7 Great Kids Magazines To Help Raise Global Citizens
Looking for a great sustainable gift for kids? How about a subscription to one of these conscious kids’ magazines that dive into sustainable living and cultural exploration through a variety of interviews, stories, activities, and more.
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Kids’ magazines have come a long way since I was young. I remember a few skinny publications with light content and not much else.
I love receiving mail, so these little magazines were a joy to receive when my mom pulled them out of the mailbox. We didn’t receive a lot of magazines, but when we did they were always fun.
These days, kids’ magazines have really stepped up their game. There are a handful of incredible publications that dive deep into issues of social justice and environmentalism in a completely age-appropriate way. Other kids’ magazines celebrate heroes, animals, history, and our planet, in ways that are far more engaging and creative than I ever could have imagined when I was young.
Kids magazines are such a delightful way to bring educational content into your home through channels other than traditional books. Many of these publications hire independent designers and creators to bring their volumes to life.
The ones we chose below also highlight many important people, places, and events that haven’t historically received their fair share of coverage. They provide amazing content to help your children explore people from different walks of life, new locations around the world, and tackle challenging global issues at their developmental level. They’re great resources to help conscious citizens who will become the future leaders and change-makers of our communities.
And… what kid doesn’t love receiving mail?!
We reviewed several kids’ magazines and are sharing our five favorite kids’ magazines with you. It’s always a great time to share these publications with your young learners, but these especially make for perfect holiday gifts for kids.
Kids magazines are relatively low waste and eco-friendly, especially if you can recycle or compost them when you’re done using them. Many of the ones we highlighted support small business owners. With an annual subscription, these gifts keep on giving right up until the next holiday season. And especially important for this year, you probably won’t have supply chain hiccups causing them to arrive after your holiday celebrations.
It’s worth noting that some of these magazines seem more expensive than traditional kids’ magazines. For most of the magazines we recommend, each issue is dense and filled with great articles and activities designed and illustrated by independent creators. The nature and the extent of the content warrant the price, at least in my opinion, and it’s important to pay the creators fairly for their time and work.
7 Great Kids Magazines To Help Raise Global Citizens
Read on to learn more about some of our favorite kids’ magazines and why we love each one of them. If you think we missed something, be sure to share it in the comments so we can check it out and add it to the list if we agree.
Bravery Magazine
Bravery Magazine is written by a primarily female team and highlights female heroes from various industries and different eras. Each of their quarterly publications is of stunning quality and includes stories, educational content, art projects, and other activities that support learning about the featured female.
In past issues, they have featured women like Jane Goodall, Frida Kahlo, Maya Angelou, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and so many more women who were notable artists, inventors, writers, and scientists.
Further, don’t be fooled into thinking that this magazine is only for girls. Women are not inherently less interesting to boys, and girls have been learning about men for centuries. Bravery Magazine is an awesome opportunity for boys and girls to learn more about prominent women and their accomplishments in history.
Honest History
Honest History is a quarterly magazine for kids that dives into the history of important people who changed the world. The magazines are gorgeous and include designs from some very talented illustrators. The combination of aesthetic appeal and engaging activities layered over top-notch, factual storytelling about the people of our past makes this a great way to remind our kids that learning about the past can be fun and educational at the same time.
We can learn a lot from history, hopefully following the lead of good leaders and not repeating the mistakes of our less stellar ancestors. Honest History puts a modern twist on tales of the past.
Nat Geo Kids
Even if we can’t get out to see the wonders of nature and the many forms of life and creatures who inhabit our planet, Nat Geo Kids brings so much biodiversity and environmental beauty to life at the kitchen table.
They have Nat Geo Kids and Nat Geo Little Kids magazines for the younger set. This is a great magazine to celebrate and develop an appreciation for all the living things with whom we share our home, as well as practical tips your learners can implement at home to live lighter on the planet.
Mighty Kind Kids
Mighty Kind Kids Magazine dives into stories (real and fictional) to share about the amazing people in our world from all sorts of backgrounds. Each quarterly issue highlights important people related to a particular topic and celebrates a particular location.
Issues include interviews with notable people, graphic stories to convey messages of empathy and learning about those who are different from ourselves, suggested ways to volunteer or take action in one’s own community, and many more activities all related to developing kindness and understanding of people from many walks of life.
Ditto Kids Magazine
Ditto Kids Magazine offers fictional and nonfictional resources, activities, interviews, and conversational prompts to help children and caregivers view the beauty of each other’s differences and develop anti-bias skills.
Each Ditto Kids issue has 60+ pages of beautifully illustrated content built around a theme like belonging or cooperation and examines history and culture through a decolonized lens. Much of history and education, at least in the United States and many westernized countries, focuses on the stories of our past and present through the lens of white people.
Ditto Kids strives to provide alternative perspectives on the way we view history and culture to help kids better understand their place in the world. This biannual publication also creates resources for educators to implement the topics covered in each issue in an age-appropriate, accessible manner.
Illustoria Magazine
Illustoria is a high-quality print publication for creative kids & their grownups to slow down and enjoy stories, art, and activities. The original creators intended it to offer a counter to our fast-paced, digital age.
Illustoria celebrates visual storytelling, makers, and DIY culture through print and beyond. The magazine includes puzzles, creative writing prompts, DIY project ideas for kids, recipes, coloring pages, stories, and more. There are many activities that help develop storytelling and writing skills as well as creative thinking skills.
The scrapbook and DIY graphic design style reinforce the magazine’s intention to give kids a break from flashy technology and modern distractions.
Kazoo Magazine
Kazoo Magazine is a creative magazine that is designed for girls and celebrates women who make great role models. The magazine includes fun games, fictional stories, puzzles, DIY project ideas, recipes, and more. There are so many fun activities and engaging content for kids.
I really like the content of the magazine and think the creators do a great job with it. The only thing I don’t love about Kazoo is that they message directly to girls as if it’s not for boys. On the contrary, there isn’t anything in the magazine that suggests boys wouldn’t love it too.
It’s not a “girly” magazine at all. When I hand it to my 7 and 9-year-old sons, they have no idea it’s designed “for girls.” Like Bravery magazine, all of the featured characters and role modes are women, but women are just as interesting as men (and I think it’s great for boys to sometimes prioritize women in a world already dominated by male figures and leaders).
I’m pretty passionate about the idea that boys should read books and magazines about girls just like girls (already!) read lots of books and magazines about boys. I’d hate to see marketing messaging discourage boys from enjoying a great publication.
In short, buy it for boys and girls (and don’t tell your boys it’s “for girls”).
About The Author
Jen Panaro
Jen Panaro, a co-founder of Raising Global Kidizens, is a self-proclaimed composting nerd and an advocate for sustainable living for modern families. She’s also a serial library book borrower and a messy gardener.
As a mom to two boys, she is passionate about helping families be more responsible stewards to their communities and the planet. She also owns Honestly Modern, an online space focused on eco-friendly living for modern families.
