Speed cubes as teaching aids

Speed cubes are good teaching aids and will perk up school lessons. That’s because the colourful twisty puzzles encourage spatial and logical thinking. Did you know that the inventor of these cube-shaped combination puzzles also wanted to challenge the brains of his students and improve their spatial and strategic thinking skills? If you are a teacher interested in introducing speedcubing to your pupils, then we have some great ideas for your lessons and classroom materials!

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Perfect for school classes: MoYu 3x3 speed cubes

You don’t need high-tech cubes for speedcubing in class. The MoYu MFJS Meilong 3x3 M is the perfect beginner model. This magnetic speed cube comes with all the features your students will need and doesn’t break the bank. For school classes, we also recommend the MoYu MFJS MeiLong 3x3 M. This cube is slightly more stable and sturdier than the MoYu MFJS MeiLong 3x3 M. The built-in magnets also ensure greater accuracy during turns.

We feel so confident that these two speed cubes are great teaching tools for school classes that we even put together cube bundles for you!

Boosting brain power: Shape Mods and Pyraminx

Apart from the iconic 3x3 cube, pyramid puzzles and some shape mods are also suitable for cubing in school. To solve these twisty puzzles, pupils will need logical thinking abilities. The configuration of the Pyraminx is similar to the classic 3x3 speed cube. The shape mods also change their shape, which takes spatial thinking to another level. May we suggest the following shape mods and Pyraminx:

It's only half the fun without practical accessories

For you and your students to enjoy the cubes for a long time, you will have to take good care of the speed cubes. If, for example, the inner surfaces start rubbing against each other, it is time for some lube.

Is cubing a hit with your class? Then introduce a new challenge by adding an element of speed to solving these puzzles. And, to avoid any damage to the speed cubes, you should definitely use speed cube mats. Now, these awesome puzzles won’t get scratched when they are dropped.

Too many choices? Here, we’ll show you the most suitable accessories for the MoYu cubes contained in the school bundles:

Now that the selection of speed cubes and accessories is complete, let’s get down to the basics.

At what grade should you introduce cubing?

Speed cubes are fascinating toys. But for cubing to truly be fun, your pupils need to have the appropriate learning abilities. The ideal starting age is therefore between eight and fourteen. Speaking in school system terms, it means that children should be at least in the third grade.

How can you utilise speed cubes in class?

Speed cubes are not only nice to play with but can also provide puzzle fun on paper. We suggest starting with paper assignments first. This way, your students can get a feel for the cubes.

First things first: Speed cubes have a lot of possible combinations. "A lot" is quite the understatement because there are actually 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 ways to turn the cube. But how do you calculate that? It is a perfect exercise for maths class.
To better visualise the algorithms, the children should envision given rotations and then write down where each colour went.
In order for the children to read the tutorials correctly, they have to familiarise themselves with the way the algorithms are written. This is where the saying "practice makes perfect" comes into play.
Or how about a speed cube memory game? Here, the students are tasked, for example, with finding two identical-looking cubes. A tough challenge.

Once the students in your class have internalised the theory, you can hand them a speed cube. Now it gets really exciting, and your students have to put their theoretical knowledge into practice. After a month or two, they will be ready for more games or even a competition amongst themselves. For example, let the children solve the cubes under certain conditions, specify a maximum number of turns or define which side should be solved first.

Our tip: At speedubing.ch, you will find these and other fascinating worksheets that you can use for cubing in the classroom.