15 Of The Best Subscriptions For Children
All products on this page have been selected by our editorial team, however we may make commission on some products.
BEST FOR NEWBORNS: The Little Sensory Box
The term ‘sensory play’ applies to any activity that stimulates one or more of your baby’s senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. The Little Sensory Box launched in 2019 with a range of boxes for babies and toddlers. Its bestselling Baby’s First Year subscription boxes are designed to take the guesswork out of sensory play by delivering all the toys and activities needed for a baby’s first 12 months – straight to your front door, exactly when needed. This quarterly subscription series provides new mums with all the age-appropriate sensory toys and resources they need to encourage their baby’s development from birth to 12 months.
Prices from: £14.66 per month.
Best for: 0-12 months.
Visit TheLittleSensoryBox.com
BEST FOR BUDDING SCIENTISTS: Whizz Pop Bang
Whizz Pop Bang is an award-winning science magazine that brings science to life for girls and boys aged six to 12 (and their parents too). The team packs plenty of hands-on experiments, puzzles and fascinating science news into each month’s magazine, aiming to spark imaginations and inspire the scientists of the future. Each issue is filled with gender-neutral, real science experiments to try at home, news on the latest discoveries from around the world, interviews with real scientists – and importantly, no plastic toys and no adverts.
Prices from: £4.99 per month.
Best for: Ages 6-12.
Visit WhizzPopBang.com
BEST FOR CBEEBIES FANS: Giggly
Giggly is made up of a team of educational specialists, parents and editors who understand real-life parenting. Its products are designed to make learning easy for parents, too – with lots of games, independent play and magazines on hand to help your child reach their potential. Best of all, Giggly’s activities cover every part of the curriculum, even when baking, crafting or playing pretend cafés. As well as hosting free activity guides and parenting resources, its online shop sells a range of learning activity packs, toys, books and games. The team makes a lot of its own products (like its own Literacy magazine and own-brand board games) as well as working alongside top children’s brands such as Numberblocks, CBeebies and Alphablocks to create exclusive subscription packs and toys for children.
Prices from: £7.99.
Best for: Ages 0-7.
Visit Giggly.co.uk
BEST FOR BOOKWORMS: Willoughby Book Club
Have a young bookworm on your hands? Willoughby Book Club offers a range of book subscription boxes for a range of ages and interests – from picture books for babies to new novels for older children. All parents need to do is answer a few short questions about their child’s reading preferences and interests, and each month they’ll be sent a new book that's been handpicked to match their individual tastes. Each book arrives beautifully presented, and the first includes a personal message. Best of all, for every book subscription box sold, the team donates one new book to Book Aid International, which supports education and literacy development work.
Prices from: £34.99 for three months.
Best for: Ages 4-12.
Visit TheWilloughbyBookClub.co.uk
BEST FOR OUTDOORSY KIDS: National Geographic Kids
National Geographic Kids magazine is packed with everything an inquisitive young mind needs. The editorial team’s mission is to get children excited about the world. Each issue is filled with eye-opening photography and entertaining text to engage even reluctant readers, plus cool discoveries from around the world, fun quizzes, puzzles and competitions, and crafts to keep your child entertained for hours. Best of all are the interviews with big names in science and tech – from astronauts to zoologists.
Prices from: £3 per issue.
Best for: Ages 6-12.
Visit NatGeoKids.com
BEST FOR BUDDING READERS: Bookabees
Bookabees offers subscriptions for one, three or five books per month, based on your child’s interests, ranging from fantasy and pirates to sport and vampires. Each month, a personalised box will arrive with their books, alongside some educational activities, a monthly newsletter, plus stickers. While the team of in-house experts handpick books every month to suit your child's age and hobbies, these choices can be easily viewed and changed by parents, so you won’t get copies of books you already own or know they’ve already read.
Prices from: £6.99.
Best for: Ages 0-11.
Visit Bookabees.com
BEST FOR SUSTAINABILITY: Whirli
If sustainability is on your mind, try toy subscription service Whirli. Subscribe to a plan and you’ll get Whirli tokens to spend on a library of over 1,000 toys, including the latest must-haves. The toys are yours to keep for as long as you want – with no time limits or penalties. When you’ve finished with them, simply send the toys back and you’ll be credited with equivalent tokens, letting you swap them for something else. If your child falls in love with a toy, you can buy it permanently for a less-than-retail price, and any toy you keep for eight months is yours to keep forever. Different plans are available, and gift boxes make excellent presents.
Prices from: £9.99 per month.
Best for: Ages 0-8.
Visit Whirli.com
BEST FOR GREEN FINGERS: Mud & Bloom
Mud & Bloom boxes are designed for three to eight-year-olds and are delivered through the letter box at the beginning of each month. Each box includes everything needed for four seasonal gardening and nature craft activities, along with nature news, spotting activities and games to teach children about animals, plants, insects, birds and the seasons. All seeds are certified organic and biodynamic wherever possible, and each kit comes with organic peat-free compost pellets so you can get planting immediately.
Prices from: £13.95 per month.
Best for: Ages 3-8.
Visit MudAndBloom.com
BEST FOR BUDDING COOKS: Little Cooks Co
These kits make an ideal introduction to the kitchen – smaller children can help to mix, stir and lick the spoon, while older children can follow the recipes more independently. Every recipe is vegetarian, and most are suitable for a wide range of dietary needs. Featuring collectable recipe cards, each kit includes all the dry organic ingredients needed to make that month’s healthy bake, packaged in compostable bags. There are no refined sugars, only natural ingredients and each kit includes extras that teach children to grow their own food and learn about sustainability through fun activities. For every box sold, the team donates to Magic Breakfast, a UK charity that helps children living in food poverty.
Prices from: £9.16 per box.
Best for: Ages 3-8.
Visit LittleCooksCo.co.uk
BEST FOR SPACE FANATICS: Little Astronaut Subscription
This is a subscription box for children who want to learn about the solar system and the planets. Inside, you’ll find stickers, photos, a fact card and an activity booklet about Earth, plus a letter that can be personalised (just remember to add the child's first name in the box at checkout). Start with an explorer kit – which comes with mission logbook and astronaut passport – then receive fun monthly packages through the post from characters Geo and Atlas, who love to travel and explore.
Prices from: £35 per box.
Best for: Ages 4-10.
Visit NotOnTheHighStreet.com
BEST FOR HARRY POTTER FANS: Wizards & Wonders Subscription Box
This is a wonder-filled subscription-style product for fans of Harry Potter and the world of Hogwarts. Each kit features personalised chronicles from the magical archives of a fantastical underground world, packed with STREAM (science, technology, reading, engineering, art and maths)-based learning for curious six to 12-year-olds. Activities are woven through storytelling, and most can be recreated using simple objects typically found around the home. The first box comes with an eco-friendly keepsake box for all the bits you’ll receive, plus an A4 guide for parents. Choose from one, six and 12-month subscriptions.
Prices from: £10 per box.
Best for: Ages 6-12.
Visit NotOnTheHighStreet.com
BEST FOR CRAFTY CHILDREN: Lots of Lovely Art
Lots of Lovely Art provides art boxes inspired by artists. Each box is filled with a great range of quality art materials which allow children to experiment and play with new and exciting supplies each month – from acrylic paints, colourful inks, charcoal and soft pastels to aquarelle pencils and glitter glues. Children will learn about artists through creative projects, bringing a regular experience of art into children’s lives at home. Customers can sign up for a three-month, six-month or every-other-month subscriptions, and will receive engaging art projects on the first week of each month.
Prices from: £25 per month.
Best for: Ages 4-12.
Visit LotsOfLovelyArt.org
BEST FOR OLDER CHILDREN: The Week Junior
The Week Junior magazine explains the news to eight to 14-year-olds in a calm, unbiased and age-appropriate manner, helping them to understand the world and what’s happening around them in a way that’s safe and manageable. The magazine aims to get kids talking, and help encourage them to express themselves, explore their own opinions and develop critical thinking skills that will help them at school and the future. Every page is written and designed by experts to spark children’s natural curiosity and encourage them to explore further. This spring, new subscribers will get their first six issues free, saving £19.50 on the shop price.
Prices from: £19.50 for six issues.
Best for: Ages 8-14.
Visit TheWeekJunior.co.uk
BEST FOR EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES: Cubie Education Box
This might not be the most fun option on this list, but plenty of parents across the UK swear by it when it comes to improving their child’s maths. Cubie was created to give children ten to 15 minutes of maths every day. Aiming to revolutionise learning maths in the Early Years and Key Stage 1, Cubie provides a little-and-often approach to the subject. Layouts are clear, simple, colour coded and easy to follow, and icons are used throughout to show children what sort of action is required on each page. The workbooks give parents a screen-free approach to home maths support, which are all paper-based and delivered straight to your door.
Prices from: £32 per month.
Best for: Ages 3+.
Visit Cubie-Education.com
BEST FOR CURIOUS MINDS: The Curiosity Box
These award-winning science kits are created by Oxford scientists. Featuring flexible options which allow customers to pause subscriptions at any time, the boxes start from £11.95 per month, which will get you a themed science kit direct to your door. Filled with step-by-step instructions, they’re ideal for weekend family activities. Of the current collection, we like the look of the dinosaur box. Developed with dinosaur experts, children can create their dream dinosaur and give it a habitat to live in, then create a set of salt dough fossils and shells.
Prices from: £11.95 per month.
Best for: Ages 6-11.
Visit Curiosity-Box.com
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