I choose to homeschool my kids for these principles.
The many benefits of homeschooling your children mean that you get to structure their day with them based on where they are developmentally, what motivates their engagement, or simply what they are most interested in learning about at any given time.
Sometimes you may come up against a wall in finding new and exciting ways to learn with your child.
This is where homeschool subscription boxes come in and can provide SO much support. They can help renew interest in an area your child was losing interest in. They can help provide some structure to your day, and generate new creative ideas for learning expansion.
Some boxes provide learning expansion platforms, while others may not. That’s okay; this gives you the opportunity to continue to build on the topic or way of learning a subscription box introduces. Plus, who doesn’t LOVE receiving a new package with your name on it each month?!
So, where do you even begin? We hope this guide offers some support in picking the subscription boxes that best suit your children and your family’s needs. Our list starts with younger kids, to older kids and has an array of subscription box themes.
Make sure to check out our homeschooler buyer’s guide at the bottom of this article. You can click here to go there directly.
I encourage you to read my article, but if you’re short on time, I recommend KiwiCo as the best overall homeschool subscription box. You can go directly to their site here.
Table of Contents
Best Subscription Boxes for Homeschoolers
My family has reviewed dozens of subsection boxes over the years. These are our favorites based on the following:
- Value – What you’re getting for your money. Homeschool subscription boxes range from high to low. I’ve selected the best ones to provide the highest value.
- Activities – What’s going to keep your kids interested? None of these are boring, and they do a great job of keeping your kids interested.
- Quality – Since my kids have tested these at home, I wanted to only include subscriptions with high-quality materials. Nothing is going to break before your kids put them together and use them.
KiwiCo
My family follows the Charlotte Mason principles of homeschooling. KiwiCo encompasses so many aspects of Charlotte Mason that make it the best overall homeschool subscription box.
KiwiCo is the beast of all subscription boxes, and is a HUGE crowd-pleaser in our family.
KiwiCo is full of STEM, STEAM, and Science kits. Since we are supporters of the STE(A)M approach we think these boxes are for any day and any time of year. Plus, what they offer is diverse with nine different subscription lines for a range of age groups and topics.
Each line comes with hands-on engaging activities.
Check out their Eureka Crate for example. This crate is for ages 12-100 (yup, you read that right). In one crate, you can build a Ukulele and learn about fluctuation of sound waves, as well as the classic history of the Hawaiian instrument.
At the end of it all, you can learn to play the ukulele you built on your own! How cool is that? This is just a taste of what their crates offer.
There is too much to cover about KiwiCo here. For everything, please check out our full KiwiCo review!
Why we love it:
- KiwiCo puts so much thought into each crate for each age group. Putting a focus on those developmental groups and what supports their growth.
- Started by a mom AND engineer to inspire innovation in our youth.
- Flexible delivery and plans – you can even test out a crate before you decide on a plan!
You can see everything KiwiCo has to offer and the current price here.
Little Passports
Little Passports is another homeschool subscription box I highly recommend. My oldest says this one is his favorite.
Do you have a child who is extra curious about geography and other cultures? Little Passports is the way to go.
Not only do they offer boxes that transport your child to other countries. They also offer themed animal, space, and STEM boxes! You can shop their boxes by age (3-12), category, and price.
What we love most about Little Passports is their attention to detail and the way the materials in their boxes immediately hook your child in. They offer stories, artifacts, maps, souvenirs, and activities that capture the essence of countries across the globe.
Little passports are one of the first homeschool subscription boxes of their kind!
Check out our full hands-on review of Little Passports.
Why we love it:
- Their materials are easy to understand and accessible for children to navigate independently.
- We love their motto of exploring places and cultures outside your own.
- You can join their newsletter for discounts and free DIY activities. We love support with new ideas.
Check to see the current availability of Little Passports here.
Lovevery
Lovevery (pronounced Love-every) is a subscription box for your littles from 0-4 years old. While that may not be primary homeschool age, we think it is an incredible box to introduce early development skills that they’ll benefit from in the long run.
Lovevery is the all-star of early childhood boxes. With high-quality products that can be used long-term and donated to friends or family once your child grows out of them.
Check out our full Lovevery Review with my toddler.
Why we love it:
- The support and guidance they offer parents. They give a multitude of suggestions to support and expand your child’s learning, while also providing education on your child’s development.
- It is a Montessori-inspired box – their activities meet children where they are and support play based learning with their well-crafted hands-on materials.
- It is not like your average monthly box. It comes every two or three months, and the activities are built to keep your child engaged that long.
Take a look at everything Lovevery has to offer here.
GIGIL STEM Kit
GIGIL STEM Kit is another subscription box for your preschool-aged homeschooler, but they do offer boxes for kids older as well.
They adopt a screen free open-ended learn through play motto. They offer a variety of boxes from sensory boxes, art, science, and an introduction to math box.
GIGIL STEM is a small business subscription company owned and operated by a mom and former preschool teacher. Their boxes are thoughtfully organized and come with detailed instructions.
You can see our full review of the GIGLE STEM Kit here.
Why we love it:
- Their sensory boxes are built for endless fun and what toddler doesn’t love a good sensory box?
- They have themed boxes like a superhero box and bugs/insect box
- We love their attention to early developmental milestones
You can find the current price of the GIGIl STEM Kit here. The kit is also available on Amazon here.
The Preschool Box
The Preschool Box is the perfect box that embodies preschool concepts and activities. Their first box is The Preschool Box (ages 3-5) which offers hands-on projects, books, and fun engaging activities.
Their next box, Little Readers Book Club (ages 5-7) offers themed books paired with a creative art project, and comprehension activities. Both subscription boxes come with easy-to-follow parent guides to help support your child.
Why we love it:
- The preschool box builds on top of the previous one (ex., your first box touches on letters A-D and numbers 0-5. Box number two touches on letters E-H and numbers 6-10).
- Their little readers’ book club box makes reading fun and engaging
- A part of their proceeds goes towards purchasing school supplies for kids in Uganda.
You can find more information about The Preschool Box here. You can also find it on Creatjoy here.
Green Kids Crafts
Green Kids Crafts are magicians when it comes to making learning fun through 4-6 hands-on activities for kids ages 3-12+.
What makes their boxes stand out against the rest are the values they hold around sustainability and creating an experience that benefits the “whole child.”
They promise to offer your child an experience of creativity, movement, open-mindedness, a good heart, and practice exercising essential life skills. If these are things you wanna offer to your homeschooled child, we can’t recommend them enough!
Check out our full Green Kids Crafts review.
Why we love it:
- Their boxes are centered around STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math). Their themed boxes offer vast opportunities to expand and inspire learning.
- You get to pick what ages and subject you want your child to focus on.
- They are transparent about their sustainable efforts, from eco-friendly products to giving back to the environment.
See the current price of Green Kid Crafts here. You can also find it on Creatjoy here.
The Writer’s Box
The Writer’s Box is a box specifically designed for homeschoolers and inspires them to make writing fun! Each themed box your child receives offers a living writing instruction, a playful writing activity to inspire, a publishing tool for sharing writing in creative ways, and much more.
They are structured to meet the needs of emerging writers all the way to advanced. This gives room to meet your child where they are in their developmental writing goals.
Let’s just say we would order this box for ourselves as adults – it is that fun!
Why we love it:
- The boxes are meant to be child-led, but parental support in the beginning helps!
- Their education specialists have a wealth of knowledge and experience in early learning and creative writing.
- They offer live events through a camp program like writing clubs and meet the author of popular books.
You can check out The Writer’s Box here.
BookRoo
BookRoo is a subscription club categorized into four age groups. A board book club (ages 0-3), a picture book club (ages 3-6), a junior chapter book (ages 7-10), and the middle-grade book club ages 9-12).
With BookRoo, you can cancel at any time, and they offer flexible delivery options. BookRoo thoughtfully chooses authors and stories, which helps expand your child’s exposure to books outside of the reading classics. It helps save time and takes out the guesswork of what book to get your child next!
Why we love it:
- Rotates new authors and stories to keep your child’s interest in reading alive.
- You can support a small business and save money rather than purchasing through a retail store.
- They offer an online platform for kids to engage more with the stories they read.
Take a look at the Bookroo subscription here. You can also find them on Creatjoy here.
Raddish Kids
Cooking and baking is an essential skill of life where kids can learn while they cook.
Raddish Kids is another subscription that’s perfect for homeschoolers!
This is why we included the culinary Raddish subscription boxes on our list. Raddish (for ages 4-14) offers three different subscription plans. A 12-month, 6-month (great for gift giving), and 1 month. You can cancel your plan at any time!
Raddish offers three recipes in its monthly box, and it comes with a step-by-step cooking guide, shopping list, and new kitchen tools. Raddish exposes your kids to beginner kitchen rules like knife safety and how to set a table! My kids love Raddish kids, and we think yours will too!
Check out our full Raddish Kids review.
Why we love it:
- We love the essential life skills component to this subscription box.
- Kids can see their hard work come to life, then enjoy it!
- Their boxes included table talk cards that help inspire thoughtful conversation.
You can find more information about Raddish Kids on their site here.
GroovyLab in a Box
GroovyLab promises your homeschooler to become a natural “Stem-st.” An expert in applying science, technology, engineering, and math.
While becoming a creator, inventor, and maker of all things. We took a peek at the reviews, and we found multiple homeschool families rave about the GroovyLab kits.
GroovyLab offers kits for the young creator (ages 4-7) and the stemist (ages 8+). For each box and age group, you are given materials, a design challenge, a lab notebook, and beyond-the-box guidance. GroovyLab offers 3, 6, and 12-month box subscriptions.
Check out our full Groovy Lab in a box review.
Why we love it:
- The STEM approach allows kids to utilize problem-solving, critical thinking, and investigative skills through their design challenges.
- Beyond the box platform supports utilization of scientific inquiry and an engineering design process.
- The design challenges are challenging in beneficial ways for kids.
Check out everything Groovy Lab in a Box has to offer here. Or, through Creatjoy and Amazon.
Mel Science
The Mel Science subscription box line is impressive. They hone in on all branches of science for a range of age groups. Leaving no science concepts or science lovers behind.
Each categorized box has a specific starting age, but are made for a wide age group from there. For example, their math kits are made for ages 8-12+. Flexible and dependent on where your child is and what sparks their interest.
Each kit is immersive and educational. From building a hydraulic lift in their STEM kit to practicing dentistry skills in the medical kit. While it may not be as open-ended as some other boxes. Your child is still promised engagement for days.
Check out our full Mel Science review.
Why we love it:
- Their products are safe, sustainable, high quality, and durable to last a long time.
- Since their boxes are specific to science concepts, it then supports deeper learning.
- Also offers an online platform with interactive virtual experiences.
You can find everything about Mel Science and all their subscription boxes here.
Looking for more subscription boxes beyond our list? We recommend you visit Crate Joy to explore. You can toggle their filters to research boxes for specific ages, topics, and more!
Homeschoolers Buyers Guide
What to Look For in a Subscription Box for Homeschoolers.
Flexibility: When it comes to subscription boxes, it is tough feeling like you are locked in. So always check their policies on cancellations first.
We recommend giving a couple of boxes a chance before canceling, but there is a benefit to being able to cancel at any time. Remember the idea of creating renewed interest? Well, if your child becomes less engaged with a box, maybe it’s time to take a pause and re-introduce it down the road.
Open-ended: Play-based learning at home provides many benefits. When children learn through play it builds confidence, autonomy, are more motivated with curiosity, and can enhance their sense of creativity.
A subscription box that is open-ended is key for these reasons. It also gives room for learning beyond the box itself!
Quality: You want to get your money’s worth regarding boxes. Each of these boxes on our list are high quality. We know this through research or our own experience with them.
If you are searching on your own, look for reviews on their website, and see if they mention the quality of their products. You don’t want to throw away crayons and pipe cleaners.
You want a box with materials that you can either keep long-term, or are used very intentionally to reduce waste!
Well Researched: Check to see how they decided to formulate their boxes and why. Do they have a motto for why they began their subscription line?
Do they understand the importance of developmental learning? Maybe they’ve even noted key researchers or advisors. A box well-researched is a box worth investing in!
We can say that these subscription lines on our list check all of these boxes above (no pun intended). Now let’s get to our list of the best 10 subscription boxes for homeschoolers!
FAQs for The Best Subscription Boxes for Homeschoolers
What Are the Benefits of Using Subscription Boxes for Homeschooling?
Subscription boxes offer a ton of benefits for homeschooling families. As a parent and educator, I’ve found that these boxes provide structured and expertly curated learning materials, enhancing a child’s educational journey.
Mainly, they include interactive, hands-on activities that foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills. These boxes introduce new concepts in an engaging way, keeping the learning process fresh and exciting for my children.
How Do I Choose the Right Subscription Box for My Child’s Age and Interests?
Choosing the right subscription box involves careful consideration of your child’s age, developmental stage, and personal interests.
In my experience, it’s crucial to select boxes that align with your child’s current educational needs and curiosity. For younger kids, boxes focusing on sensory play and foundational concepts are beneficial. Older children might engage better with boxes that offer more complex projects and themes. I always recommend checking the age range and content focus of the subscription box before making a decision.
Are There Charlotte Mason STEM Boxes Available for Homeschoolers?
Yes, there are subscription boxes that cater to the Charlotte Mason educational philosophy with a focus on STEM subjects. I’d focus on KiwiCo as these boxes are particularly beneficial as they incorporate nature-based and hands-on learning activities, which are central to Charlotte Mason’s approach.
They provide a holistic educational experience by integrating STEM with creative arts, history, and literature, reflecting the interconnectedness of knowledge that is a hallmark of Charlotte Mason’s philosophy.
Can Subscription Boxes Replace Traditional Textbooks and Curriculum in Homeschooling?
While subscription boxes are incredibly valuable, they are not typically designed to replace a full curriculum or textbooks in a homeschool setting.
In my use of these resources, I view them as supplementary tools that enhance and diversify my children’s learning.
Wrapping Up The Best Subscription Boxes for Homeschoolers
We know every family wants the best for their children when it comes to learning. Which is why we think subscription boxes are a great tool to add into your homeschool tool kit.
They help support the foundation of meeting your child where they are, and allowing them to explore their learning at their own pace. We hope this buyer’s guide gives you the tips you need to provide that! Now happy unboxing!
Be sure to check out our article on the best educational subscription boxes for teenagers.
