There is something about marble run toys that are irresistibly fun. We all love building and watching the marble zip through our creations. There is one marble run that sits far above others though- Cuboro. This solid wooden marble run toy is really different from most marble runs because it is challenging! Sure young children can build simple marble runs. However, older children can also build elaborate marble runs. The ball can disappear into the marble run inside of tunnels they create and come back out in surprising places! Cuboro is the best marble run toy because kids and parents can play with it together and never get bored. This marble run allows each person to work at their own skill level. The resulting marble runs just get more impressive.
Of course, it is a matter of opinion, but the Cuboro marble run sets just may be the best wooden marble run made! I am not just saying that because it has won several prestigious toy awards. I am saying that the Cuboro Wooden Marble Track System is the best because it has so many unique aspects that really set it apart from other marble runs. Here are all the features that my kids and I love about Cuboro.
The Cuboro Standard Wooden Marble Run was provided by Oh! Toys in order to facilitate review.
What Makes Cuboro The Best Marble Run?
1. Cuboro Wooden Marble Run is an eco-friendly toy.
One may assume that wooden toys are eco-friendly but Cuboro are high quality and they go a step further. Cuboro wooden marble track system is made from FSC compliant sustainably harvested wood and the excess wood left by the manufacturing process is reused to fire the kilns that dry the wood. These wooden blocks feel so good to hold – smooth, beautifully finished wood. This wood set is also a “green toy” in the sense that Cuboro is a heritage toy. These marble run building blocks can be played with for generations as it doesn’t get damaged easily and can be reused over and over.
2. Cuboro Marble Run is a block system.
Cuboro is made of sustainably harvested beech wood blocks that are micro sanded smooth. The Cuboro blocks have tunnels bored over them and/or through them and some tunnels even turn inside the blocks. They come with traditional glass marbles. There are a few basic marble run sets available. There are also supplementary sets that can be added on later as the child’s skill level increases that provide new block functions like racing marbles or even going magically up a level!
The Cuboro Cugolino sets are for younger children ages3+. The Cugolino Basic set (includes 37 blocks some of which have color) and the Cugolino Start set which is sort of like the basic set (includes 27 blocks, no colors)
The Cuboro Standard Wooden Marble Run comes with 54 blocks consisting of 12 different types of blocks that each offer their own building function.
The Cuboro Basis Wooden Marble Run comes with 30 blocks consisting of 12 different types of blocks that each offer their own building function.
Once your kids have mastered the starter solid wood marble run sets, you can get Cuboro Add On Sets that introduce new features. For example, Cuboro Duo adds blocks that allow side by side channels and tunnels for marble racing! Cuboro Metro adds new elements that let you tunnel and turn on the same level, providing more internal possibilities so that marbles may disappear within the run for longer periods. Cugolino Pop adds BOUNCE to the Cuboro and Cugolino sets. By using hard rubber “trampolines”, POP adds a whole new direction to Cuboro wooden marble runs– UP! The Cugolino Pop hard rubber trampolines can be placed anywhere in your wooden marble run construction to create dramatic drop-and-bounces, angled jumps and double-bounces! Check out Cugolino Pop in action in this short video.
3. Marble Run Wooden blocks make your child think and encourage creativity.
Cuboro is the best wooden marble run because it is an educational toy that does not limit your child to following instructions to complete one set up. Instead, Cuboro allows your child to be creative and build hundreds of different marble tracks as long as they line up the blocks correctly. When building Cuboro marble runs, your child learns problem solving, planning ahead, and simple principles of gravity and physics. It is a toy that your child can use to build more and more complex designs as they grow older so it fascinates your child for years.
It’s a new toy every time you play with it. What do you want to build today? It is really fun watching and listening to the marble zip through all of your different creations. Older children can use these wooden marble run toys to build complex structures which is great for their brain development.
4. Cuboro builds self confidence.
It is also a great marble run for younger children. As younger kids are trying out different ways to build they are also increasing their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Every child and adult loves that totally satisfying feeling when your marble goes through their creation perfectly. I am so proud when I hear, “Mommy! Come look what I did!”
5. Adults love to play with Cuboro Wooden Block Marble Run too.
Because Cuboro offers so much room for creative thinking, adults love to play with Cuboro too and that means more family play time which is so important to kids. Cuboro is great for solo or collaborative play. A child (or adult for that matter) can have fun playing with the blocks by their self.
6. Many Uses of Cuboro Wooden Marble Tack Set
Cuboro was developed in 1976 by Matthias Etter when working with special-needs schoolchildren. Cuboro became available as a family game in 1985. Besides winning several awards and having a large community of players, Cuboro also gradually gained attention as a comparative system. Thus, today, cuboro is not “only” played for pleasure, but is also used as teaching material, in scientific studies on spatial imagination, in occupational therapy, in team trainings, for aptitude tests, in promotional concepts, in theme parks and for championships!
7. New Cuboro Creative Thinking Card Deck
Cuboro has just introduced this awesome Creative Thinking Card Deck for the Cuboro marble track system. It is a great teaching tool for getting children learning spatial sense and logical reasoning in an interactive, fun way! For both the true Cuboro-holic and the elementary school teacher who uses Cuboro in the classroom, this Creative Thinking Card deck poses challenges that will fascinate kids and grown-ups alike! It is just one more thing that makes Cuboro the Best Wooden Marble Run! The fun activity ideas are a great way to foster problem-solving skills and STEM skills.
8. Educational Classroom Toys
Cuboro Wooden Marble Track has been used in many classrooms for several years now and the educational benefits are outstanding and well documented. For younger kids especially, free design and experimentation are great. For older children, a Cuboro Book called Thinking Resource Classroom Pack provides a curriculum and teaching framework for students to work with either a teacher, in groups or in individual learning.
Not only are these marble run building blocks a useful tool for children of all ages, it has also been shown through practical classes to have outstanding results with students who display various labelled learning difficulties including Dyslexia, ADHD and ADD and referenced points on the autism continuum and even those students that who display talent and giftedness.
Cuboro Wooden Marble Track Develops These Skills:
- Spatial Thinking
- Reflective Thinking
- Thinking Flexibly
- Problem Solving
- Dexterity
- Planning Ahead
- Experimentation
- Questioning and Posing Problems
- Working Collaboratively
- Core Physics concepts are encountered and explored (acceleration, gravity, force, momentum, speed and resistance)
9. Wooden Marble Run Review
On a personal level, Cuboro is the best wooden marble run for children because it is fun! My kids are 5 and 7 and it has been fun watching them learn to build more and more complex things over this last year. They are always combining the blocks in new ways so they never get bored.The Cuboro wooden marble track set run keeps my kids occupied building, testing, and rebuilding for long periods of time. I plan on keeping this set always and passing it down to my grandchildren- it is that kind of toy!
Update:
Now that my kids are 10 and 12, I notice they seem to play less with most of their toys. The toys that get the most play time and really captivate their interest are imaginative toys and toys that are challenging in some way. It makes sense- we love the thrill of figuring something out, making something work, learning something new, and exercising our skills. I think that is why my children still enjoy playing with the Cuboro marble run toy even after many years of owning it. It has kept challenging them even as they grow and progress. It meets them at their level and allows them to build cooler runs all the time.
In the beginning, they built very simple marble runs. Now they can challenge themselves through free play to create more complex runs. Sometimes they also use the included Cuburo book that is full of building ideas. This is great for learning to follow directions and execute them properly.
Why Is Cuboro So Expensive?
Cuboro is more costly than some other brands because it is made from high-quality materials and it is imported from Switzerland. Cuboro is made from sustainably sourced, high-quality Swiss beechwood. The wood is carefully selected for durability and precision. The blocks are crafted with extreme accuracy to ensure that the marble runs smoothly through the grooves and tunnels. Many parts of the production process involve hand-finishing, which ensures smooth edges and perfect fits. Cuboro sets are designed to last for generations, making them more of an investment than a typical toy.
Why buy Cuboro? Part marble run, part puzzle and part developmental and educational marvel, Cuboro is truly a toy which children will come back to time and again over days and years as they grow and become more sophisticated about their creations. Here is my affiliate link to it on Amazon.
Conclusion
While Cuboro is pricey, many people consider it worth the investment because of its quality, longevity, and educational benefits. It’s not just a marble run; it’s a STEM-friendly toy that encourages problem-solving, spatial reasoning, and creativity. I hope you found this best wooden marble run review helpful. Let me know if you have any questions at @familyfocusblog or @ohtoys!
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