All year long, we adore sending subscription gifts for kids, which are always some of our favorites to give — and also, happen to make perfect last minute gifts for birthdays, holidays, or other celebrations. Our kids love to receive boxes in the mail each month, addressed to them.
So many of these 40+ subscriptions are educational or inspire our kids’ creativity, and they give us a fun excuse to sit down at the table with them and create together. Or hey, some are just pampering or fun, or indulge a kid’s passions and interests.
So if you’re considering a subscription gift for the kids (or grandkids or nieces or nephews) in your life, these are some of the best subscription gifts for kids that we’ve seen this year. Hope you find what you’re looking for!
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THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED FOR 2024
Related: More than 50 amazing gifts for kids all under $15
13 subscription gifts for kids who are readers
In honor of National Reading Month, we rounded up 8 favorite book subscriptions for kids, and it’s a great place to start if you’re considering a gift for a kid who loves to read. Above: The Reading Bug Box, curated by the child’s book lovers and experts at the a beloved indie children’s bookstore in California, specifically for babies or children. But read about 7 other book subscriptions for kids, including books for little feminists, subscriptions featuring Black characters, and books that come with costumes.
In our post on 3 unique subscription boxes for kids that teach the values of gratitude, kindness, and giving back, you’ll find a newer favorite: For Purpose Kids, which includes all kinds of books on progressive topics around diversity, inclusion and understanding for kids 3-8.
Or, for kids from preschool on up who prefer to read on their devices and like the flexibility of having, literally, an entire library at their fingertips, an Epic! ebook subscription is a fantastic gift. The digital and audio books in their collection are the ones our kids are really wanting to read — like Timmy Failure, Nancy Clancy, Big Nate, Olivia and thousands more.
Got older kids? we love the YA book subscription boxes from Uppercase for their smart selection of new books our kids haven’t read yet. Having their inside scoop on what’s getting all the buzz from the publishers is big. In addition to the brand new hardcover book you get each month, the box also includes other small gifts like a handmade accessory or cool bookmark.
9 subscription gift ideas for STEAM-loving kids of any age
Kiwi Co, makers of the original Kiwi Crate subscription gift, now offers a total of 8 smart, innovative art and science-based boxes for kids of every age. Their Koala Crates are for kids as young as 3 years old, while the Doodle Crates and Tinker Crates send art and STEM projects to kids up to 16. We’ve always been impressed with the quality of their boxes and the types of educational, inspiring projects our kids can create out of them. The site is always worth a look for a great subscription gift for kids.
Runner up: Amazon’s STEM Club subscription for kids is fairly affordable though you have to be a Prime Member now. You can chose for one for preschoolers, for 5-7 year olds, or one for kids 8-13.
The Bitsbox Coding Subscription Box is great for kids 6-12 and let’s just say, we were pretty impressed when our kids started writing their own apps — that really, actually work! It’s even made our list of the coolest birthday gifts for 7 year olds. You can choose a streamlined all-digital subscription for kids who are really all about the coding, or upgrade to the basic box, which includes a binder and printed cards with the projects on them — a new theme each month.
Subscription gift ideas for kids who love crafts
If you have a crafty tween or teen who loves putting a personal touch on their room, KiwiCo’s Doodle Crates are a fantastic subscription gift for kids 9-16, or check out their newer Maker Crate (above) that’s a cool gift for teens — or even adults! Projects range from needlework and yarn art to macrame planters…there’s a lot. They have a ton of kits sorted by project too, like their slime kit shown at very top.
Cratejoy is also a favorite for a ton of crafting subscription gifts for both kids and adults and wow, what a range! You can try Kraft Kitsune, a highly rated subscription gift for fans of anime, while the Craftsman Crate created for teens and men who felt there weren’t enough crafty gifts for them — though anyone who wants to try activities like soapstone carving, mosaic creation, or basketry will love it.
Subscription gift ideas for babies and toddlers
Love Every Baby is a big splurge subscription gift for a very special baby in your life. We’re blown away by how carefully curated their educational baby toys are, sending you new toys for each stage of development in the first year, from small motor skills, to social-emotional learning in those later months. (Sniff.)
Another splurge: MontiKids is a brand we worked with in the past, and wow, are their baby toys gorgeous. They draw from the Montessori educational philosophy in their design and function, and I’ve even shared them as a good gift for kids with developmental delays. If you have the budget, they make an amazing gift for a family with young kids…who hope to have more on the way, so they can continue to use these toys for years.
For a more affordable option, look at the Please and Carrots quarterly subscription. You’ll get 5–6 toys and books in each box, plus cards with ideas for activities to help you stimulate your baby’s language skills and motor development.
A subscription gift idea for a teen who loves some pampering
Yes, tweens and teens are obsessed with face masks and why wouldn’t they be? A Facetory K-Beauty Subscription lets the try 4-7 hand-selected face masks and skincare products each month starting under $12/month. Hey, it beats them stealing our stuff.
Related: The coolest gifts of the year for an older tween or tween
Clothing subscription gifts for kids
Liz’s kids loooove Rockets of Awesome (above), a cool mom-owned business. Their items are a little more fashion-forward than most clothing subscription boxes, well-suited to different styles, and lets kids wear one-of-a-kind designs that classmates won’t be wearing. (Unless they get a subscription too.)
We are surprised to see some kids we know asking specifically for a Stitch Fix Kids subscription gift so clearly it’s caught on as a gift that’s exciting and fun, and not just practical (for so many parents).
Subscription gift ideas for kids curious about the world
Younger kids 3-5 will learn about different countries and cultures all over the world through Little Passports’ travel-themed subscription boxes. The first shipment arrives in their signature kid-sized suitcase, which you can use to store each subsequent mailing. Educational info about each destination and arts and crafts supplies are included each month, and they’re well–produced and engaging. There’s also a World Edition for kids 6-10.
6 subscription gifts for kids who love to cook
My kids love to cook, and Little Passports has just added a wonderful Kitchen Adventures subscription box, incorporating the expertise of America’s Test Kitchen. Each month, your child gets a new box with four kid-approved recipes themed around a different region, whether Italy, India, China (above in time for Lunar New Year!) or El Paso, Texas. More than recipes, they’ll get a themed craft, fun educational materials, and a kitchen utensil like a tortilla warmer or
Also check out our 4 favorite kids cooking subscriptions on Cool Mom Eats. From all-in-one kits that send you everything you need except the egg, to kits based on science or cooking tools there’s a lot to love there,
A fifth option: The fun Gramma in a Box aims to recreate the experience of baking cookies with grandma from far away. (Or, uh, Grandpa in some families!)
Subscription gifts for LEGO fanatics
The Brickloot subscription box is a LEGO builder’s dream, and we’ve recommended it for ages. Choose between 1 and 12 month subscriptions of the kinds of LEGO bricks and accessories you don’t find every day. Like custom kits from famous LEGO designers and custom minifigs plus other compatible building products — so cool!
Brickbox Club is another fun choice with five to seven items in each box, including a buildable set, minifigs and a few fun surprises.
A subscription gift idea for a kid who can’t have a pet
Kids and teens are going crazy for succulents — and so are we, frankly! — maybe because they’re just so easy to take care of. And don’t require walking at 6 a.m. out in the snow. At just $10 a box, this succulent-a-month-club (above) is an affordable gift that a lot of kids will adore — but we also suggest browning the entire category of succulent subscription gifts on Cratejoy. The Monthly succulent subscription box for under $10/box (without the pot) has been a huge hit with our readers over the holidays!
A subscription gift idea for kids who love superheroes
If your kid eats, sleeps, and breathes Marvel, then they’ll love the Funko Marvel CollectorCorps box, which sends out collectible figures, mugs, and other swag from the greatest superheroes in the Marvel universe every couple of months. The boxes center around new release movies, too, meaning your kid is always getting current, cool toys.
A subscription gift idea for family game night fans
My kids beg to play board games all the time, but you can only play Life so many times, right? So I love the idea behind the different board game subscription box options at Cratejoy. Their board game options range from vintage games to premium strategy games, and they even have dice subscriptions for role play fans — or opt for one of their video game / gamer subscription boxes instead. But I have my eyes on the Unbox Boardom premium game subscription (ha, get it?), which gets fantastic reviews.
A practical subscription gift idea for kids
Not everyone wants something fun and frivolous for the holidays — even one of our own CMP team kids asked for an electric toothbrush for Christmas this year! In our post on practical subscription ideas we included the awesome toothbrushes from Quip, which make one just for kids in some great colors. And the watermelon toothpaste gets big thumbs-up from us.
A subscription gift idea for the adventurous eater. Or, any eater.
My family has had a lot of fun trying Universal Yums snack boxes, which is themed around a different country’s unique snacks each month and so much cooler than your standard “cookie of the month” club. There have been several items we’ve all tried to grab for at once. (Hi, chocolate truffles from Europe) Other treats have been more of a surprising delight for my kids, like baklava. And then, there were those raspberry potato chips that were more of a “we dare you” type item. No matter what, it’s been a lot of fun to see what’s in there, and to try a different unusual treat before bed each night.
Want to drive a parent crazy, all you cool aunts, uncles, and grandparents reading? Check out Candy Club, which sends kids either a fun-box, featuring six 6-oz candy cups, or the party box, which is great for bigger families. Every single candy in there looks a-mazing.
Also be sure to check out our post on Cool Mom Eats about 19 wonderful food subscription gifts, which includes some ideas that kids will love too, if they’re chocolate-loving kids, or teens who adore tea.
