Children’s magazines are massively underrated. Particularly since most are designed to be entertaining, informative and (subtly!) educational. So whether your child is a reluctant reader, or simply hungry for knowledge, it’s worth investigating the options. Unlike many books, magazines are adept at balancing interactive text with visuals and games. All the better to stimulate your child’s mind whilst fostering a love of reading.
StoryBox (3-6 years)
50+ colourful pages featuring a good mixture of fact and fiction. Included are: illustrated stories (incl. adventure and fairytales), comic strips, animal fact pages, general knowledge and games (e.g. dot-to-dot and spot the difference.) Each edition also includes a wordless comic strip so young children can practise storytelling and writing.
Preview here
Issues per year: 10
Subscribe here
National Geographic Kids (6-11 years)
These well-researched magazines are full of intriguing facts, puzzles and stunning photographs featuring animals, the environment, history and culture. A great way to encourage an appreciation of the natural world. NB The annual Infopedia is a must-have for animal-mad children. It’s chunky but extremely visual and the text is broken up. So even if your child is not yet a fluent reader (or struggles with reading), they should enjoy it.
Issues per year: 13
Subscribe here
Horrible Histories (7-12 years)
The fun way to learn history! These themed magazines are crammed full of fascinating (and yes, often gory) facts, eye-catching visuals, puzzles and games. This means they’re well suited to children of different reading abilities and ages. (But the average adult could also learn a lot!) These magazines are based on the best-selling book and TV series.
Issues per year: 10
Subscribe here
The Caterpillar (7-11 years)
Printed on recycled paper, this is a stylish publication featuring an eclectic mix of poems, stories and art, all written by adults for children. You’ll find writing by well-known authors such as Michael Morpurgo and Frank Cottrell Boyce, alongside a host of less familiar names.
Issues per year: 4
Subscribe here
The Week Junior (8-14 years)
The ideal magazine for ensuring your child is up-to-date with world events, scientific discoveries, the natural world, sports news, the latest book and film releases and more. Like the adult magazine, this one presents the facts alongside a range of opinions, thus encouraging a balanced and critical perspective. Also included are interactive features such as weekly debates, how-to craft projects, recipes, and puzzles. A great way to extend your child’s vocabulary!
Subscribe here or try 6 issues for free.
Aquila (8-13+ years)
This wide-ranging, topic-based magazine is an ideal extension for the most able and inquisitive children. Past themes have been: ‘What is Art?, ‘The Ice Age’, ‘Creative Coding’ and ‘Funfair Maths.’ Witty and highly informative, Aquila aims to encourage ‘a well-rounded understanding of the world in all its complexity.’ Each colourful edition also features games, quizzes and practical challenges to encourage independent learning. NB This magazine is best suited to precocious and advanced readers as the text is quite dense.
Preview here
Issues per year: 12
Subscribe here