Making educational toys for kids can be enjoyable and fulfilling, particularly when the toys are as practical as Zaitsev cubes. The Zaitsev method made these cubes popular, and they are meant to teach young children reading and syllable recognition in a fun and interesting way. Not only can you make them yourself to save money, but you can also tailor them to your child’s specific needs.
A set of Zaitsev cubes that you can make with a few simple materials and a little imagination will provide you hours of amusement and education. To make sure the syllables are both strong and manageable, the procedure entails choosing the appropriate materials, getting the cubes ready, and carefully positioning the syllables on each side. This practical project is ideal for parents who want to get involved in their child’s early education and enjoy do-it-yourself projects.
We’ll walk you through the process of creating Zaitsev cubes at home step-by-step in this article. Everything will be covered, from selecting the appropriate supplies to putting the cubes together and decorating them. This guide is packed with useful tips to make learning enjoyable for your child, regardless of your level of experience with do-it-yourself projects.
- Base
- Filling
- What nuances need to be taken into account?
- Video on topic
- 1h.Master class Zaitsev"s cubes with your own hands. Large cubes
- 3h.Master class Zaitsev"s cubes with your own hands. Double large cube.
- Zaitsev"s cubes with your own hands – why they weren"t used
- DIY CUBES FOR CHILDREN
- Zaitsev"s cubes. Zaitsev"s cubes methodology.
- Zaitsev"s cubes. Warehouse Method of Teaching Reading
- The best way to learn to read. Zaitsev"s Cubes
Base
The cubes’ bases can be made in a variety of ways. You can use plastic cubes or thick cardboard. Finding ones with an empty interior and, ideally, one detachable edge is the most important thing. Some people manufacture them using cardboard milk, juice, or kefir boxes. You will need to create 52 cubes in total, including single and double cubes.
Making wooden cubes is not a good idea. They are solid and cannot be filled from the inside. Even so, this material is safe for the environment and long-lasting.
Cardboard is a transient substance. They won’t last very long without more support. It will take a lot longer to glue them together. To prevent them from becoming crooked, the cardboard cubes must have all of their edges well processed. Laminating them or covering them with heat-shrinkable film or tape is preferable. They will last a lot longer in this instance. Using liter cardboard bags made of juice, kefir, and milk as a base would be a cost-effective solution. The bags’ bases ought to be square. Compared to those made of cardboard that were glued together, they will be stronger and more elegant.
Plastic will work best for creating Zaitsev cubes. Despite the fact that this option costs more. It will take you a lot less time to make them.
Filling
- metal corks from glass bottles of beer, lemonade. The number of corks varies. In those small in size, 4 traffic jams will be required, large sizes – 6 plugs, in double – 8 plugs.
- If there are not enough corks, you can partially replace them with small coins. Cubes filled only with coins will ring poorly, you will have to shake them very hard.
- Fishing bells. 2 bells for small cubes and 3 for large ones will be enough.
- You can buy small bells in the craft departments. Their number is determined in the same way as for corks.
- Bent "g" parts from a metal construction set. They must first be broken.
- Thimbles. Their number is the same as for corks.
- You can use tin cans for filling. They must be cut into small pieces and bent into an "g" shape.
- Small fittings that will make a ringing sound.
The following can be used to pack wooden cubes:
- thick cardboard scraps.
- Small sticks, bars, wooden slats (4 and 6 pieces).
- Tree branches broken into small pieces.
- Parged to small pieces of pencils, you can use plastic parts from felt -tip pens.
- Beads.
- Buttons.
- Small stones, preferably pebbles.
- Shells.
- Peas, beans, pasta.
- Counting sticks, broken into small pieces.
- Parts from a plastic and wooden construction set.
For filling gold cubes, the same set of materials is appropriate as for filling iron cubes. For iron and gold cubes, distinct materials should be used. They ought to have distinct sounds.
For iron and wooden cubes, use two different fillers. Fill them with scraps or rustling paper if they have punctuation marks. To make them heavier, they must be packed very firmly.
Using the same kind of filler for each type is crucial because they should all sound the same. As a result, you must choose the items you will fill out in advance. It ought to be sufficient for every cube of that kind.
What nuances need to be taken into account?
The cubes are distinct from one another based on the author’s methodology. Their sizes, weights, and colors differ from one another.
In total, 12 different kinds of cubes exist:
1. Big and gold in color. They have the vowels A-U-O-E-Y in them. The font used to write the letters is red.
2. Tiny, with a gold hue. The letters E--I-Y-Y are the ones they are meant for. Brown is the color of the font.
3. Huge golden-iron in hue. Warehouses B-BA-BU-BE-BO-BY, V-VA-VU-VE-VO-VY, and M-MA-MU-ME-MO-MY are listed here. There are two copies of these cubes made. G-GA-GU-GE-GO-GY, D-DA-DU-DE-DO-DY, Z-ZA-ZU-ZE-ZO-ZY, L-LA-LU-LE-LO-LY, N-NA-NU-NE-NO-NY, and R-RA-RU-RE-RO-RY are some examples of G-GA-GU-GE-GO-GY. Both light blue and blue are used to write the letters.
4. A double-large, gold- and iron-colored cube. Regarding warehouses Ζ-Ζά-Ζΐ-ΖΞ-Ζ-ΖΪ-ΖΘ-ΖΣ. Light blue and blue typeface.
5. Tiny gold-iron hue. Bu, Bu, Bi, Bo, Bie, B-Bi, Vu–Vu–Vo–Vo–Vo–Vo, Gy–Gia–Gy–Gi–Gi–Gi, Dy-de-de-D-Di, Du-Du-Dy l-l-l-l-le-le-li, Z- Zu-I-Zhe-Ze-Zi-Zi ny-ny-no-no-no, ry-ry- Ry-ra-re-ri, m-mu-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi. The font color is blue-green for the syllables Αά, Βά, Γά, Λά, Ηά, Λά, Μά, Νά, Πά, and blue-light blue for the remaining syllables.
6. A small iron-colored cube. On all faces, it only has the letter th. It uses a blue font. Weight should be different from other cubes.
7. Large wooden gold. P-Ko-Ka-Ke-Ky-Ku-ku, Pa-Pa-Pa-Pu. There are two of these cubes. Warehouses T-TO-TA-TE-TY-TU, S-SO-SA-SE-SY-SU, H-HO-HA-HE-HY-HU, and F-FO-FA-FE-FY-FU each have one copy. Font color: blue-blue for warehouses P, K, F, T, C, and X; blue-blue for all other warehouses.
8. Large double wooden-gold. C-ts-tzu-czi-ts-ts-ts, Sh-sho-sho-shu-sho-sho-shi-shi. The warehouse letters Ш, Ц are blue, ШЬ are blue-green, and the remaining letters are blue-light blue.
9. Tiny gold-colored wooden object. PY-PY-PY-PY-PE, KYU-KI-KE-K-KYA-KYU, F-FYA-FE-FYU-FI-FE, These cubes are T-TYA-TE-TYU-TI-TE; there are two of them. SY-SY-SY-SI-SE, HI-HE-HYO-HYU-HYA-HYO. The P, K, F, T, SY, and HY warehouses have blue-green font, while the remaining warehouses have blue-light blue font.
10. Gold and double tiny wooden. With regard to the syllables Χ-ЧЬ-ЧО-ЧЙ-ЧУ-ЧЕ-ЧИ, Ω-Ωά-Ωΐ-ΩИ-ΩΣ-Ωέ-ЩΩ. For Χ, Ω, Χά, ΩЬ, and the rest, the font color is blue-light blue; it is blue for Χ and Ω.
11. A big cube with colors of iron and wood. Its syllable is ΒΪ-ΑΪ-ΔΪ-ΗΪ-ΡΪ-Ϊ, and its font is blue-green.
12. A tiny white cube used to indicate punctuation.
For the remaining consonants beginning with Ψ, you can construct a sizable wooden cube, but it is probably not going to be necessary.
Recall that voiced consonants are represented by iron, voiceless consonants by wooden, and vowels by gold. There is a specific order in which each syllable must be followed.
Step | Description |
1. Gather Materials | Collect wooden cubes, paint, sandpaper, and letter stencils. |
2. Sand the Cubes | Use sandpaper to smooth each cube, removing any rough edges. |
3. Paint the Cubes | Apply a base coat of paint on each cube and let them dry completely. |
4. Add Letters | Use stencils to paint letters on each side of the cubes. Let the paint dry. |
5. Seal the Cubes | Apply a clear, child-safe sealant to protect the paint and finish. |
6. Let Dry | Ensure the cubes are completely dry before using them for play or learning. |
Making your own Zaitsev cubes can be a fulfilling experience for you and your kid. With vibrant colors, varied textures, and well-known sounds, you can use this interactive project to personalize the cubes to your child’s tastes, sparking their curiosity and improving their learning experience.
You will learn more about the Zaitsev method and save money by creating these cubes yourself. By doing this, you can provide your child with enhanced support for their early reading abilities and phonetic awareness, laying a solid foundation for their education.
To succeed with Zaitsev cubes, keep in mind that consistency and a lighthearted approach are essential. Make learning enjoyable and interesting by incorporating them into everyday activities. With a little imagination and perseverance, you can make a useful teaching tool that your kids will love to use.
Parents who want to encourage their child’s early language development may find making Zaitsev cubes at home to be an enjoyable and fulfilling project. These innovative teaching aids, which are constructed from basic materials like cardboard or wood and have syllables, encourage young children to learn through play. Customization and a personal touch add a personal touch that can captivate children even more when made by hand. In addition, it offers a chance for family bonding while creating an invaluable educational resource.