Is cubing hard?
Learn step by step tricks to solve a 3x3 Rubik's Cube, practicing basic moves and simple algorithms to build speed and confidence.
Step-by-step guide to solve a 3x3 Rubik's Cube
Step 1
Hold the cube and look at the center pieces to learn which color belongs to each face.
Step 2
Learn the move names R L U D F B and the meaning of a ' after a letter for a counterclockwise turn.
Step 3
Practice single face turns by turning each face smoothly clockwise and counterclockwise until your fingers feel confident.
Step 4
Make a white cross by moving the four white edge pieces so the white stickers form a plus on the white center and each edge's side color matches the center of its face.
Step 5
Insert each white corner using the algorithm R U R' U' and repeat the algorithm until the corner sits correctly with white on the bottom.
Step 6
Put the four middle layer edges into place by moving a non-yellow edge to the top then using the edge insertion algorithm U R U' R' U' F' U F until that edge is in the middle; repeat for all middle edges.
Step 7
Make a yellow cross on the top by applying the algorithm F R U R' U' F' and repeating it until you see a plus sign on the yellow face.
Step 8
Turn each top corner so yellow faces up by using R' D' R D repeatedly on that corner until yellow is on top then rotate the top layer to the next corner.
Step 9
Put the yellow corners in the correct positions using the corner permutation algorithm U R U' L' U R' U' L until all corners are in their spots.
Step 10
Finish the cube by using the final edge permutation algorithm R U' R U R U R U' R' U' R2 until all pieces are in place and the cube is solved.
Step 11
Share your finished creation on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use if we don't have a standard 3x3 Rubik's Cube?
If you don't have a 3x3, use a 2x2 to practice holding the cube, learning centers and smooth single-face turns, and the R U R' U' corner algorithm, but know the middle-layer edge and final edge-permutation algorithms won't apply.
My cube pieces don't line up when making the white cross—what should I do?
If the white cross edges won't match centers, keep white on the bottom, bring one target edge to the top with single-face turns, align its side color to the correct center, then insert it before moving to the next edge.
How can I adapt this activity for different ages?
For preschoolers focus on holding the cube and smooth clockwise turns and identifying center colors, elementary-age kids can work up to the white cross and R U R' U' corner inserts, and older kids can learn all algorithms including the middle-layer edge insertion and final edge permutation and practice timed solves.
How can we extend or personalize the activity after solving the cube?
After finishing, personalize by timing your solve and sharing it on DIY.org, applying custom stickers to the cube, learning finger-trick variants of the algorithms like the final edge-permutation R U' R U... to speed up, or creating pattern challenges such as checkerboards.
Watch videos on how to solve a 3x3 Rubik's Cube
The BEST tutorial HOW TO SOLVE A RUBIK'S CUBE 3 by 3 | FOR KIDS | PART 1
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The BEST tutorial HOW TO SOLVE A RUBIK'S CUBE 3 by 3 | FOR KIDS | PART 1
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Facts about Rubik's Cube solving
⏱️ Top speedcubers can solve a 3x3 in roughly 3–6 seconds — practice and algorithms build that speed.
🧠 Learning cube algorithms boosts memory, pattern recognition, and finger dexterity — it's a brain-and-hands workout!
🔢 Many beginner methods use fewer than 10 simple algorithms to solve the whole cube, so newcomers can get confident fast.
🤯 The 3x3 Rubik's Cube has 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 (about 43 quintillion) possible positions.
🧩 The Rubik's Cube was invented in 1974 by Ernő Rubik, a Hungarian architect and professor.
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