Nothing beats unboxing exciting post, and that’s exactly what you’ll be giving the kids with one of these amazing monthly subscription boxes for kids. Delivered straight to your door, you’ll have everything you need to enjoy great activities at home – from arts and crafts, to cooking, baking, reading, building and more!
The best news is that there’s a subscription box for everyone, whatever their age or interests, and whatever your budget. Focusing on hands-on learning and packed full of fun, check out our list of the top-rated and most-loved kids’ subscription boxes to try for yourself!
Jump to: Book subscription boxes | Cooking and baking subscription boxes | Arts and craft subscription boxes | Gardening and outdoors subscription boxes | Educational subscription boxes
Books and Reading
- Bookabees
If your kids love reading, then they’ll love the Bookabees subscription, giving them the chance to dive into either 1, 3 or 5 new books each month. Handpicked by experts, all you need to do is let the team know your kid’s age and their interests, from dinosaurs and dragons, to fantasy and fairies. Designed for kids aged 0-11, Bookabees let’s you review the books suggested and make any swaps, so you can guarantee you get the books you want, and with thousands of books ready to be read, it’s the perfect way to grow our storybook collection at home! Plus, with each delivery, you’ll also get some cool extras, like bookmarks and stickers. Suitable for: Babies, toddlers and children
Price: £9.99 for 1 book, £19.99 for 3 books or £29.99 for 5 books, free delivery
- Storytime
If you’re looking for a magazine subscription for kids, then Storytime Magazine is well worth a look. Packed full of fairy tales, stories, poems, puzzles and more, it’s designed to help develop literacy and reading skills, whilst totally immersing children in the story world. It’s not gimmicky like lots of other magazines, and we love that profit is reinvested to help organisations improve the literacy of families across the UK – a great magazine with a great story of its own! Plus, each month check out the website for loads of free printables linked to the stories in that issue.Suitable for: Best for children aged 4-11
Price: £3.50 for a monthly subscription, or from £36.99 for annual
Offer: DOWTK Members get 20% off subscriptions PLUS a FREE 20 Page Home Learning Pack - Banjo Robinson
Not only does this have one of the coolest names on this list, but Banjo Robinson offers something totally unique for kids. Banjo is a globetrotting cat who turns reading, writing and learning about the world into a magical game for children, with personalised letters and creative activities arriving in the post twice a month. The main premise of the box is to get kids replying to Banjo’s letters, so each letter is filled with questions that parents help to shape by adding personalisation at checkout. Kids are encouraged to post their replies under the sofa for overnight collection by catmail – working in a very similar way to the tooth fairy… Totally enchanting and a great way to get kids writing.
Suitable for: Ages 5+
Price: £9.99 a month for two letters when billed monthly
Cooking and Baking
- Little Cooks Co
Cook up a storm with your budding little chefs, all thanks to Little Cooks Co. This monthly box comes packed with hours of healthy cooking fun, all designed especially for children. Each month you’ll receive collectable recipe cards – 1 healthy baking recipe, and 1 savoury family meal – plus all the dry, natural ingredients you’ll need. With record books to keep track of your culinary journey, plus fun extras to help kids learn about food and sustainability, there’s loads of fun packed into each box. And if that’s not enough, for every box sold, Little Cooks Co donates to Magic Breakfast, a fantastic UK charity helping children living in food poverty.
Suitable for: Best for kids aged 3-10
Price: From £8.33 per month, choose from 1, 3, 6 or 12 month subscription
- Cookie Crumbles Baking Club
If it’s strictly the sweet treats you’re after, then the baking subscription for kids from Cookie Crumbles is a good place to start. You can choose from either a 3-month or 6-month subscription, and then you’ll have the chance to choose which kits you receive or let the Cookie Crumbles team surprise you. From brownies and cookies, to muffins and granola bars there are some tasty treats on the menu – all coming as mixes needing just a few ingredients. The recipes are somewhat limited and they aren’t as seasonal, so whilst this makes a great gift or short-term subscription, it could get repetitive quickly.
Suitable for: Best for kids aged 4-12
Price: £21 for 3 months or £39 for 6 months - Foodini Postal Club
The Foodini Postal Club is much more than a food subscription box – it’s a pack filled with all you need to inspire the next generation of little cooks at home! In each box you’ll find two beautifully designed recipe cards – 1 sweet and 1 savoury – with the all important shopping list for what you’ll need to buy, plus herbs and spices all pre-measured and mixed. The thing that sets this kit apart from the rest is the other food-based fun, from craft and science kits, to seeds to grow, and cards teaching kitchen skills. There’s even a monthly guide to what’s in season in our farms and fields, so they’ll be learning about food and where it comes from alongside their cooking. It’s child led, packed full of flavour and perfect for learning at home – we love the recipes inspired by world events too!
Suitable for: Best for kids aged 5-12
Price: From £11.50 a month, choose a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription - BakedIn – The Baking Club
Whilst not strictly for kids, we love both The Baking Club and the Bread Baking Club – so you can pick whichever takes your fancy! The Baking Club features a brand new recipe each month, you’ll get a handy card with all the step-by-step instructions plus all the dry ingredients pre-measured – as well as some handy extras like skewers or baking paper. The recipes are always a surprise so you’ll never be sure what’s going to land on your doorstep, which for us is half the fun! Need some inspiration? Previous bakes include a raspberry ripple cake, banana caramel muffins and custard cream biscuits – GBBO eat your heart out!
Suitable for: All ages (even grown ups)
Price: From £7.50 per box, choose from 1, 3, 6 or 12 months
Arts and Crafts
- toucanBox
Hassle-free arts and crafts is a sentence all parents love to hear, and that’s exactly what you’ll get delivered to your door every month with a toucanBox subscription. Each box is personalised with your child’s name for that extra special touch, and inside you’ll find two age-suitable crafts, stickers and a magazine packed with puzzles, games and activities. One of our favourite things about this box is that you get everything you need in your box, so if you’re kids are on the impatient side (aren’t they all?!), then you really can get stuck straight in. There are seasonal crafts as well as more general themed craft ideas, just be wary that whilst you can pick your first two crafts, following boxes will be a surprise.
Suitable for: Kids aged 3-8, but best for those under 6
Price: From £5.95 per box, choose from 1, 3, 6 or 12 months
Offer: Get 50% off your first box with code dowtk
- Make + Wonder
Focusing more on the art side of arts and crafts, the Make + Wonder monthly art box is designed to inspire your child to create, design, make and invent. In each box you’ll find four beautifully designed cards each with a fun art project to complete, plus a story focusing on a female artist, so you can learn about her life, inspiration and art. The box also comes packed with art supplies to help you complete the cards – think everything from powder paint and pipe cleaners, to washi tape, collage paper and more. One of the best things about Make + Wonder is that you can buy a sibling box too – perfectly designed for 2+ kids.Suitable for: Kids aged 3-10
Price: From £14.50 per month, with 1, 3 or 6 month boxes available
Getting Outdoors
- Mud & Bloom
Influenced by Forest School and created by qualified teachers, Mud & Bloom boxes are perfect for kids with an interest in the great outdoors! Each box is delivered to your door with four seasonal gardening and nature craft activities, as well as games and little tasks to help them learn about animals, plants, insects and the seasons. We love that it’s designed to support the national curriculum and the range of activities are really impressive – plus it comes with everything you need to get stuck in straight away. Mud & Bloom also offer both individual and sibling boxes for two, so there’s no need for fighting over the supplies!
Suitable for: Best for kids aged 3-8
Price: £13.95 for a single box or £16.95 for a sibling box - Little Mud Club
Little Mud Club was launched by James, a dad with a young daughter who was looking for fun activities that could be delivered to their door during lockdown – and be exciting enough to peak her interest for longer than 5 minutes! Packed full of seasonal, outdoor adventures that have been designed with COVID-restrictions in mind, Little Mud Club boxes are a great way to get the kids outdoors all year round. Featuring a whopping 10 age-appropriate adventures, a short story, something to grow and eco-friendly stickers, the mission is to encourage families to have more green hours and fewer screen hours. We love that this box is designed for families to enjoy together – if you’re not afraid of a bit of mud and mess, then this is the box for you!
Suitable for: Best for ages 2-7
Price: £10 per box
Offer: Use code DOWTK at the checkout for 20% off your first box!
- Willow and Wild Box
Willow and Wild is another subscription box that’s been designed and created by a mum, so you know it comes tried and tested by the people that matter most! Inspired by nature, each box comes with materials and activities to encourage kids to get outside, with themes around gardening, crafts, cooking and creating. Seeds, colouring sheets, craft supplies and recipe cards amongst some of the goodies you’ll find in each box, you’ll have everything you need to not only explore the outdoors, but learn about it too. Choose the normal LetterBox subscription, or pick a BumperBox, featuring everything in the normal box plus exciting extra activities for even more fun!
Suitable for: Ages 3-8
Price: From £8.50 per month, with 1, 3, 6 or 12 month subscriptions available
Educational
- Little World Builder
You may not be able to travel the world with your little ones, but the Little World Builder subscription box is a great way to explore some of the most famous buildings and landmarks from the comfort of your own home. Created by Maggie, a mum of two with a background in interior architecture, each box contains learning sheets, activity cards, a 3D puzzle, scrapbook stickers and more, all based on a famous building from around the world. With featured landmarks including the Taj Mahal, Empire State Building and Sydney Opera House, it’s a fun and unique way to learn about the world!
Suitable for: Best for ages 6-11
Price: From £11 per kit for Mini, or £16.60 per kit for Classic
- The Curiosity Box
Bring bonkers science and fascinating fun to your door, with a subscription to The Curiosity Box. The mission is simple: to bring science to life for kids and to make it easy for parents to do so! There are loads of subscriptions to choose from, with each box filled with fun science-based activities developed in line with the curriculum and designed by some very clever clogs at Oxford University! Covering everything from slime and space, to potions and power, one thing we love about The Curiosity Box is the chance to choose the perfect pack for you. Simply choose your kid’s age range, then pick the activity they’d most love to try – there’s even a dedicated lockdown subscription that’s perfect for homeschooling.
Suitable for: Activities suitable for ages 4-11
Price: From £9.95 – £22.16 per box, depending on the subscription - Mysteries in Time
Billed as an adventure through history, the Mysteries in Time box is a great way to tackle topics like Ancient Egypt, World War 2, Victorians, Vikings and more in a really fun way! We love that each personalised box is designed to look like a time machine, and inside you’ll find an illustrated adventure story, a history magazine, fun themed puzzles and a sticker to map your adventures, whilst the Bumper Box includes all this plus a hands-on activity and themed gift. Every adventure starts with Ancient Egypt, then it’s up to you to decide your plan. An amazing box that tackles some tricky topics whilst still being fun!
Suitable for: Ages 7-11
Price: From £6.95 per month for Classic, or £13.95 for Bumper - Geo Journey
Teaching kids everything from capital cities to cultural events, Geo Journey is an exciting subscription box that focuses on a brand new country every month. You’ll start by receiving your Explorer Kit, featuring everything you need for your global adventure, like a suitcase, map, travel journal and passport. Then, each new box will come with a fact-filled letter, photos, postcards and activities all based on a country to help them learn everything from the landmarks to the language, plus a themed souvenir to add to the collection. It’s a great way to ‘travel’ the world from home, but if your kids are more into all things intergalactic rather than international, check out the Space Journey subscription box, too.
Suitable for: Kids aged 4-10
Price: £25 for the first box, then £12 a month
- Our Little Globe
Set up by mums Erin and Fi back in 2016, Our Little Globe is home to monthly adventure boxes for kids. Inside, you’ll find a passport, posters, recipe cards, craft activities and more, all themed around a country from around the world. We love the inclusion of a pen-pal letter to bring it to life for the kids, and the recipes featured are a great way to get children eating and experiencing different foods. They’re more focused on the activities and the crafts than some of the other learning boxes on the list, but it’s a more laid-back way to learn about the world. It’s loved by parents, and it’s not hard to see why!
Suitable for: Perfect for ages 5-10
Price: From £11 per month, the first box is free - KiwiCo
Designed by experts and tested by kids, KiwiCo Crates get the thumbs up for activity boxes to suit any age and interest! There are eight crates to choose from, with Panda and Koala crates tailored to early years education, through to the Atlas, Doodle and Tinker crates that are for older kids with more specific interests. Focusing on science and art in particular, each box is full of hands-on activities and prompts suitable for that age range – which is where that ‘tested by kids’ we mentioned comes in handy! Just note that KiwiCo is based in the US, so you’ll need to pay for delivery (~£5) and it may take longer to arrive.
Suitable for: From 0 to adult (yep, there are crates specifically for 0-24 months!)
Price: From £12.47 a month for 12 months, or £14.67 for monthly
We hope you’ve enjoyed our guide to the best subscription boxes for kids in 2021, helping you to make the most of your time at home! You may also like:
Homeschooling resources | Indoor activities for kids | Science experiments to try at home