This post is part of a sponsored campaign for Primo Toys. I received compensation for my participation, but my review and opinions are my own.
I went to college for early childhood education for a couple of years. Part of the education I got involved learning about toys and which ones engage children for learning and which one’s don’t. Spoiler alert: many toys that people think are educational are not. Toys don’t have to look like flash cards or a math board game to be educational! Often times it’s the simple toys that are not advertised as educational that are educational. On the flip-side, those battery-powered toys with 50 buttons that each say or do something when pressed are assumed to be educational, especially if they involve colors, letters or numbers. However, they aren’t usually that engaging for kids. Pushing one button and getting one response, or pushing another button and getting another response might capture a child’s attention but it doesn’t engage their thought process much at all. A great rule of thumb for telling the difference is trying to figure out if the child is primarily being entertained by what a toy is saying or doing in front of them, or whether they are the one “powering” the majority of the play through their own words or actions.
Cubetto caught my attention as a really neat and educational toy that will definitely engage children cognitively. Cubetto is a screen-free programming system for kids. It allows kids to create their first computer system using colorful blocks.
The Cubetto set comes with Cubetto who is a wooden robot, a physical programming console, expandable coding blocks, illustrated maps and an activity book. By placing blocks on the control panels in different patterns they can create a sequence of instructions that will program the robot’s movement. All of this is done without any use of screens, yet it still teaches the basic concept of coding.
The maps and activity book that are included are both designed to lead kids (and their parents) through stories and challenges. By using these mini adventures kids learn coding while also telling stories, communicating, thinking critically and independently. Cubetto can also help with spatial awareness. Additionally, Cubetto is the only coding toy that can be used by sighted and non-sighted children in the same setting. By combining communication, touch and sound Cubetto can assist children with disabilities in strengthening their sequencing and communication skills.
Purchase or learn more about Cubetto and Primo Toys on their website.
Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.
The Cubetto sounds like an awesome learning toy!! I can’t believe that I have never heard of it, it is so cute and looks like a very engaging way for kids to learn. 🙂 I homeschool my three kiddos, so this is definitely something that I am going to look into getting for them. Thank you so much for sharing!
I would get this for a little one in a heartbeat and know they’d enjoy it. When I took my first programming course years ago, I knew nothing about it and only had a medical and business background. It was fun and easier to grasp than I thought so I know kids will pick this coding right up.
So super cool!! I love this idea and love that while being computer related, they are not stuck staring at a screen!! I am so excited to see all these new STEM toys!!
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Dotty J Boucher
I really like the Cubetto. It does look like it will promote learning. I love real learning toys that actually teach.