15 Best Magazines for Kids (That Get Them Reading)

Does anyone else think that magazines for kids might get your children and students to read more?

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

Because reading magazines counts as reading. Plus, getting mail rocks! Not to mention, reading fiction and nonfiction magazine articles are both important for young readers.

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 for kids in your classroom for variety in reading selections well as to study short pieces of writing as mentor texts.

reading magazines counts as reading -- find the best magazines for kids

Best Magazines for Kids (That Get Them Reading)

Babybug
ages 6 months – 3 years
$29.95 / year
This was my children’s first magazine! It’s almost like a little board book with appealing short stories, games, and activities.

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
ages 3 – 6
$20 / year
Of all the kids’ magazines for kids we received when my children were little, this one was the biggest hit. Designed for preschoolers to read with an adult or look through independently, this sturdy print magazine features the expected brilliant photographs and information on conservation, geography, adventure, wildlife, and science. You’ll also find games, engaging stories, and punch-out wild animal cards, too.

Ladybug
ages 3 – 6
$29.95 / year
Snuggle in with your preschooler to devour your Ladybug magazine subscription of stories and poems, songs, and games. This is something boys and girls can look forward to getting in the mail!

ChickaDee
ages 6 – 9
$35 / year
Named for the animal characters Chick and Dee, this colorful national magazine for kids 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.

The Journal of Nonsense
ages 6 – 13
$33.00
For kids who love to laugh, aka. ALL KIDS, I predict they’ll love this hilarious magazine filled with silly activities, funny jokes, unusual games, kid art, weird recipes, goofy reading lists, and inspired writing activities! You might learn how to write a dad joke or make up your own acronyms, make a S’maco that you feed to a goat, or take a quiz to see if you’re really having the worst day ever.

High Five
ages 2 – 6
$29.99 / year
Short stories, puzzles, crafts, recipes, and more engage children in reading and thinking. This magazine is from Highlights and is designed for younger kids who aren’t yet reading independently.

National Geographic Kids
ages 6 – 12
$20.00 / year
If you have an animal and nature lover, he or she will enjoy this National Geographic Kids 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.

Zoobooks from Ranger Rick
Ages 7+
$19.95 / year
If your child loves wild animals, this magazine for kids will appeal to them and give them plenty of information, stories, and games to read. This magazine features full-color photographs, illustrations, diagrams, and informative articles will introduce children to different animals around the world.

Ranger Rick Jr.
ages 3 – 7
$15 / year
Puzzles, games, animal tales, stories, and informational articles will help children read and learn more about nature from the quintessential magazine subscription, Ranger Rick Jr.

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, informational articles 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 is a sports magazine for kids! It gives kids ages 8 to 14 the best sports updates, nutrition information, goal setting, performance tips, interviews, quizzes, stories, stats, comics, athlete bios, and much more. It’s a dense magazine so 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.

Highlights for Children
ages 8 – 12
$34.99 / year
The first Highlights magazine was published in 1946. It continues to be a popular magazine for boys and girls with a different topic or focus each month. The contents of the magazine include stories, games, puzzles, riddles, science experiments, craft projects, and learning activities, which are designed to be fun activities that are also educational. The cartoon “Goofus and Gallant” shows wrong and right behaviors. You’ll also read jokes and see art from other children.

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.

Honest History
ages 8 – 12
$49.99 / year
These full-color history magazines for kids share in-depth information about historical topics, countries, or periods. Each children’s magazine is organized around a central theme,, whether it’s The Golden Rule, the history of India, or pirates. In addition to the informational articles, the magazine includes stories, maps, coloring pages, timelines, a reflection page, and a quiz. Each of these magazines for kids seems like a book!