The Rubik's cube is a puzzle that all kids should learn during their journey to adulthood. 

Human’s brains reason through analogies, they take prior knowledge and apply it to a new problem or concept. Strengthening one’s analogical reasoning will help them reason better and make better choices in any given situation. 

The Rubik's cube works on analogical reasoning because it requires a solver to take past knowledge and experience and apply it to new situations. The 43,000,000,000,000,000,000 different permutations (color combinations) makes it so the solver will likely never encounter the same set-up twice, thus they must use past knowledge and experience and apply it to the new color combinations through analogical reasoning.  

With so many different color combinations, some see the Rubik’s Cube as an impossible task. 

However, it is estimated that 350 million cubes have been sold, making it the most sold toy ever, with millions who know how to solve them. Yes, the Rubik’s Cube is a challenge, but it is very achievable and will come with personal growth and the feeling of accomplishment. 

There are countless resources out there that explain how to solve a Rubik’s cube. There is even a video that explains how to do it in 10 minutes. Will you be able to solve one in 10 minutes? Maybe not, but you will understand many of the underlying ideas and with some practice you will be able to solve the cube.

Spatial intelligence is a skill that is becoming more and more essential to be successful. A study found that higher spatial intelligence makes learning online easier. 

Today there is so much done on computers, some middle schools are even requiring a laptop as the only school supplies. Being able to visualize and understand three dimensional ideas on a two dimensional screen through spatial intelligence is a valuable skill. 

The Rubik’s cube helps solvers with spatial intelligence because of the algorithms used to solve it. Some people look at algorithms as basic memorization but that is not the full story. Along with memorization, algorithms are the mapping of certain pieces over specific paths to get them to their correct destination. 

A study shows that people with low spatial intelligence struggled learning the Rubik’s cube,  in comparison to their high spatial intelligence counterparts. However, through learning to solve, you can increase your spatial intelligence. 

So basically, learn to solve the Rubik’s cube and you increase your spatial ability and your ability to learn online. 

Another study published  Dr. Roger Staff in the British Medical Journal shows that solving puzzles helps improve overall cognitive ability. The Rubik’s cube is definitely a puzzle and the mental boost is reason enough to learn how to solve a cube. 

However, the benefits to knowing how to solve a Rubik's Cube goes on. Solving the Rubik’s cube spurs creativity. There are countless ways to solve these cubs, some better than others. As you practice, you can find and improve upon ways to make your solves more efficient. 

Through my path of attempting to master the cube, I have found many little tricks make solving easier.

For example, when I first started solving the cube I would solve each piece of the first layer individually and then insert the middle layer separate. However, I learned that you could pair different pieces and then insert them together to increase efficiency. 

I learned the basic method to do this which means doing it inefficiently and by using intuition. 

I have created my own strategies outside of the basic method. After finding my own strategies, I shaved 5 seconds off of my timed solving record. 

Needless to say, Rubik’s cube is a creative outlet that presents infinite opportunities to explore and create new ways of solving. 

The last benefit of being able to solve a Rubik’s cube: it’s fun! I have spent countless hours racing with my friends to see who can solve first. We all enjoy learning, improving, and the feeling of self pride when we see our times go down. 

From cognitive boosts to a way for kids to take a break from the seeming confinement of electronics, every kid should be taught how to solve a Rubik’s Cube.