For-Kids Magazines

National Wildlife Federation Publications for Kids

I distinctly remember going to allergy appointments with my friend as a kid and reading Highlights Magazine in the waiting area - I loved it!  I always wanted to do the puzzles and was just intrigued by the fact that it was a magazine for kids.  This must have been the start of my problem.  I've mentioned it before, I have a magazine obsession!  So it comes as no surprise in our house that I'm just as excited as Beansprout when his Wild Animal Baby Magazine appears in the mailbox each month!  Wild Animal Baby Magazine is produced by the National Wildlife Federation.  Beansprout loves it - we have collected them all (save for the few that he tore apart when he was younger!).  He now gets Your Big Backyard from the same company and in the next month or so will also get the National Geographic Little Kids.  We're so thankful to the grandparents for these gifts!  Better than a toy that loses its novelty, these subscriptions are one of those gifts that keeps on giving.

Olive the Owl Feature Story

It's fun to see Beansprout learning so much from these little magazines!  We count animals, read a story about a specific baby animal, and learn what kinds of things animals do.  His latest phrase prompted by reading the most recent issue is, "Momma, a jackal is a kind of dog."  Followed by practicing the way a jackal talks of course -- which by the way, is slightly different from a wolf -- "ee-oo-oww-rrr."

Ricky and Pals Story

We recently switched to Your Big Backyard only because the stories seemed a little more advanced - I noticed that based on other books we've been reading together, the stories in Wild Animal Baby were feeling too simplified.  That being said, he can read these magazines again and again and he DOES!  We have a basket that is full of them and Beansprout often brings a pile of them over for us to read through with him.








What are your thoughts on exposing kids to a magazine-style book?  Do you remember Highlights Magazine?  I know there are other made-for-kids magazines out there - are there any you'd recommend?  I'd love to hear from you!