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This study aims at developing learning aids using realistic mathematics education with the purpose of improving students’ problem solving skills. The learning aids were developed within four steps: define, design, develop, and disseminate. The subjects were eighth grade junior high school students in Indonesia who studied surface area and volume of cube. Data were collected from 58 students and the expert review to examine the validity, practicality, and effectiveness. The product of this research are realistic learning aids, include: lesson plan, student worksheet, and problem solving test. The expert review and problem solving test criteria show validty. The practicality was seen from the teacher's ability to manage learning and student activities, while the effectiveness seen from the students' positive responses and the improvement of problem solving skills. It is found that learning aids meet the validity, practicality, and effectiveness criteria and are able to effectively improve the students’ problem solving skills. Nevertheless, the use of these aids learning should pay attention to matches the characteristics of the student and then the teacher should be able to select the appropriate context to teach the surface area and volume of the cube.

realistic mathematics education, problem solving, cube