Shopping for kids can be a struggle, especially when you’re trying to be creative and avoid the toy aisle for birthdays and other special occasions. But what if they could get something new and fun every month? That’s where a subscription box or service comes in. From celebrating women who’ve helped change our world to learning their way around the kitchen and exploring new worlds, scroll down to see our favorite subscription services for kids for any time of year.
Baketivity
Baketivity boxes are sure to put a smile on your little baker's face! Each themed box comes with pre-meausured ingredients, kid-friendly instructions, colorful lessons and games to play while your treats bake and a shopping list if you need to add anything extra. All the included ingredients are vacuum-packed fresh and when you sign up for a subscription, your kiddo will get a Baketivity hat and apron! Available kids include tasty treats like whoopie pies, pull-apart cupcakes, muffins, cinnamon buns, cookies, cake pops and bagels.
Subscribe at baketivity.com.
Sago Mini Box
From the creative genius of Sago Mini comes the new Sago Mini Box subscription, a kit that creates hands-on experiences for kids ages 3-5. Every month, subscribers will receive a new box that encourages open-ended play and make and play activities that are easy to assemble. In addition to the box and three themed activities, kids will receive a letter from a Sago Mini character! Sago keeps sustainability at the forefront, with all paper materials constructed from recycled content or sourced from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC Certified).
Cost: $19 per month, or $15 per month when you subscribe annually
Subscribe at: sagominibox.com
The Play Kits for Toddlers by Lovevery
Lovevery’s new Toddler Play Kits are an expansion of its highly praised subscription box service. Previously available for infants ages 0-12 months, Toddler Play Kits are designed for a child's second year of life. Expertly designed to foster brain development and help advance cognitive development, each Toddler Play Kit includes science-backed, sustainably produced play products and activities toddlers want and require for brain development, at exactly the right time. For parents, the Play Kits include need-to-know guidance in the form of The Play Guides—mini books that walk parents through the "how tos” of making the most of play time with their children, backed by all the research parents often don’t have the time to read. Unlike Baby Play Kits, which are shipped every other month, Toddler Play Kits ship every three months with fuller boxes.
Cost: Starting at $36 per month.
Subscribe at: lovevery.com
GIRLS CAN! CRATE
GIRLS CAN! CRATE is a new subscription box that celebrates the lives of women who've changed our world. From Bessie Coleman and Dr. Irene Uchida, to Frida Kahlo, Marie Curie, Madam CJ Walker and Dorothea Lange, GIRLS CAN! CRATE celebrates the lives and stories of diverse women across race, profession and the world so that every girl who picks up a crate will see something of herself reflected in her GIRLS CAN! experience. Choose between two monthly offerings: the original GIRLS CAN! CRATE which includes a 20-page activity book, two or three STEAM activities, a collectible button, tote bag and tips for grown-ups related to the month's featured lady's trait; or the mini-mailer which is a smaller version of the original GIRLS CAN! CRATE. All aspects of the GIRLS CAN! experience, from start to finish, is curated by its all-female owned and operated company.
Cost: Crate subscriptions start at $27.95 per month. Mini-mailers start at $18.50 per month.
Subscribe at: girlscancrate.com
Little Global Citizens
Little Global Citizens is a subscription box that looks to take children (ages 4-10) on a new adventure around the world every other month, focusing on the culture and the people of a new country. Each box brings to life a new country through carefully curated books, cultural activities in the form of games, puzzles and quizzes, interactive crafts, language and recipes for a themed dinner party night. The brand uses their Montessori Educator to curate each box. The founder of LGC, Akeelah Kuraishi, says that the ultimate mission of Little Global Citizen is to foster open-mindedness, compassion and global awareness.
Cost: $39.95 for a bi-monthly subscription; $49.95 if you want to add an additional set of craft and activity materials for a sibling.
Subscribe at: little-global-citizens.com
America’s Test Kitchen Kids Young Chefs Club
Kids who love cooking and STEM learning will love this new subscription box from America’s Test Kitchen Kids. The Young Chefs’ Club box is jam-packed with kid-tested, kid-approved recipes, science experiments, creative items (think: DIY board games, tortilla warmers, special sprinkles) and more. Designed to inspire a new generation of empowered cooks, engaged eaters and curious experimenters, each box contains recipes that have been tested by over 5,000 kids in the US and received at least an 80% approval rating. Each month, kids will receive a box based on a theme, ranging from specific ingredients such as cheese or bread, to cooking techniques like cake decorating, to scientific subjects centered around texture or molecular gastronomy. The projects range from 15 minutes to a few hours, depending on the child's age and ability, and grocery lists are emailed before the boxes arrive. The Young Chefs Club is designed for kids ages 5 & up.
Good to know: Members get access to America’s Test Kitchen Kids' extensive digital library of recipes, experiments, videos, fun food trivia and more.
Cost: Starting at $19.99 per month for a 12-month subscription.
Subscribe at: americastestkitchen.com/kids/grownups
KiwiCo Panda Crate
KiwiCo, a parent fave for STEM, STEAM, science and art subscription kits for kids, recently launched its Panda Crate line designed specifically for babies and toddlers. Made in partnership with researchers at Seattle Children’s Hospital, KiwiCo ensures that all the products and information delivered in its crates are perfectly suited for a child’s developing brain. Plus, a portion of every Panda Crate purchase is donated toward child development research. Designed to grow with baby's development, the Panda Line crates are broken up into five separate age bands–delivering an age and stage appropriate crate every other month as baby grows over two years. Each crate in the subscription line is billed and delivered every three months, and you can easily adjust timing or cancel anytime.
Cost: Starts at $15.50 per month for two year’s worth of Panda Crates (12 shipments).
Subscribe at: kiwico.com/panda
Monti Kids
Based on the world-renowned 0-3 Montessori curriculum, Monti Kids provides the only at-home Montessori toy program for babies and toddlers ranging in age from birth to 36 months. The subscription-based program was founded with the mission of helping parents support their babies during the most critical years of development. With a Monti Kids subscription, Montessori toy curriculum is delivered every three months with exactly the right learning materials needed at each developmental stage. Each Monti Kids box also includes guides for parents which consist of short videos and articles on how to introduce and use the materials with their baby–also great for caregivers and grandparents! Choose from eight different levels.
Good to know: Before your toys arrive, you’ll have access to the Monti Kids Learning Center, packed with instructional videos, research and tips.
Cost: $297 approximately every three months.
Subscribe at: montikids.com
Cook + Play from Raddish
You know and love Raddish because it takes the guesswork and stress out of teaching kids to cook. It also provides a bonding, interactive and tasty adventure for families to share. Each month features a new exciting theme, from "Edible Experiments" to "Ticket to Japan." Kits include a set of three laminated and illustrated recipe cards with easy-to-follow instructions and tips to develop safe and smart kitchen techniques. Kids also receive a kitchen tool, craft, experiment or foodie game, monthly collectibles in the form of Table Talk conversation starter cards and a colorful apron patch. And now, your preschooler can get in on the action, with the Cook + Play Kit. Kids can mix, mash and stir as they whip up 123 Blueberry Muffins, ABC Chips and Guac and Rainbow Pasta Salad while learning the alphabet, counting, colors, measuring and even setting the table.
Good to know: Raddish includes a digital and printed grocery checklist, but does not include the actual food. Raddish also has an expansive library of free content from bonus recipes to activities and playlists and offers dietary modifications for all recipes.
Cost: $20 per month with an upfront 12-month membership. $22-$24 per month with a one, three- or six-month upfront membership.
Subscribe at: raddishkids.com
Izzy & Liv Brown Sugar Box for Little Girls & Tween Girls
Lifestyle brand Izzy & Liv recently launched a version of their Brown Sugar Box for kids and teens. Both the Kids Box (for ages 4-8) and Tweens Box (for ages 9-14) are similar to the adult boxes where even though the items will be a mystery until opened, everything included will equal a retail value of at least $100. The boxes are designed with African American girls in mind, with culturally inspired items featured in every box. You'll get at least one Izzy & Liv shirt and other sweet things made with the brown sugar girl in mind. Little girls might get school supplies, hair accessories and books, while tweens can expect to get beauty products, lunch totes and even pillow covers.
Cost: If you sign up now, you'll lock in a special $45 (plus shipping) quarterly rate. It'll go to $55 (plus shipping) soon.
Subscribe at: izzyandliv.com/pages/kids-tweens-box-lp
Mail Order Mysteries
Mail Order Mysteries are a tech-free creative experience that unfolds through a series of six weekly installments. The letters are personalized to kids from the characters in the stories. There are spies, pirates, knights, librarians, detectives, dragons and trolls, and when these characters ask for help with a top-secret mission, the kids become key characters themselves. One of their latest mysterious launches is the Case of the Missing Bigfoot, perfect for ages 9 & up, and is a classic whodunit set in an old mansion before a big dinner is about to begin. The lights go out, and when they come back on, the safe is open and empty. Uh oh. This box comes with everything to help solve the crime, including crime scene photos, suspect cards, notebooks, suspect board, interview transcripts and more.
Cost: $84 for a six-week subscription containing five letter mail envelopes and a final package.
Subscribe at: mailordermystery.com **Temporarily closed due to COVID-19, check back soon!
Creation Crate Jr.
Creation Crate isn't just for big kids. Creation Crate Junior takes all the STEM-oriented education and learning from the original subscription boxes but ages it down for elementary students. Each Junior crate comes with the TechCard and easy to understand step-by-step instructions aimed at young engineers using simple materials and hands-on projects. The subscription delivers one project per month focusing on basic engineering concepts like math, measurements, physics, forces and construction!
Cost: Subscriptions are available for one, three, six and 12 months. $14.99 for one month; $11.49 per month for a 12-month prepaid subscription.
Subscribe at: creationcrate.com/order-junior
Stitch Fix Kids
Style knows no age, so why not encourage their love of fashion with Stitch Fix’s personal styling service for kids? Stitch Fix has recently been reinventing the shopping experience for adults as well as expanding. They now offer sizes 2T-14 for kids! Parents can easily manage their kids' profile, and they can work together to create a style profile and set up their delivery. Each Stitch Fix Kid box contains 8-12 pieces of clothing, shoes or accessories, which range in price from $10-$35. A stylist handpicks items based on the style profile. The best part? There’s no pressure to keep anything, and no subscription is required. Simply order Fixes when you like or schedule automatic deliveries. Easy-peasy!
Cost: $20 styling fee that is later applied toward anything purchased.
Subscribe at: stitchfix.com/kids
KyndKits
Kids have busy lives these days between school, sports, play dates and activities, but one important lesson they all need to learn is that kindness is key. KyndKits are a way to pair volunteering with the convenience of home delivery. KyndKits is a subscription box filled with new, customizable volunteer activities and acts of kindness delivered to your child’s door each month. These opportunities can range from making cards for Veterans to building care kits for the homeless. The projects support a variety of causes and include everything needed for a meaningful volunteer experience. KyndKit subscriptions are handled online, making sign up and subscription management easy. Packages range from single, one-person kits to large-group kits.
Cost: $19 for one project per month. Up to four KyndKits projects can be ordered per month.
Subscribe at: kyndkit.com
Toy Library
So many toys, so little time. Imagine being able to borrow and return new toys, just like books at the library. Well, that’s what mom Christie Jacobs thought when she’d had enough with her kids playing on the iPads too much. With limited space, she didn’t want to keep buying new toys. Instead, she created ToyLibrary, a service that provides unlimited access to over 500 educational toys. "ToyLibrary lets you borrow and play with the newest toys, curated and selected by child development experts so parents always get the best toy for their child,” Jacobs said. "Parents enjoy an uncluttered house, great value and the convenience of free shipping straight to their door." Kids can play with the toys for a month, three months or 12 months, and then just return them in the pre-paid mailer.
Cost: $29.95 a month for two toys; $19.95 a month for six toys for three months; $12.41 a month for 24 toys for 12 months.
Subscribe at: toylibrary.co
Girls That Make
Who runs the world? GIRLS. Girls That Make is a wearable electronics curriculum delivered each month. These different projects—bracelets, hats, bags—teach girls how to build circuits, program/code and sew to create the wearable technology. Subscription boxes are available in one, three, six and 12 months.
Cost: $39.99 for one month; $29.99 per month for a 12-month subscription.
Subscribe at: creationcrate.com/order-gtm
Little Feminist Book Club
Little Feminist book club, which aims to teach kids about gender equality diversity and empathy, now has three age ranges (0-3, 3-7 and 7-9) for their popular book subscription service. Every month, one or two books are carefully hand selected by a team of educators, librarians and parents, who then create discussion questions and a DIY activity to accompany them.
Cost: Starting at $19 per month.
Subscribe at: littlefemininst.com
Disney Princess Enchanted Collection
Your kid loves all things Disney Princess so this new subscription box from Disney will be a perfect fit. Based on your delivery preference, a box of goodies revolving around a different princess (think: Moana, Tiana, Ariel, Jasmine) will arrive on your doorstep. Items will include an authentic Disney store costume, books, activities and other treasures. Psst! There's only a limited time to order your box for delivery in December.
Good to know: After selecting which type of box your child wants, you pick their size and choose whether you want to order box-to-box (every other month), a custom schedule (hello, birthdays!), once per quarter or one box per month.
Cost: $47.99 & up.
Subscribe at: shopdisney.com
—Kristina Moy, Felissa Allard & Karly Wood
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