Subscription kits for kids can broaden horizons with just a trip to the mailbox.
Children love to get mail each month and parents appreciate the fun and learning they bring, especially after exhausting all indoor activity options this rough winter.
Surprise Ride
This subscription box has a little bit of everything: educational books, fun activities and crafts. The theme of each box covers a range of subjects; recent themes include penguins, planets and chocolate.
- Ages: 6-11
- Cost: $29.99/month, 12-month subscription costs $299.88 ($24.99/month)
- Fun: The festive orange packaging with turquoise polka dots brings the fun before kids even open the box. Inside, find surprises like cute keepsakes and even snacks, complete with a plate that fits in with the theme.
Darby Girl
Darby Smart offers DIY craft boxes for adults, and now tween and teen girls can get in on the fun with Darby Girl. The boxes arrive every other month, and projects range from accessories (i.e. headbands) to home décor, like photo boards wrapped in fabric.
- Ages: 11–18
- Cost:$19/one box, $48/three boxes, $96/six boxes. Shipping is included.
- Fun: One project can include several different types of crafting, including tie-dyeing fabric, then using it on the photo boards that are then decorated with ribbon and fabric paint. Tweens may need parental supervision, depending on how parents feel about fabric dye and industrial-strength craft adhesive.
Young Scientists Club
Fascinate, entertain and educate with science-themed kits. Topics include magnets, acids and bases, and bacteria and fungi. Kids at a summer science camp approve all kits before they ship. The sender can opt for packages to arrive once or twice monthly.
- Ages: 5-12
- Cost: $11.99/each, plus $4.95 shipping and handling
- Fun: The fungi and bacteria kit includes petri dishes for growing samples taken from the home. It may take up to a week for them to grow, but the wow (or gross, depending on how you look at it) factor is worth the wait.
Little Passports
Sam and Sofia, the star characters of Little Passports, take kids to new places each month. Select from the World Edition, covering one country per month, or the U.S. Edition, covering two states each month.
- Ages: 5-10 for the World Edition; 7-12 for the U.S. Edition
- Cost: $11.95 plus $2 shipping/month; $131.40 plus $20 shipping/year.
- Fun: The first World Traveler package includes a world map, games that cover world capitals, how to say hello in five languages and a small cardboard suitcase in which future materials may be stored.
Carefree Crafts
Each Carefree Crafts shipment includes five to six holiday- or seasonal-themed crafts that are variations on an entertaining theme. They can be done in a day of crafting or spread out over the month. (Also pictured top right)
- Ages: 3-7
- Cost: $22.95 plus $4.95 shipping/month; $179.40/year, shipping included.
- Fun: The multiple crafts give options or allow for simultaneous crafting by several kids. Kits include a note from Carolyn, founder and mom of three, with fun things her family enjoyed the past month, including recommendations for educational websites and ideas for fun family dance parties.
Crafting Our Kids
Children receive a craft-of-the-month kit delivered directly to their mailbox. Crafts have included pillows, banners, picture frames and holiday décor. Parents may enjoy that there is just one activity on which to focus.
- Ages: 3-12
- Cost: $21.99/month; $224.30/year. Shipping is included.
- Fun: Kids are encouraged to add more decorations and personalize their creations. If you do not wish to receive certain holiday-theme kits, purchasers may specify that in the “additional comments” section when purchasing.
