Papoose Toys Bright Lucite Cubes 40-piece set

The set has 40 translucent Lucite cubes in the eight bright colours from the Papoose range, with five cubes of each colour. Every cube measures 2.5 cm square, so the pieces are a consistent size for stacking, sorting and building small patterns.

These cubes are made from Lucite, a clear acrylic, so they are translucent rather than felt or wood. The see-through colour is what makes them glow on a light table and lets children layer and overlap shades to create new tones as they play.

As open-ended loose parts toys the cubes suit stacking, sorting by colour, counting, pattern making and building simple structures. On a light table the translucent colours become the main attraction, and they also fold naturally into sensory trays and pretend play scenes.

Papoose advises using the cubes on soft surfaces such as play mats, rugs or carpet. On hard floors like concrete, tile or timber the acrylic can chip if a cube is dropped from tabletop height, so a cushioned play area keeps them in good condition.

Cleaning is simple because the cubes can be submerged in water and wiped with a damp cloth. This makes them easy to freshen up after sensory play or messy sessions, and the colour stays bright since it runs right through the translucent acrylic.

Papoose recommends the cubes for children aged three years and over. At that age children can enjoy the sorting, counting and stacking challenges the set offers, and the eight colours give plenty of scope for colour recognition and early maths style play.

There are eight bright colours drawn from the wider Papoose range, with five cubes in each colour making forty pieces in total. Having several cubes per colour means children can sort full groups, build colour towers or spread the shades across a light panel.