Finding fun activities for kids that are engaging, challenging and educational is a constant pursuit of most parents. What makes this more difficult is the fact that these activities will need to compete directly with screens and gaming and will need to lure kids away from the screen.
This problem is being solved by parents on a daily basis through activities like sports, music, art, painting and other hobbies. If you are a parent looking for options to get your kids away from the screen, subscription boxes are a great way to find things of interest and develop skills.
What is a subscription box?
A subscription box is a kit filled with items required to do a project or activity. There are a variety of subscription boxes available for kids ages 5-18. Toys, books or outfit boxes are available for little kids ages 0-5.
What are the benefits of a subscription box?
Subscription boxes are a great way to introduce kids to a new hobby or to develop skills in an area that interests your kids. It offers the flexibility to perform a project or activity at a time that is convenient to you and within the comforts of your home. It also comes with an affordable cost thereby making it accessible to everyone.
How do subscription boxes for kids work?
Parents typically subscribe or sign up for a particular subscription box and the boxes are delivered each month direct to home. Most boxes offer multiple levels of plans and the subscriptions can typically be cancelled at any time. Some plans may require a pre-payment of 3 or 6 months.
Types of kids subscription boxes
There are several different types of subscription boxes available for kids addressing a variety of interests. Some popular ones are STEM boxes, cooking boxes, art and craft boxes.
1. STEM boxes consist of activities and projects in science, robotics and coding.
2. Art and craft boxes consist of activities and projects in drawing, crafts, sewing and more.
3. Cooking boxes consist of activities for aspiring chefs and bakers.
4. Geography boxes consist of activities and projects to teach kids about different countries, maps and more.
Tell me more:: Creative Girls Club kits come with projects for girls to learn painting, beading, stitching, craft booking and more. Girls will receive two new projects each month along with all the materials, step by step instructions and pictures needed to complete the project. In addition to the supplies that come with the kit, basic crafting supplies such as scissors, pliers, a hot glue gun and glue sticks, and white glue will be needed.
Tell me more:: A woodworker’s kit is delivered each month and is great for kids who love craft and woodworking. Each kit comes with a complete woodworking kit with pre-cut and pre-drilled wood pieces and the tools required are sent along with the kit in the first few months of the subscription. Kits also include step by step, kid friendly instructions and close up pictures so adult supervision is not required. Examples of kits include turbo racer, marshmallow launcher, candy machine, space shuttle and so much more!
Good for Ages: Level 1: 4-7 years and Level 2: 8-12 years.
Tell me more:: Guide dots is a subscription kit that comes with drawing lessons. Each kit has 2 drawing lessons plus all the materials needed to complete the drawing. Kids will also receive 2 additional lessons for free.
Tell me more:: Doodle Crate is a subscription box that comes each month with crafty, creative projects for kids 9 to 16 years. Each monthly crate will introduce kids to new tools, materials or techniques and comes with illustrated instructions, creative DIYs and video tutorials.
Tell me more:: Kiwico offers a variety of STEM, STEAM and Science kits for kids. The Tinkercrate and Eurekacrate bring a variety of hands-on Science, Engineering and Technology projects for kids 8 and older. All crates come with an awesome STEM project, materials needed, Tinkerzone magazine and video tutorials.
Tell me more:: Bitsbox is a subscription box that teaches kids to code. Each card comes with coding supercards, a grownup guide and other goodies. Kids will use the coding cards to build an app on the Bitsbox website and the completed app will work on any mobile device.
Cost: $20 per month (plus $159 in the first month for the robot).
Good for Ages: 13+ Years.
Tell me more:: Go Box is a robot learning tool for kids and teens. Parents will need to buy a starter kit that comes with the GoPiGo core and a raspberry pi computer. This is a core robot that will be used in the monthly projects and missions that will arrive as a Go Box. The monthly kit incorporates projects that will help kids learn STEM, engineering fundamentals, computational design and thinking.
Good for Ages: STEM: 5+ years; Physics: 8+ years; Chemistry: 10+ years.
Tell me more:: The MEL subscription box has 3 different options: STEM, Physics, and Chemistry. Each subscription comes with a monthly box that contains an hands-on experiment plus digital access to AR/VR lesson packs and access to webinars by rockstar teachers. Kids also get an app with a virtual assistant to help with the experiment.
Cost: $35.95 per month (discounts and trial offers available).
Good for Ages: 6-12 years.
Tell me more:: The Nextmaker STEM box from Makeblock is a monthly subscription kit that comes with a STEAM kit and an online lesson component. Kids will learn advanced Science skills with fun and educational projects with each box. Makeblock also sells other one time STEM and Robotic kits for different age groups.
Tell me more:: Brick Loot offers a custom subscription kit for Lego enthusiasts. Each monthly kit contains 4-5 items and the actual contents are a surprise for kids. Kit will contain items like fun brick essentials, accessories, Lego compatible sets, kit or mini figurines and more. Parents can buy one time kits and other gifts from the online shop.
Cost: $9.99 per box with the option to buy the box.
Good for Ages: 0-13+ years.
Tell me more:: Literati Kids is a reading club for kids. They offer subscription boxes that have multiple flexible options. Parents can choose a plan based on the kids’ age and the delivery frequency. There is also an option to buy any of the books and the rest can be returned for free. Each box arrives with 5 carefully selected books based on a theme that is specific to the subscription plan and will also include some surprises for kids.
Tell me more:: Reading Bug is a subscription box service created for reading bugs by reading bugs. Curated kits are available for kids 0-30 months and personalized kits are available for kids 0-13 years. Boxes will arrive each month and will contain books carefully selected based on the subscription levels. In addition to books, kits may contain extras like stickers, art supplies, small games, or activities.
Tell me more:: Owlcrate is a themed book crate with a new theme each month. They have 2 levels, a junior plan and a 14+ plan. Both plans have different subscription options where you can subscribe for 1, 3 or 6 months. Each crate will arrive with a brand new book signed by the author, cool goodies from publishers, bookish items and more.
Tell me more:: Raddish Kids is a fun cooking club for kids. The monthly subscription box comes with 3 illustrated recipe cards, 3 culinary skill cards, a creative kitchen project and a kid friendly tool or collectible. Kids also receive a free apron with a 6 or 12 month subscription. Individual kits, aprons and other goodies are available for a one time purchase as well.
Tell me more:: Baketivity is a monthly subscription box for kids from preschool to tweens. Parents can choose a monthly, quarterly or annual plan and each subscription comes with a free apron. The baking kit comes with a delicious recipe, ingredients (add eggs and oil from your kitchen), easy to follow instructions and a unique colorful booklet with activities and games.
Tell me more:: Kidstir delivers a cooking kit each month containing 3 recipes, a shopping list, a quality cooking tool, a fun magazine with activities, stickers and more. The site also has free recipes for kids. Parents can also join a cooking parents group for subscribers.
Foodstirs
Cost: $34.98 per kit with auto renew option (Kits are shipped every 60 days).
Good for Ages: 6+ years.
Tell me more:: Food stirs delivers a bakers’ kit that is great for aspiring young bakers. The baking kits are unique, junk-free and use organic, sustainable materials and very less sugar. Kits are delivered every 60 days and you can choose to pre-pay for 1,3 or 6 kits with a renewable subscription option.
Cost: $24.99 per month (quarterly and annual plans available).
Good for Ages: 6-13 years.
Tell me more:: Each box will arrive with a kid-tested and kid-approved recipe, grocery list, kitchen tips for the recipe, creative projects, games, activities and some unique physical items. In addition to the monthly boxes, parents can buy their award winning kids books and gear for a one time fee. For adults, the site features digital and print resources for a small monthly fee. They also have a fun free podcast thrice a week for both adults and kids.
Tell me more:: Little Passports offers multiple subscription boxes for kids in Geography, travel, arts, world cultures and more. All subscriptions come with an introductory kit that will get kids started in the area of the subscription. This is followed by monthly kits that may contain fun activities, booklets, maps, coins, collectibles and more.
Tell me more:: Little Global Citizens offer subscription kits that will introduce kids to countries of the world and their respective cultures. A kit arrives each month and will contain an authentic guide, inspired crafts, activities, recipes, a beautiful book and more. Parents can opt for a sibling option that will include two sets of all craft/activities.
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Kodeclik is an online coding academy for kids and teens to learn real world programming. Kids are introduced to coding in a fun and exciting way and are challeged to higher levels with engaging, high quality content.