The Best Magazines for Kids (That Get Them Reading)

This post may contain affiliate links.

Anyone else think kid magazines might get your kids and students reading more?

Would your kids read more if they had a magazine subscription? Probably.

Because reading magazines counts as reading and getting mail rocks!

Luckily, there’s a kids’ magazine for almost every age, stage, and interest from nature to crafts to science and more. See if one of these children’s magazines looks like a good fit for your child.

And if you’re a teacher, you can use magazines in your classroom for variety in reading selections well as to study short pieces of writing as mentor texts.

The Best Magazines for Kids (That Get Them Reading)

Chirp: The See and Do, Laugh and Learn Magazine
ages 3 – 6
$5.25 per issue or $34.95 / year
Kids love getting their own mail and Chirp is a special magazine to send. Inside you’ll find puzzles, snack ideas, stories, information on places and animals, and craft ideas meant for parents and caregivers to share with children. Chirp excels at developmentally appropriate information and topics with an engaging layout. This magazine is an excellent choice for preschool boys and girls. Look inside here.

National Geographic Little Kids: The Magazine for Young Explorers
ages 3 – 6
$20 / year
Of all the kids’ magazines we’ve received when my children were little, this one was a big hit. Designed for preschoolers to read with an adult or to look through on their own, this sturdy magazine features the expected brilliant photographs along with information on conservation, geography, adventure, wildlife, and science. You’ll also find games and punch out wild animal cards, too.

Ladybug
ages 3 – 6
$29.95 / year
Snuggle in with your preschooler to read stories and poems, sing songs, and play games. This is something to look forward to getting in the mail!

ChickaDee
ages 6 – 9
$35 / year
Named for the animal characters Chick and Dee, this colorful magazine from Owl Kids is stuffed with goodies for the beginning reader crowd. You’ll find comics, puzzles, animal info, crafts, jokes, how to draw directions, crafts, fiction stories, experiments, animal of the month, and contests. Want to check it out? Go here to look inside.

High Five
ages 2 – 6
$29.99 / year
Stories, puzzles, crafts, recipes, and more engage children in reading and thinking. It’s from Highlights and is meant for younger kids who aren’t yet reading on their own.

National Geographic Kids
ages 6 – 12
$20.00 / year
If you have an animal and nature lover, he or she will probably enjoy this kid magazine containing Weird But True facts, short articles with facts and illustrations or photographs, and more. As you might expect, the photographs are super eye-catching.

Ranger Rick Jr.
ages 3 – 7
$15 / year
Puzzles, games, stories, and informational articles will help children learn and learn more about nature.

Kazoo: a magazine for girls who aren’t afraid to make some noise
ages 5 – 10
$40 / year
Started on Kickstarter, Kazoo features girl-empowering stories about artists, explorers, scientists, athletes, writers, and more. Each month is thematic. The magazine shares DIY projects, comics, science, coloring pages, puzzles, information about the theme, a comic biography of a famous person, snack ideas, a fictional story, and more. (No fashion in sight!) I love this magazine, I just wish it cost less but if you want quality without ads, this mag is for you.

Okido
ages 3 – 7
$130 / year
Kids will love this darling art and science STEM magazine from the UK with multi-sensory activities and storytelling, coloring pages, and more activities. Better pricing for UK residents.

Sports Illustrated Kids
ages 8 – 14
$19.95 / year
Sports Illustrated Kids gives sports fans all the best sports updates as well as nutrition information, goal setting, performance tips, interviews, quizzes, stories, stats, comics, athlete bios and much more. It’s a dense magazine, you’ll find a LOT of reading material for every athletic interest. You’ll also get a tear-out mini-poster and sports cards in the issues, too.

OWL
ages 9 – 13
$5.25 per issue or $34.95 / year
In this gender-neutral magazine, tweens will read news, interviews, puzzles, DIY projects, cartoons, stories, and more. It’s filled with bright illustrations and colorful photographs.