• It plays music and has phrases
• Great for introducing numbers, colors, and music
• Great for hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills
• It has a variety of activities

CONS

• It is noisy
• Requires batteries

Manhattan Toy Tree Top Adventure Activity Center

The Manhattan Toy Tree Top Adventure Activity Center is quite large, coming in at 22.5″ tall and 18″ wide. You may need to make sure you have space to store this option before purchase. However, it is worth every inch of space it takes.

Adorably designed as a tree and complete with bead mazes, painted details, gears to turn, and more, this toy keeps kids entertained. The designs are simple and eye-catching without being overstimulating. Your child can enjoy moving ladybugs, bees, monkeys, and more throughout the leaves for pretend play.

One of the best activity cubes for a one year old, this toy can keep your child busy for hours without breaking. Without any stickers, details are sure to last on this design.

If you want your child to get an activity cube without bright colors, this is for you. The colors are muted enough to be eye-catching without being overbearing or obnoxious.

PROS

• Easy to assemble
• It comes with legs so your child can stand while playing 
• You can wait to assemble the legs until your child is older, which allows them to play on the floor
• Sturdy and won’t tip over with the base attached

CONS

• It is large and will take up space in your home
• Two pieces on the top slide into each other but do not connect. Because of this, the top part can be a little wobbly 

BrainUpToys Busy Activity Cube

The BrainUpToys Busy Activity Cube might look strange at first glance, but it is a treasure trove of fine motor skill development for your toddler. Its compact design lets your child take it anywhere. Your child can spin gears, experiment with fasteners, and move beads around.

It’s lightweight to keep your child engaged while still developing fine motor and cognitive skills on the go. Weighing just 5 ounces, you can easily take this toy on-the-go. It will keep your 1-3-year-old learning happily without even realizing it.

This toy boasts gear wheels, a lock, a bell, beads, learning lace, a wheel to spin, and an hourglass clock. The edges have been smoothed out to prevent accidental injuries. All paint has been selected to be safe and non-toxic.

Your child has many options to enjoy, from discovering how to open a door with the lock to enjoying the sensory stimulation. And, they may even find new, innovative ways to entertain themselves while they play.

PROS

• Great for travel and long car rides
• Offers a variety of activities
• Smooth edges and made from non-toxic materials
• Great for fine motor skills

CONS

• Plastic pieces break easily if the cube is dropped
• The small size limits amount of activities available 

Activity Cube Benefits

When you give your child an activity cube, you give them a gift to help them for a lifetime.

These toys are built to teach those crucial skills necessary for children to learn that adults tend to forget about or take for granted. You might know how to grip a pencil properly to write, but that requires developing skills such as fine motor skills.

Your child needs these crucial skills to grow and thrive, and it is up to you to provide them. The three primary benefits that activity cubes teach are fine motor skills, understanding cause and effect, and learning letters, numbers, shapes, and more.

By introducing an activity cube, you have an easy option that helps introduce and foster these skills naturally while still encouraging fun.

Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skills are those involving fine movements of your fingers and hands. Most activities that you perform during the day require some degree of these. Your child needs fine motor skills to function independently, from eating to writing or otherwise manipulating objects.

Children develop rapidly from birth to age three, and as the parent you can help facilitate this. This is where toys come in. Children primarily learn through play in those tender years, so providing the right toys becomes crucial.

Choosing an activity cube will help dramatically with fine motor skills. Your child will learn how to pinch and grasp beads to push them around, spin gears, and push shapes through a shape sorter, requiring fine motor movements.

Cause and Effect

Children are hardwired for logic. They understand the idea of cause and effect, and it is endlessly fascinating to them. This is how they begin to understand consistency and rules in the world around them.

Have you ever seen a child sit and try the same thing over and over again? They do this to see if things change over time. They want to know if the same result will happen every time, and if it does, they come to expect it.

By providing your child with an activity cube, you provide a toy that explores these concepts. Your child may try to push shapes into a shape sorter and see that, no matter how many times he or she tries, that square is not fitting in the circle hole. This is learning about cause and effect – they learn that some shapes fit and fall in while others don’t.

From pushing beads over the edge of a bead maze to watching as gears spin together, these toys can provide your child ample feedback that can be used later on. Your child will explore those actions to see what happens and strengthen the foundation for future logical thought as a result.

Learn Numbers, Letters, and Shapes

Finally, activity cubes teach some combinations of shapes, numbers, letters, colors, animal names, and more. This development of cognitive abilities sets the foundation for learning a language. Learning to sort between categories and recognize that each thing has a name allows children to start communicating better and clearer.

Most activity cubes help build this, but your child has to actively hear the language associated with the item to begin understanding them better. This is where some of the battery-operated options do excel since they actively state the colors, numbers, letters, etc., for the child to hear and eventually repeat.

However, you can teach this simply by playing and engaging with your child without the need for a battery-operated toy if you prefer.

Learning numbers, letters, and shapes isn’t something to wait until your child goes to school for. It is best to start to set that foundation from an early age to prepare your child for success. This can be enjoyable for both you and your child while fostering your relationship.

Things to Consider When Choosing the Best Activity Cube

When searching for the best activity cubes for babies and toddlers, you might feel a little lost. After all, with so many options, which one is truly the best? It all depends on the features that you want in your child’s toy.

Generally, parents look at three factors to choose the right activity cube for their children. They focus on safety, the variety in activities, and the age-appropriateness of the toy. If you consider each of these three factors, you’re bound to find the right option for your own child without much hassle.

Safety

Most parents look first to safety to ensure their children get the best. Look at the materials that the activity cube is made of before settling on it. They ought to be made out of non-toxic paints and plastics to be as safe as possible.

You should also look at whether the edges are safe for children. Many wooden cube toys have sharp edges that can hurt when your child slips and falls. However, these edges can be rounded out, and some manufacturers prefer to do so.

You must also make sure that there are no choking or other hazards on the toy. Small pieces that come loose easily or are separate may not be appropriate for young children to use unsupervised.

Variety in Activities

You must also take a look at the various activities that options offer. The more of a variety offered, the more skills are developed, and the more likely the toy is to keep your child’s attention longer.

One of the most important aspects to consider with variety is whether you want a battery-operated activity cube or if you prefer to skip the electronics altogether. This will help you to narrow down your decision.

Age Appropriateness

Finally, consider just how age-appropriate an option is for your child. If you have a 1-year-old, an activity cube marked 3 and up probably isn’t the best choice. Likewise, you want to make sure that the skills that your child will be working on are age-appropriate as well.

By paying attention to the target audience of activity cubes, you will be able to find one that allows your child to develop and learn. Toys that are too advanced are likely to cause frustration, while toys that are too simplistic likely won’t keep attention long enough.

Final Thoughts about the Best Activity Cubes

If you’re shopping for activity cubes for your child, don’t stress! Think about what your child would love, what you want to instill in your child, and which cubes will provide those lessons. Choosing a cube is important, but your child is ultimately benefitting if they are playing and learning.

And, if you’re feeling the pressure, remember that the most valuable learning resource that your child has is you! 

Looking for more gear for your little one? Head over to our Gear Guides Section to see more comparisons.

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