The sorting cube from Playgo comes as six loose plastic panels with cut-outs shaped like animals and simple figures. The panels have puzzle teeth along their edges, so they clip together into a cube. Each opening has a coloured block that fits through it exactly.
Young toddlers usually start with it flat: the panels lie side by side on the mat and your child finds the right piece for every shape. Once that goes smoothly, you build a cube out of them together. Then the toy has to be turned to find the right side, which makes it a good deal harder at once. The box puts it this way: the puzzle can be formed into a cube or played lying flat.
The packaging describes the game as learning to recognise animals, shapes and colours while sorting. The cube is entirely plastic and the age marked on the box is 18 months and up.
A sorting cube is a familiar present for a first or second birthday. This one has the advantage that the box itself sets out two ways to play, so it still has something to offer once the sorting on its own has been mastered.
