Cubetto is a wonderful learning toy to encourage children and students to practice many skills, including storytelling, logical thinking, spatial awareness, problem solving, and STEM. The primary skill Cubetto teaches is coding. By placing blocks in the queue, you are giving Cubetto instructions that form a program. Children can touch and see what their choices in the queue does, as they watch Cubetto move about following their instructions. A blue light flashes in the queue at each step of the program, so children can easily follow along and see which block Cubetto is at. Children can use Cubetto by themselves or as part of a group. While one student fills the queue, another can describe Cubetto's journey across the map. Cubetto is slow enough that children also learn patience and can easily fix mistakes if Cubetto does not arrive at the intended destination.

I really liked that Cubetto is a creative way to learn about coding for young children. My children are 4 and 6 and within a few minutes of sitting down and reading the instructors guide, we knew how to use Cubetto. Since the first experience, my children have loved sending Cubetto on a fun adventure across his map. My son plays with Cubetto daily, even when we are not using it for a lesson. It's easy enough for him to take Cubetto out of the box and clean up on his own. My daughter likes to plan adventures for Cubetto and will tell a story as he makes his way across the map. I like that my children can take turns using Cubetto or work together to map out his journey. If one is having trouble figuring out which blocks to use, the other can step in to help finish the code. I love that Cubetto is made out of wood and is durable. I know it will be played with for years to come. I also love that Cubetto is Montessori approved. While we are not a Montessori-based homeschool, we do incorporate many Montessori inspired learning techniques into our lessons.

Right out of the box, you can begin playing with Cubetto. Cubetto comes with 4 types of blocks: forward, left, right, and function. Each block is color coded and shaped to show what its purpose is. The first time we used Cubetto, I read through the guide book aloud and explained what each component was used for. From there I encouraged them to use Cubetto on their own. For my son, a kinesthetic learner, he prefers hands-on experiences. My daughter is a visual learner, and generally watches either myself or my son, before she jumps in. I love that children of every learning type can easily pick up Cubetto and have little difficulty using it. It's wonderful that Cubetto is intuitive and requires very little instruction to use it. Before long, my own children were sending Cubetto on several long journeys that required code resets. We have one other product at home that teaches coding and programming to young children, but Cubetto has been a much more fun experience for them. My children have even insisted on bringing Cubetto to their cousins house and grandparents house, so they can teach others how to use Cubetto.

The skills that were practiced incorporated counting, using positional words, critical thinking skills, problem-solving and programming basics. I enjoyed the simple design of cubetto. The play mat provides a nice adventure for him. The storybook that leads Cubetto on a journey is entertaining.