Pixellated Murals – Mosaics with 3×3 puzzle cubes

Pixellated Murals is a super fun project in which children create mosaics or murals with the 3×3 puzzle cubes (also known as magic cubes). Since April 2023, the project is being run at Innovative Pathshala, an education center for underprivileged children located at Bhawanigunj slum, Lucknow city and run by Innovation For Change (IFC) NGO. More than 200 slum children have been introduced to the puzzle cube and they have made more than 400 mosaics.

Pixellated Murals is a group activity. Though each cube is worked upon by a single participant, its takes a group to get it all together. This fun, collaborative and engaging process with the theme based mosaic graphic stimulates creativity, helps build a logical mind and fosters an analytical thought process. Additionally, children imbibe extremely important social skills such as teamwork, communication and leadership.

Education Beyond the Blackboard

The project was started in April of 2023 and is still being implemented at the Innovation For Change’s Innovative Pathshala — a learning space for children at the Bhawaniganj slum in Lucknow city, Uttar Pradesh. More than 150 children have been actively involved in Pixellated Murals and more than 400 mosaics have been made.

Update: March 2026: Seeing the small victories of the Pixellated Murals project – increased focus, gain in confidence and communication skills in these slum children – Innovation For Change NGO have decided to include it as a daily activity at their newly opened education center.

Would you like to try our Pixellated Murals project at your center? Let us know.
We have step-by-step tutorials with detailed videos on how you can replicate the success of the project at your center. Our Sherpa Pixel will guide you through the undulating path to help achieve victory!

With most guardians working as daily wage laborers, children are often left unsupervised in unsafe, distracting environments.

The core challenge:
How do you get slum children to attend school regularly and willingly?

Our Solution

We designed a fun, group-based activity using the familiar 3×3 Rubik’s Cube. The task is moderately challenging, slightly competitive, and built around peer learning. Children are naturally drawn to the group, and once one starts solving, others follow. This shared curiosity pulls them into a safe, structured learning space — joyfully.

At the heart of the Pixelated Murals project is Abhishek Kashyap, the team leader. Working with curious young minds is no easy task—but the way Abhishek leads with patience, clarity, and quiet strength is truly commendable. He teaches them how to solve the cube, shares the story behind each mural, and most importantly, keeps their curiosity alive.