Kids are back to school, but even though students are mostly out of the house, parents know that between remote days, weekends and snow days, having some structured activities at the ready is never a bad thing. Subscription boxes and activity kits are a creative way for your kids to create, imagine and learn about the world around them while making it easy for parents to entertain their kids. These subscription boxes and activity kits range in target age from toddlers to tweens and include topics such as discovering the world, managing stress and emphasizing children as creators and innovators.
Looking for more at-home activities to do with your children? Check out The Best Fall Crafts for Kids in 2021!
Magic Playbook
Ages 2-6
The Magic Playbook is the perfect monthly kit for parents who are having trouble planning out activities for their kids. Making the seasonal play experience easier for parents, each digital playbook grants access to seasonal activities, crafts and sensory ideas for the month, a collection of themed printables with directions on how to use them, an easy-to-shop supply list, a library list and curated screen time ideas! The Magic Playbook will expand your child’s creativity, while also keeping them busy. Subscriptions start at $11/month or $99/year.
Little Global Citizens
Ages 4-10
After co-founders Tim Minnick and Akeelah Kuraishi quit their 9-to-5 jobs, they left their home and went backpacking around the world for 13 months. While backpacking, they met people of all different cultures, learning that all around the world they were welcomed with kindness and hospitality, and “outside of surface differences, we are all more similar than we are different.”
In response, they created Little Global Citizens in order to share the gift of experiencing the world, creating a lifelong passion for learning about the world around them and a love for all people. Every other month, you and your child will receive a new country in each box. The box itself includes a country activity guide, a book, multiple crafts, activities, recipes and a collectable language card. You are also able to shop for past subscription boxes and activity kits as well, which include India, Egypt, Kenya and many more! Subscriptions start at $34.95 per every other month and $200 annually.
Girls Can! Crate
Ages 5-10
While Megan Goodman was playing with her 4-year-old daughter, her daughter proclaimed “Let’s play princess and prince – you be the prince and you rescue me.” While there is absolutely nothing wrong with a little girl wanting to become a princess, Megan wanted to let her know that girls are just as capable of rescuing themselves. Girls Can! Crate was created to emphasize the power of girls, to inspire girls to believe that they can do anything by introducing them to women in history who have made the world a better place, ultimately showing girls they are innovators, leaders and creators.
Inside each crate includes an inspiring role model, a Girls Can! activity book, two to three hands-on activities and much more! Crate options include packages for one child, multiple children and a mini-mailer for the busy families. Single crates begin at $32.95/month; crates for multiple are an additional $9/child; and the mini-mailers begin at $18/month.
The UPside Delivered
Ages 5-10
The UPside Delivered is the perfect subscription box to teach you children how to handle their mental health by teaching them about connections between thoughts, feelings and behaviors in a healthy, natural way. Started by two counselors who were trying to think of new, outside-the-box ideas to provide resource to families, they noted that today’s children and teens are experiencing more stress than ever before, and many have no clue how to manage this stress. The UPside Delivered provides education to parents about the how and why certain techniques and skills work to reduce stress, while also providing practical tools for immediate success at managing stress.
Using cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, each box helps explain to kids the pathway to calm. The standard subscription box includes four boxes that you will receive quarterly: The Begin Box, The Find Your Feelings Box, The Move Your Mood Box and Create Your Calm Box. The UPside Delivered also provides specialty boxes to deal with self-esteem, COVD, anger, mindfulness and more. Kits start at $39.99/box.
Hullabaloo Book Company
Ages 3-8
Born out of the desire to make it easy to put the best books into the hands of children, Hullabaloo Book Company was started by Hollis and Blaine, two lifelong friends who have made it their mission to find the perfect book for every occasion. This book subscription company provides meaningful and perfectly packaged children’s books that are handpicked by people who care. Hullabaloo thrives by emphasizing their six attributes: kindness, curiosity, intelligence, imagination, bravery and empathy. Parents, at the heart, will instill these attributes in their children and Hullabaloo’s goal is to instill them in subscribers, too.
Each hand-picked book and major company decision is made with these attributes as the guiding force. Working with publishers, libraries and other book venues, Hullabaloo works hard to find books and collaborations that lift people up, while emphasizing inclusion and fostering accessibility. Each box, which arrives on a monthly basis, includes a premium picture book, a signature activity pack, and a free Club Members Only tote. Subscriptions start at $19.99/month.
Alltruists
Ages 4-11
Sometimes with all of the chaos surrounding daily life, it is difficult to tell if your children are learning about compassion, generosity, empathy and humility. It is every parent’s goal to raise a good human, and for Jessica Jackley, one of the most important ways she could accomplish this was through volunteering with her kids. However, it’s difficult to find these opportunities for families due to scheduling as well as the fact that many of these opportunities are not inclusive to kids. This is why she created Alltruists!
Alltruists allows children and their parents to give back any time, anywhere. Each box is themed to one major issue around the world and guides kids to engage with the issue in a positive, meaningful way. There are four major aspects included in each box: learning about the issue, connecting and building empathy through experience, taking action through special volunteering projects, and giving to charity through $5 donation. Subscriptions for one year start at $49.50/month.
