Top 20 magazines for kids
The gift that keeps on giving
Each year around this time I publish a list of magazines for kids – a good ones for aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents to gift to little people for Christmas.
Magazines are the gift that keeps on giving … each month or quarter a new part of the gift arrives and it is magical all over again. I also often gift magazine subscriptions for adult birthdays because it’s A) an excellent last minute gift (like as in you can do it on the way to a fortieth party:)) and B) not many people I know need more ‘stuff’ but magazines are always welcome!
The top 20 magazines for kids below are ones that I subscribe to for our school library (primary) and the wonderful members of Your Kids Next Read alerted me to a few new ones which I’ve instantly signed up to for work. It is seriously great working in a school library and being able to choose the subscriptions – the Organic Gardener subscription in the library is potentially more about me than the little people who use our library, although I do like to share the articles with my Earth Angels group!
For more Your Kid’s Next read recommendations check out their list of the best books for kids of all ages, and my best books lists can be found here (just in case you want to gift a book along with a magazine subscription!).
Top 20 magazines for kids
Why these are the best magazines for kids
This one is good value for money as there are no ads and 11 issues in a subscription. All about our wacky world with short, informative articles on history, archaeology and nature, aimed at kids aged 8-15, but even adults say they love reading this mag. It’s good clean fun – and it’s all true!
National Geographic Kids is a monthly kids magazine read for boys and girls aged 6-14. From wildlife to space, geography to the environment, it has all the incredible stories and dazzling images you’d expect from National Geographic packed into bite-sized chunks. National Geographic Kids is everything an inquisitive young mind needs.
I REALLY love the adult version of this mag, ‘Breathe’ and am so excited about this one – don’t disappoint me! Be Happy. Be Brave. Be Kind. Be Yourself…tips, fun activities and inspiring ideas to help you explore how paying attention to everything you do, being curious, kind and staying positive can bring out the very best of you. Teen Breathe Issue 1 will be on sale from Thursday 4th January 2018 but if your order before December 4 your first issue will arrive earlier.
This one is super popular at school. Double Helix is a science magazine from CSIRO for kids and early teens, with plenty to enjoy inside every issue.vDouble Helix promotes critical thinking and strengthens literacy skills while sparking an interest in science, technology, engineering and maths. Perfect for males and females aged 8-14 years. There is eight issues in an annual subscription.
This one is squarely aimed at tweens and rightly so! I’ve got a nine year old right now and am quickly discovering that the TWEEN THING IS EPIC. From the editor: “Let them be girls for a while longer. The ‘tweens’ is a special time when they are starting to see what’s happening around them, to engage with the outside world.” Dawnie Rasmussen, Editor
This magazine for kids is super popular with the little teeny people at school…and a few of the older ones who miss reading it! It is dedicated to children aged 3-6 years and while it does feature brands heavily such as The Wiggles, Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder, My Little Pony, Fireman Sam, Barbie, Peppa Pig, Minions, it is great for reading with little people and the child/parent interaction is lovely. ChickPea loved this one when she was ‘little’ (her words). Clearly at six she has moved out of their demographic!
Again, heavy on ‘brands’ but actually it’s a great fun mag and very popular at school. Each edition provides the latest on music, video games, movies, toys, books, sports, pets, puzzles, celeb interviews and competitions. Just Kidding does not feature junk food or content of a violent nature which is nice to see in one of the more mainstream magazines. Suitable for male and female readers aged 7-13 years.
It cracks me up how popular this one is but I suppose pets are always a perenial favourite right? This magazine has got all your canine questions covered, from information about health, nutrition, grooming, behaviour and training to the latest accessories and profiles of the popular dog breeds.
Similarly, this one is incredibly popular and covers all pets in surprising detail! It is one for kids who love their pets and want to learn more about responsible pet ownership. The magazine features articles on dog and cat breeds as well as birds, fish, rabbits, mice, guinea pigs, horses, reptiles, native wildlife and exotic creatures.The publication showcases the latest information on nutrition, grooming, training and animal welfare. Regular sections include Pet News, Me And My Pet, How To, Around The World, Freebies, Reviews, Ask Your Vet, Train Your Pet, as well as competitions, posters, puzzles and more.
At HistoriCool we believe that history is way more than just an academic subject, but an incredible tool to grow social skills in kids and tweens. So while our young readers have their heads stuck into articles about Marie Curie’s incredible achievements, the realWinnie the Pooh, and the seemingly endless ways that those in medieval England met their untimely end… they are actually becoming aware, empathetic, respectful and self-confident young people – just the sort of achievers who will make history in the future!
Okay this one is a paper not a magazine but it’s great. From the producers: Crinkling News is the only national newspaper for young Australians. As parents and veterans of the newspaper industry, we realised there was little in the way of child-accessible news outlets in our country. Yet kids are fascinated by the world around them and want to be active in their community. Crinkling News is aimed at seven- to 14-year-olds, but can challenge and absorb all who turn its pages.
A beautiful UK publication, Aquila Magazine brings a unique blend of brain-stretching ideas and fun to thousands of young fans around the world every month. Full of exuberant articles and puzzles, it is beautifully illustrated throughout, and every magazine covers science, history and general knowledge.
BIG Kids Magazine is an Australian contemporary arts publication, launched in 2011, that features the work of children and artists side by side. Created by two professional artists, Perth based dancer/writer Jo Pollitt and Sydney based visual artist/educator Lilly Blue. BIG Kids Magazine is an Australian contemporary arts magazine that provides an immersive, interactive and imaginative arts experience for children of all ages. As well as publishing the work of children and artists side by side each magazine is printed on high quality draw-ready paper and includes The Child Artist Response Project, A pull out print plus creative projects, activities and ideas.
For fans of Steve Irwin and Australia Zoo (and who doesn’t love Bindi). Crikey! is an action-packed, conservation-focused, fun magazine for all ages. The quarterly magazine is full of great wildlife photos, posters, stories on saving our planet’s beautiful animals, Australia Zoo updates, animal profiles and exclusive editorial by Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin.
Wonder is an Australian publication that empowers pre-teen girls to be creative, brave, kind and to inspire them to think about who they are and what they could be. A publication free from the stresses of the adult world. A publication of their very own that they can contribute to. Perfect for pre-teen girls from 7+.
I subscribe to a few magazines for kids and I have a school subscription to this one – we get five copies per issue, but you can subscribe as a family too. This one is perfect for readers and writers and many of Australia’s top children’s authors and illustrators cut their teeth in this production.
I admit I don’t know this one but it’s come highly recommended in the best magazines for kids category and it looks awesome. Bright Lite is an independent magazine created for girls, ages 8 to 15. Every issue, we strive to give young girls a place to express their experiences and reflections on a central theme. We, at Bright Lite, strongly believe that it is never too early to start communicating and connecting with one another. Our quarterly magazine will be a collection of submissions from girls all over the world, including photos, interviews, articles, recipes, crafts, journals, music and advice curated just for them.
Again, this is a kids’ magazine I don’t know but has been recommended. From the website: Kazoo is a new kind of quarterly print magazine for girls, ages 5 to 10—one that celebrates them for being strong, smart, fierce and, above all, true to themselves. And it’s been nominated for a 2017 National Magazine Award in the category of General Excellence-Special Interest and named one of the “Hottest Launches of 2016” by MIN.
One of a family of US magazines aimed at kids, Cricket magazine is aimed at tweens and features world-renowned authors and illustrators. Full of stories, ideas and inspiration, it’s also simply beautiful – and 100 per cent ad free.
Aimed at readers 6-12, this UK magazine for kids is full of creative activities, stories to read, games to play, enough to inspire little and big minds and fire up everyone’s imagination! A lovely experience to share with your kids.
Are you new here? Welcome to Children's Books Daily! I’m Megan Daley and you can find out more about me here and more about my offers here.
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