The Best Subscription Boxes For Kids To Explore The World
If you are looking for the best gift for kids who want to explore the world, you are sure to find one of these monthly subscription boxes is the perfect fit! Educational and packed with fun activities like crafts, cooking, and science activities plus books and other products that take them on a global adventure from home!
We’ve tried a lot of subscription boxes as we’ve tried to move away from toys and move towards experiences and other fun gifts.
Thankfully our families have both jumped on board (despite some initial reluctance) and have embraced the non-toy focus. Even though we’ve moved to the Netherlands, we can still get some of these amazing subscription boxes!
I’ve found they are a great way to help kids be introduced to new cultures, new foods, and become better aware of the world around them. They are fun for kids AND educational!
Want ideas on how to teach your children to be respectful when learning about the cultures of the world? See my guide on how to teach your children to become world explorers for tips and tricks!
Common questions about subscription boxes for kids
All of these boxes on the list are ones that we have bought for ourselves or bought as gifts! I’ve tried to make sure I’ve included the positives or negatives we’ve found with each box.
When I can, I’ve tried to include a referral code which usually can get you a discount or free box.
If you sign up to get emails for the box that you want they often will run sales, especially during the holidays.
Which of these subscription boxes are you most excited for?
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Best Subscription Boxes For Kids Wanting To Explore The World
Subscription boxes are a terrific non-toy gift for kids that can not only expand their knowledge of the world but also help them learn valuable cooking skills. Kits like these are also a good group gift for families with multiple children and are fun for the whole family.
Here we will review different boxes, what they come with, the pros and cons of each, and how much they will cost you.
You might be familiar with the Kiwi Crates but did you know that they did more than just STEAM crates? Their Atlas Crate encompass art, engineering, and cooking to take you on adventures exploring different countries.
Pros: The boxes are really well done and provide a lot of information as well as a wide range of activities. I personally love that there are crafts and recipes to make.
Cons: If you have more than one child you will need to get multiple boxes unless they cooperate really well together.
If you want to see what is in a country box, here is a detailed review of the Guatemala box.
Sign up for their email newsletter so you can be notified of the sales they have a couple times a year.
Cost: $19.94 per month plus shipping (free shipping within the US). Shipping is available to many countries worldwide for between $4.95- 6.95 each month.
Use code HAPPY10 for 10% off store purchases until December 31, 2020.
If you have ever seen those Youtube videos of people trying snacks from other countries and wished you could do it too, you will love Universal Yums!
Each month they ship an array of sweet and savory snacks from the featured country along with a booklet featuring trivia and activities about the country, details about the snacks, and even a recipe.
Pros: There are a variety of sizes you can choose from so you can choose a box that would better suit your family size. We got the medium size Yum Yum Box which was just perfect for 5 of us to get a taste of each food. We spaced it out over several days because there were so many snacks to choose from.
Cons: Some of the snacks were a bit odd and not big hits with our family. If you have really picky eaters there is the potential to be throwing away food which isn't my favorite. Also, although they ship to several countries outside of the US the list is extremely short.
Important to note is if you have any sort of food allergies in your family, this is not the box for you. Although they list the ingredients in English in the pamphlet, the snacks may be processed in facilities where contamination can occur.
Cost: Boxes range in cost from as low as $13.75 for the smallest box to $35.75 for the largest box. Shipping is free within the US but ranges from $2-23 (yikes!) depending on box size on where you are shipping it to.
Eat2Explore boxes each feature a different country in a box. The boxes come with everything but the fresh ingredients and common pantry staples, a shopping list, a step by step guide to make the recipe, a pin, a kitchen tool, and information sheets about the featured country.
Pros: They send you the hard to find ingredients so you aren't going on a hunt to find them and don't end up with a ton of leftover spices or ingredients you don't have any idea how else to use.
You can order a set of 4 boxes by region which is a fun way to do a deep dive as a learning unit for homeschooling.
They do have gluten free boxes available for certain countries.
Eat2explore also has a Youtube channel with cooking demonstrations.
Cons: The one part I disliked about the boxes is that you don't get an actual recipe. Even if your family loves the dish, you won't be easily able to recreate it especially since they don't give you measurements for the ingredients they send you.
If you weigh or measure out the ingredients they send on your own you might be able to recreate it but it will definitely be a process.
Cost: Boxes start as low as $21.21 a month with a 12 month subscription but you can purchase single boxes without a subscription for $24.95. Shipping is $5/box and is only available to the continental US.
Subscribe to their email newsletter and you get a coupon for 15% off your first month. Take 15% Off All Orders at Eat2Explore.com With Code NEW15..
We have a lot of the Raddish Kids boxes! There are several recipes included in each box, along with a cooking tool, and some activity and talking points. Each box comes with a collectible patch and they also have a very active Facebook group that is a great support system if you have questions or just want to brag.
Pros: There are multiple recipes in each box with step by step recipes so it is suitable for a wide range of ages and multiple children. You can also add the bonus items like cooking tool and patches for additional children to each box for a small fee each month. I found we didn't need them so we only got one extra set before canceling the extras. Also, there are single boxes available for purchase if you want to try them out or round out your collection.
Cons: If you order enough boxes you will start to see repeats or very similar recipes but my children all loved making the recipes.
Cost: It ranges from $20 a month for a 12 month subscription to $24 per box with a month by month subscription.
This is a box that I ordered for my nieces and nephews for Christmas this last year. The first box you get includes a suitcase to house your souvenirs, a large map and a coin board to house the coin that comes for each country. There are also some activities to do, recipes to make, and additional content available online.
The country boxes come with toys and collectibles, activities, photos, maps and you can choose to add books as well. My sister in law said their favorite boxes came with two books, a chapter book for older kids and a picture book for their younger ones. She also said that she liked that a lot of the activities and toys were something that all 3 of their oldest children could do (the baby not so much).
Pros: The boxes contain a lot of collectibles so if your children love to collect things like mine than this is really fun for them.
Cons: The book upgrade does not always include two books which can be kind of a downer for little kids since the picture books are not always included. I would also say that the boxes are better suited to the older elementary crowd.
Shipping is also only available outside of the US to a limited number of countries so make sure to check the list before trying to order.
Cost: As low as $17.95 a month with a 12 month subscription to $20.95 with a monthly subscription. The premium book upgrade is an additional $9.95 a month. Shipping is free within the United States.
I am a huge fan of the TalkBox program and have had included their program on my blog a few times. If you have ever wanted to learn a second language with your children this is the program to use. I have friends who are fluent in a second language that started peeking through my books and were surprised at all of the phrases that were included that they didn't know.
We have both the German and Spanish phrasebooks but had to put a pause on learning those while we started learning Dutch. But I have used the TalkBox system to do the same with our Dutch and even our 1 year old understands many phrases in Dutch already!
Pros: These are real phrases that you would be able to use everyday with your family and there is a great support group on Facebook to help with advice or just general cheerleading when you get frustrated.
The app is also really well done and makes looking up phrases and practicing the audio much easier than it used to be. Plus, you can use it on the go! You can also choose how often to get the boxes (receive one every 1, 2, or 3 months) which is especially good if you are nervous and just starting out.
Cons: The boxes are on the more expensive side but I will say the wealth of information in them and the additional activities they are continually producing are totally worth it.
You also really have to commit to working on speaking with your children every day for at least a little bit of time. They can't learn via osmosis!
Cost: $80 per box with free shipping in the US. Shipping is available for outside of the US. The phrasebook is $35 and comes with the native speaker audio. If you order both the phrasebook and the first box it is $105 (a $10 savings).
For my European readers and fellow expats living in Europe, Not Just Nibbles is a UK company that creates cooking kits based on a new country each month. The boxes come with a recipe, the dry ingredients you'll need to make it, stickers, and even a skills and safety card! All of the healthy recipes are veggie based and introduce children to new flavors from around the world
My favorite part is that each month comes with a little booklet called Great Groceries that teaches all about food to encourage better eating habits. It covers where food comes, when it is in season, and how it benefits our bodies.
They also have fun, bright colored aprons and a wooden baking tools set available for purchase that would make fun gifts along with the box.
Pros: The designs are very bright, fun and well oriented towards kids. They have also included additional material that covers art, history, geography, math, and science so you can have an even more well rounded experience.
At the end of August you can buy a special gift box that will come in a special box with a personalized apron, baking set and handmade gift card that would make a wonderful birthday present for a kid chef. You can also add it on to your subscription so it is all set to come on your child's birthday.
Cons: Currently the boxes only ship to the UK with plans to expand into Europe sometime in 2021.
Cost: Ranging in price from £12.99 per box with a 6 month subscription to £14.99 for a single box. Shipping is free to the UK. The aprons are £10.99 and the wooden baking tools kit is £18.99.
We did a year of Little Passports for my son and he loved it. Now we’re getting their science version. Getting fun mail is always the best! Now I’m half tempted to get the snacks box.
Glad to hear someone else enjoyed the Little Passports! Getting mail every month is half the fun for the kids which is a great gift that keeps on giving. The snack boxes are so much fun even the smallest box comes with a lot of snacks to try.