Cubicus is a contemporary reinvention of that Rubik’s Cube puzzle you tried to solve as a teenager. This latest incarnation is much friendlier than the maddening Rubik’s Cube – Cubicus is designed to promote creativity, not frustration.

Any design conscious mom (or child!) is going to love the clean lines of Cubicus. The toy allows you to expand the cube and stack its parts to create interesting shapes.

Cubicus was created by Peer Clahsen in 1968 and is now available from Naef, a toy maker from Switzerland. Like Rubik’s Cube, Cubicus is easy to start with, but difficult to master.

Cubicus starts out as 4-inch wooden block which can then be expanded and rearranged into a range of shapes. If your child is getting bored making buildings out of Lego, she might be ready to tackle Cubicus and create her very own architectural marvel.

Cubicus is available from Amazon: