Activity cubes are a good choice for improving your child’s development because they offer a variety of activities to babies and toddlers. They have moving parts that engage your little one and help them practice their fine motor skills. Below, you’ll find our list of the best activity cube for babies and toddlers.
Best Wooden Activity Cubes
You’ll get the most bang for your buck with the Battat Activity Cube because of its 5-star rating and inexpensive price compared to the other wooden activity cubes below.
Manhattan Toy Activity Center
The Manhattan Toy Activity Center is full of motor skill activities to entertain your little one for hours. Unlike the traditional cube design, this is shaped like a tree with the base being a stand and the top being packed with activities.
Some of the activities on this fun center include springy flaps, spinning dials, bead runs, and gliders. Your child can learn shape recognition while they practice their fine motor skills. The Manhattan Toy company recommends this toy for children ages one and older.
The wooden stand is about 22.5″ tall, making it significantly larger than the others listed so far because it sits on top of a base. This also makes it less likely to tip onto your child. In addition to the various activities, this also has detailed graphics and bright colors to keep your child visually engaged. The water-based paint is non-toxic.
Since this is bigger than some of the other cubes, it does require assembly after shipping. It can be a little frustrating to get the screws into place as recommended but they stay sturdy after it’s been assembled.
Pros
- Taller than other activity cubes
- Comes on its own stand
- Graphics show good attention to detail
- Loaded with fun activities
- Safety features like rounded edges and non-toxic, water-based paint
Cons
- Difficult to assemble
Battat Farm Activity Center
The Battat Farm Activity Center has five sides with fun activities for your little one that will introduce them to animal friends. It has durable wood construction with rounded edges and bright colors to engage your little one.
This activity cube is designed for use by children ages 1 and older. Some of the activities include zig-zagging beads up and down, spinning tiles with animal friends, doors that open to reveal animals, and more. With so many different movements, your child gets to explore the world through cause-and-effect.
The Battat company has been around since 1897 and has a reputation for producing high-quality toys. This durable wood block is well worth the price because it will last well beyond the years when your child plays with it. Even the high-quality paint lasts without chipping. It features gender-neutral colors including red, green, blue, and yellow.
If your child is still learning to pull themselves up, you’ll want to stay nearby while they play with this cube. It might tip over on top of them or cause them to fall if they try to use it to support all their weight.
Pros
- Made of high-quality wood
- Wood, paint, and moving parts are durable
- Several activities to keep your child entertained
- Makes it easy to learn about different animals
- Comes in gender-neutral colors
Cons
- Tip-over risk
See more toys for 1-year-old girls and toys for 1-year-old boys in our gift round-up articles.
Alex Busy Town Activity Cube
The Alex Busy Town Activity Cube has five interactive sides and bright colors. It was the winner of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award winner.
Some of the fun activities on this cube are the curvy wires with beads, animals that spin and match, spinning ABC word tiles, and peek-a-boo doors. This is designed for ages one and up. Younger babies are likely to pull themselves up on the cube and may knock it over or pull it on top of themselves.
One thing to note is that the design of this cube has changed over time. There were complaints with the earlier model about sharp edges even though the corners were sanded down but the edges are sanded now as well. This also had a spinning base, however, that was found to have safety issues and it was removed.
Pros
- Fun, bright colors
- Plenty of activities
- Many ways to learn, especially with parent interaction
- Updated model has better safety features
- Winner of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award
Cons
- Some safety issues with the earlier model, buy the updated one
Country Critters Cube
The Country Critters Cube by Hape is a little larger and heavier than the other wooden activity cubes mentioned so far, making it less of a tip-over risk for kids who may pull themselves up on it. The cube features fun activities like a shape sorter, wooden ball maze, beaded maze, and more. These all have a fun animal theme.
The ball maze is unique and comes with several wires. Your child sets the ball on them and hits it with a mallet to move them forward and make them drop down. Something to note is that these wires can be bent, which makes it harder for the ball to drop down or stay on the track.
The bright, bold colors make this visually stimulating for your little one. The ball maze also helps them understand gravity and cause-and-effect, while many of the other activities help with recognition and fine motor skills. One nice feature of the shape sorter is a knob that opens a ‘door’ so the shapes can be easily retrieved. Younger kids may have trouble turning this knob.
This toy is recommended for ages 1-6. The rounded edges on this toddler activity cube are nice because your little one won’t get hurt if they fall against it. Additionally, while the paint may chip over time with rough play, it is a water-based non-toxic paint that won’t harm your little one.
Pros
- Fun shapes to sort
- Teaches colors, shapes, animals, and more
- Rounded edges to prevent harm
- Made using non-toxic materials
- Slightly larger than other wooden cubes
- Lower tip-over risk
Cons
- Paint chips over time
- Can be hard to turn the shape sorter release knob
Best Activity Cubes with Bead Maze
The Play22 Activity Cube is the best budget-friendly option whereas the EverEarth Activity Cube is a more high-end and expensive option.
Victostar Activity Cube
The Victostar Activity Cube is loaded with fun activities. Unlike the traditional cube-like design, this has a round base and top with several panels that encourage your child to learn, play, and have fun doing one of ten different activities included in this cube.
In addition to the various panels, the bead maze can be inverted for different types of play. Some of the activities include rainbow gears, shape matching, counting beads, flying chess, a digital clock, animal flip, and more. This also has a fishing function where your child lies down several magnetic fish and tries to catch them. With so many different activities, many children spend hours fixated on this toy.
This toddler activity cube is designed for ages three and older because of the smaller parts. It comes with pieces for the flying chess game and the shapes for the shape sorting are around 1-inch in diameter each. In addition to developing problem-solving skills, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills, your child can learn to recognize clocks, characters, shapes, and alphanumeric letters and numbers.
This is designed safe for toddlers. The high-quality wood construction is durable and covered in water-based paint. There is a rounded finish around the entire activity center.
Pros
- Unique, rounded design
- More activities than some of the others
- Bead maze can be removed
- Games for older children
- Rounded edges and water-based paint for safety
Cons
- Comes with a lot of small pieces and no way to store them
Play22 Activity Cube
The Play22 Activity Cube has five sides and activities like abacus counting beads, sliding shapes, counting numbers, shape sorting, and more. Another unique feature of this toy is the bead maze, which can be completely removed from the top of the cube for play.
The abacus is a great tool for teaching your child about basic addition and subtraction as they enter the toddler years. Additionally, this tool teaches fine motor skills and logic. When you play with your child, you can introduce them to colors, shapes, and basic early vocabulary.
Like most of the other activity cubes mentioned so far, this is ideal for children one year and older. It comes assembled but is a little smaller than some of the others, being 8″ x 8″ x 7″ while many of the other wooden cubes are 12″ in width and length.
The wooden shapes are also a little small, so you’ll want to keep an eye on your toddler while they play. Additionally, the edges and corners of this block could be more rounded.
Pros
- Bead maze is removable
- Comes with shape sorter and other fun activities
- Abacus teaches early addition and subtraction
- Great for recognition and learning colors, shapes, and numbers
- Smaller size has some advantages, depends on preference
Cons
- Edges are not as rounded as they could be
- Wooden shapes are a little on the small size
EverEarth Garden Activity Cube
The EverEarth Garden Activity Cube has six sides of fun activities instead of five because of its unique shape and a bead maze on top. It is made using hardwood and painted with water-based, non-toxic paint making it perfect for babies who are still chewing.
The six-sided design sets this apart because its unique shape makes it less of a tip-over risk if your baby pulls themselves up using it. Each side has a fun activity, including shape sorting, an abacus to practice counting, addition, and subtraction, animal mazes, moving gears, and more. Parents should note that the educational shape sorting does not work traditionally. Instead, there are magnets that attach the shape to different areas of the board. This can be harder for younger kids to figure out.
The smaller shapes and pieces make this ideal for children ages 18 months and older. This cube is the perfect size for your toddler to sit next to it or stand next to it while it’s on a table and play. Its measurements are 15.7″ x 14″ x 15.9″, making it larger than some of the other cubes mentioned. This also comes completely assembled, making it ready for playtime right out of the box.
Something else to note is that the EverEarth Garden company makes toys with sustainable wood and materials, down to the packaging. This is good for parents worried about the footprint of toys. As an added benefit, they plant a tree for every toy that is sold.
Pros
- Large-sized cube
- Plenty of fun activities
- More sides than the other cubes
- Lower tip-over risk
- Sustainable wood and materials used
- A tree is planted for every EverEarth Garden toy purchase
Cons
- Shape sorter uses magnets instead of traditional holes
Victostar 10-in-1 Activity Cube
The Victostar 10-in-1 Activity Cube is designed for kids ages three and up. There are 10 different activities including a bead maze, bead counting, shape matching, gears, track glide, animal flip doors, digital clock, character match, flying chess, and a fishing option.
This has a recommendation for children ages three and up because of the small size of some of the parts. The cube has rounded corners to keep children safe and is constructed using high-quality wood, and water-based paint that is both child-safe and environmentally safe.
In addition to the cube itself, this comes with small pieces for the chess games and a dry erase marker. Something to note is that the top of this cube is removable, which can frustrate some kids while they are playing. There is no way to secure it to the cube.
Pros
- Has 10 different activities
- Designed for older kids
- Comes with fun games
- Encourages logical thinking and problem solving
- Child-safe and environmentally-safe
- Comes with game pieces
Cons
- Top of the cube comes off sometimes during play
- A little smaller than some of the other activity cubes
Lewo Wooden Activity Cube
The Lewo Wooden Activity Cube comes with five different activities. It also has a removable bead maze that can be taken off and stored upside down, making the activity cube more compact for storage. The shapes can also be stored inside which prevents them from going missing.
One activity on this cube that isn’t found on some of the others is the clock. The clock has hours and minutes listed by fives so your child can practice telling time. This also has a magnetic shape sorter, spinning gears, mazes, and more. Playing activities helps with fine motor skills, recognition, and problem-solving.
The Lewo cube does not have edges that are as round as some of the others, however, it does have a softer plastic safeguard. It’s slightly smaller than some of the others, however, the shapes are not too small. This is recommended for children ages one year and older.
Pros
- Removable bead maze inverts for easy storage
- Several fun activities for kid
- Can be used to help your child learn how to tell time
- Has plastic safeguard around the edges
- Designed for children ages 1 and older
Cons
- A little smaller than some of the others
- Edges could be rounder
Top Bright Activity Cube
This Top Bright Activity Cube is made of plastic but does not have lights or sounds. It has several fun activities for your child and is designed after a cute elephant friend.
Some of the activities on this cube include counting beads, sliding insects, and spinning gears. It also has a bead maze that rotates and a spinning ball that visually stimulates your child. The cute elephant design has rounded edges and is safe for kids to play with.
This is another smaller cube, however, it is recommended for ages 1 year and older. It is constructed using BPA-free, non-toxic plastic. The bead made can be removed, which is nice because this is smaller and either part would make a good travel cube.
Pros
- Smooth, rounded edges
- Cute elephant design
- Counting beads, spinning gears, and more activities are included
- Made of non-toxic materials
- Bead maze is removable and spins around
Cons
- A little on the small size
Woby Musical Activity Cube
The Musical Activity Cube features lights, sounds, and fun ways for kids to play. It is recommended for use by ages one and older and features a wide range of musical activities that will delight your toddler.
In addition to the musical feedback that your child gets from pressing buttons, this comes with a microphone that your child can sing into and a fun hammer and drum. They can make the activity cube produce different sounds by hitting different areas with the hammer, pulling or pushing buttons, twisting parts of the cube, and more. A working and removable phone is included so your child can push buttons and learn about numbers and there is a bead maze on top. This also has a side with driving features including a car key, car horn, and steering wheel.
With so many activities on a small cube, your child will easily delight in playing with this for hours. It is perfect for increasing visual and auditory sensory feedback and encourages your child to use their fingers in ways that will improve their fine motor skills. You will need batteries to power this cube.
Pros
- 15 different ways to play
- Many working buttons and fun activities
- Great for the child who is interested in music
- Bead maze on top
- Comes with a phone, steering wheel, and more
- Encourages fine motor development
Cons
- We couldn’t find any!
Best Activity Cubes with Sound
While both of these activity cubes include shape sorting, the VTech Activity Cube includes the biggest variety of music and phrases compared to the Toysical Activity Cube. With that being said, the Toysical Cube is more unique, allowing kids to snap the cube together in multiple ways.
VTech Activity Cube
The VTech Activity Cube is a plastic activity cube that lights up and makes sounds. It is recommended for ages 9 months to 36 months.
This VTech activity cube is smaller than the wooden cubes and perfect for setting down next to your child once they have learned to sit up. It has over 75 sounds, songs, melodies, and phrases that are activated as your child plays with the cube.
There are five different sides and seven types of activities, including piano keys that introduce colors, music, and numbers, electronic panels with numbers, colors, and animals, book pages that can be turned, spinners, sliders, and more. It has many activities that improve hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills while encouraging early learning.
You will need to keep the buttons and pieces clean for them to continue working without sticking. Use a damp cloth to clean them periodically. You’ll also need 2 AA batteries to operate this cube, though it does come with demo batteries.
This cube also has a shape sorting activity. Something to note is that there are stickers on the shapes included for sorting and if your child puts them in their mouth or chews on them, they are likely to come off.
Pros
- Many activities for learning fun
- Over 75 songs, words, melodies, and phrases
- Introduces colors, shapes, animals, numbers, and more
- Improves hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Stickers will come off shapes if your child chews on them
Style-Carry Activity Cube
The Toysical Activity Cube has a unique design because it the panels of the activity comes apart and can be reattached to build other structures. It also has working lights and sounds including animal musical sounds, a piano, and more.
Some of the other activities included with this cube include a mirror, gears and beads, an animal clock with working hands, shape matching, and more. The plastic is easy to clean and made using BPA-free non-toxic materials. Another fun element is being able to make several structures with the interlocking pieces- there are plenty of ideas on the box.
Something to note is that this is significantly smaller than some of the other activity cubes on the list. Even though it is recommended for ages one and older, the plastic shapes included are a little on the small size and may be a choking hazard. The small size and the way the pieces interlock make it a great travel toy. It teaches early recognition of animals, shapes, music, and colors and promotes fine motor development.
Pros
- Interlocking pieces can be taken apart and put together
- Makes several sounds and lights up
- Has a mirror for self-recognition
- Easy to clean
- Small size is good for travel
Cons
- Shapes are on the small size for a one-year-old
Comparing Activity Cubes
The table below compares only the recommended products on this page. A low or high Price means it is low or high compared to the other products listed. The Popularity Score reflects how often readers click on and buy the product. The Quality Score is our assessment of the overall performance and satisfaction with the product compared to others in the table.
| EverEarth Garden Activity Cube | 8.5 | 9.4 | 129.99 |
| Country Critters Cube | 9.6 | 9.4 | 118.99 |
| Alex Busy Town Activity Cube | 8.1 | 9.4 | 99.99 |
| Manhattan Toy Activity Center | 9.8 | 9.4 | 82.99 |
| Battat Farm Activity Center | 9.9 | 9.6 | 60.95 |
| VTech Activity Cube | 9.9 | 9.6 | 34.99 |
| Woby Musical Activity Cube | 7.9 | 9.4 | 32.99 |
| Play22 Activity Cube | 9.7 | 8.8 | 29.99 |
| Victostar Activity Cube | 6.8 | 8.6 | 29.99 |
| Top Bright Activity Cube | 9.6 | 8.8 | 29.99 |
| Lewo Wooden Activity Cube | 3.9 | 8.6 | - |
| Style-Carry Activity Cube | 6.1 | - | - |
How We Selected Activity Cubes
Physical and Sensory Development
The major benefit of activity cubes is the way they engage your baby and encourage their physical and sensory development.
Larger blocks encourage your child to pull themselves up or hold onto them, encouraging them to use the core muscle groups necessary for crawling and walking.
Playing with the various elements also improves fine motor development and helps your child understand how they can manipulate the world around them using their hands. Fine motor skills are important for stimulating the neuron pathways in the brain and early learning.
Many activity cubes also begin your child’s learning journey. Some activity cubes might make sounds or say letters, numbers, shapes, and/or colors. Others are not electronic, however, you can sit with your child and point out the different letters, numbers, and other elements on the cube. As you repeat different things, the repetition encourages early learning.
Some of these activity cubes also have more advanced activities that you can use for teaching toddlers. For example, there are several activity cubes that have clocks with working hands that can be used to teach them to tell time. Abacus beads may be used to teach basic addition and subtraction.
When parents get involved in playtime, it makes it easy for children to learn more.
Age Appropriateness
With any toy designed for younger children, it’s important to consider if it is age-appropriate.
The biggest concern for babies and toddlers is the overall safety of a toy. Most activity cubes have working parts that might include beads that can be moved along a track, doors that can be opened, and other pieces your child can manipulate.
For younger kids and especially children under three, small pieces that break off can easily become a choking hazard.
Another factor in the age appropriateness of a toy is the amount of stimulation offered. When children are young, their sensory system is still developing. Babies may be overstimulated by an activity cube with flashing lights and loud noises, while toddlers are more likely to enjoy it without being overstimulated.
Overall Design
The overall design includes factors like how sharp the corners and smaller parts are, the durability of the activity cube, and how entertaining it will be for the recommended age group.
We compiled this information on those cubes we did not try by looking at real parent reviews from different sources around the Internet.
FAQs – Activity Cubes
What is an activity cube?
Activity cubes for babies and toddlers are large block-like structures that usually have several moving parts and activities that your child can do.
They usually have plastic or wood construction. Some cubes require batteries and make noise or light up, while others are fun to play with because of the wide range of activities included in them.
It might have features like doors that open and shut, spinning gears, beads that can be moved along, and many others.
Activity cubes may be designed for older or younger children depending on the size of different parts and the activities included.
For example, some of the cubes mentioned above are ideal for babies because they have larger pieces that are fixed to the cube. Some others have small pieces for games or shapes for the shape sorter, which makes them a better choice for ages three and older.
Should I buy an activity cube for my child?
Activity cubes are a great investment that helps your child improve their fine motor skills. As they manipulate the different pieces like opening doors and pushing beads along a track, they are learning how they need to hold smaller objects and the way that their physical actions affect the world around them.
Activity cubes can also be used as a learning tool as you explain shapes, colors, animals, numbers, letters, and more to your little one.
As most are durable on top of benefiting your child in numerous ways, activity cubes are a great investment that can be passed on in the future.
Are wooden activity cubes or plastic activity cubes better?
The choice to buy a wooden or plastic activity cube for your toddler is a matter of preference.
Wood cubes are usually heavier and more durable. While some plastic cubes have working lights and sounds, wooden activity cubes usually do not. However, they have other activities that can still engage your little one.
When choosing wood vs. plastic activity cubes, you’ll want to consider the materials used for construction.
Wooden cubes are usually made with durable wood that has been sanded down for smoother edges. Something else to consider is the environmental sustainability of wooden materials. Most also have water-based, non-toxic paint, which is important. You’ll also want to consider the durability of the paint and if it is likely to chip.
When choosing a plastic activity cube, consider the activities included and if batteries are required. You’ll also want to be sure the company uses BPA-free, non-toxic plastic. This is important for preventing exposure to dangerous materials or fumes that could harm your child.
Are all activity cubes heavy?
Many activity cubes are heavy compared to the size of your child because they are designed largely to fit plenty of moving pieces.
They can be played with on the floor or set on a tabletop. Most also do not require your child to pick them up. However, they are light enough that parents will easily be able to pick them up and move them from room to room in the house.
Some activity cubes are also designed smaller. These are nice when you want a cube that can sit in your child’s lap or go along with you in the car, on playdates, to the doctor’s office, and more.
