Children’s subscriptions, activity boxes & games reviews

Who doesn’t love getting a little box of awesomeness through the post? There are so many children’s subscriptions & activity boxes that cover a huge range of craft and educational activities. I’ve found things to help with reading, craft kits, STEM activities, gardening, cooking, writing and nature. We’ve been trying some out to see which we thinks are the best value for money. We’ve also been trying out some family games and activities, and shared our reviews of those as well.

Some of the children’s subscriptions and activity boxes we’ve reviewed are more suited certain ages than others. I’ve indicated under each photo what the appropriate age is.

Postal Craft Boxes for kids

A range of gardening and wildlife activity and craft boxes for children aged 2 – 11 for a variety of budgets.

Reviews of children's subscriptions, activity boxes & games | Free Time with the Kids | Crafts, cooking, reading, nature, puzzles

Postal craft boxes for children aged 2 – 8. Available as either one-off craft boxes or as a subscription

Monthly craft subscription for children aged 3-8 years. Each month you get two craft activities plus a sticker sheet and activity booklet. You can read the full review by clicking here.

Reviews of children's subscriptions, activity boxes & games | Free Time with the Kids | Crafts, cooking, reading, nature, puzzles
Suitable for ages 5+ (although my 3 year old had a go)

This isn’t a postal subscription but it’s a really great way to do something slightly different, that’s then professionally finished, in your own home. They deliver everything you need to paint your pottery, but only within a 10 mile radius of the Chalfonts in Buckinghamshire. You can read my full review here.

Save 50% when you try out a Toucan Box crafts subscription. (Affiliate link)

Cookery subscription boxes for kids

Healthy children’s cooking subscription box suitable for ages 3-10 years. The ingredients are organic, gluten free (and with dairy free options) and don’t include refined sugar. Don’t worry though (because I did!) that doesn’t mean they’re not tasty. Our recipe was really yummy! Read the full review here.

Educational / reading subscriptions for kids

Reviews of children's subscriptions, activity boxes & games | Free Time with the Kids | Crafts, cooking, reading, nature, puzzles

A history subscription box for children aged 7-11. Each one is focused on a specific period of history, starting with the Ancient Egyptians. There are two different levels of subscription available, including one which includes history themed crafts. You can read my full review here.

A children’s reading subscription with tailor-made boxes form 2-3 years, 3-4 years, foundation, year 1 & year 2. There are books, activities and worksheets in each box. We tried out the 2-3 years and 3-4 years boxes. Here’s what we thought of them.

Reviews of children's subscriptions, activity boxes & games | Free Time with the Kids | Crafts, cooking, reading, nature, puzzles
Suitable for ages 7 – 14

A weekly kids comic subscription by a local company. Suitable for boys and girls. We’ve had this subscription for years! The artwork is incredible and the stories are really engaging. My review of The Phoenix Comic is here.

Nature Subscriptions for Kids

Reviews of children's subscriptions, activity boxes & games | Free Time with the Kids | Crafts, cooking, reading, nature, puzzles
Suitable for ages 3-8

A monthly gardening subscription for EYFS and particularly KS1 kids. You get two things to grow as well as the resources for at least two nature crafts. Find out more about what’s in the box here.

Activity boxes and games for kids (and families!)

Send someone a message – but they have to solve the escape room style puzzles before they can access it. You can send this to individuals or families and you can either leave them a physical or virtual gift!. Suitable for ages 8+

Reviews of children's subscriptions, activity boxes & games | Free Time with the Kids | Crafts, cooking, reading, nature, puzzles

An adventure box / escape room style activity box for kids aged 7-12. It combines online content with physical resources and you do them over the course of a week. Click here for the full review.

Puzmat

An escape room, on a mat. You can do this together as a family or buy a couple of mats and compete against each other! You don’t even need to do it all in one night. Suitable for ages 8-108. You can read my full review here.

Treasure Map Trails

These are beautiful maps of towns and cities across Bucks, Beds, Oxon, Herts, London, Cambs (and beyond). They take the towns you already know & love and turn them into incredible landscapes for the kids to spot treasures all around them. Suitable for ages 4+. Exclusive 10% discount code available within the review.

Reviews of children's subscriptions, activity boxes & games | Free Time with the Kids | Crafts, cooking, reading, nature, puzzles
Reviews of children's subscriptions, activity boxes & games | Free Time with the Kids | Crafts, cooking, reading, nature, puzzles

I’m Vicky and I am a mum of three living in Aylesbury. I set up Free Time with the Kids to review free and cheap family days out in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire, mainly because I kept forgetting all the fabulous places that were recommended to me!! I love getting out and about with the kids (and hubby of course) and we have adventures all over the place. My reviews tell you all the things you need to know about the family days out and activities we’ve done such as how much it costs, if there’s parking, toilets and if there’s a cafe or if picnics are allowed. I really hope you find the reviews helpful. If there’s anywhere that you’d recommend please get in touch contact@freetimewiththekids.com or get in touch via Facebook