There are many magazines for kids but one that often does not get talked about is Sports Illustrated for Kids. Yes, the major sports magazine has an edition for kids, geared toward their interests and not for the adults.  Sports Illustrated is more than just sports.  While that is the general conception, the kid’s edition goes beyond the sport and talks about the athletes in depth – it helps develop an appreciation in that way. Many will say that sports should be an extracurricular activity for kids.  Yes and no.  But that should never take away the interests a child will have.  SI goes out of their way to cater to kids in two camps, the serious athlete and the one who enjoys sports.

• Games — Every kid’s magazine at some point should have games.  It keeps their attention, but in the case of Sports Illustrated, these games come in the form of sports-related games and trivia.  Games are a great way to grab the reader’s attention.  It also helps them see sports in a different way, something that they can relate to.
• Stories – Some kids have the dream to be a professional but that’s not always going to be the case, based on the odds and circumstances.  However, there are still heartfelt stories that will help them see a different perspective.  Even some current athletes had reason to doubt they would make it.  These stories are meant to inspire and yet provide hope.
• Sports Tips – There is inevitably a sports tip for those who are interested. Improve on the fundamentals or simply learn something new.

There is an educational aspect to the Sports Illustrated Kids Edition. There is a lot to enjoy about this kids magazine.  In the long run of things there are plenty of magazines for kids. Some are educational and some are just for entertainment.  Sports Illustrated is both which is good in educating and entertaining children.  It is imperative that this happens because it steeps our children into something at an early age – rather than getting in trouble.

It is estimated that 85 percent of children today will at some point before college have joined a sports team or express interest in sports.  This is a big number and Sports Illustrated for Kids aims to help those interested in developing their individual and team game, all the while providing them with an avenue for entertainment.

1. Education – Not to be used as formal education, magazines can cover things that aren’t in school curriculums.  By bringing in that extra dimension there is a lot to enjoy about watching your child learn new things.  There is something satisfying about seeing a child get into education and learning – outside the classroom.  That is a very rare occurrence.
2. Hobbies – With different subjects covered, kids can start to learn about some hobbies that are prevalent today.  Whether it’s developing a love and interest in crocheting or reading science fiction, magazines serve a great purpose in helping them find a hobby they can enjoy.
3. Leisure – As adults we can watch television and read books (or read any piece of literature) for leisure.  We know how it feels as we are doing it and how it feels afterwards.  In either event kids can experience the same thing with magazines.  Every child has different tastes and different interests so their options are plentiful.

If your child gets crafty enough they can produce their own magazine.  It is never too late for your child to obtain a magazine, whether the subject is about hunting or sports.  Regardless of what it is there is still a level of interest that can influence your child.

Fun not Bum

Depending on the magazine there are also kid-friendly activities in the back that make it an extra treat for the kids.  Magazines for kids don’t always have to have a serious tone to them.  What fun would that be?  The purpose of a magazine isn’t so kids can be turned away from a subject – it’s to get them really involved in it.

National Geographic, ESPN, and Highlights are all popular kids magazines today. Their readership grows every year and they all have something to offer. There are several other magazines available as well that do the same thing. The readership of children are growing every year, the demographic being ages 4 – 19.  Magazines weren’t always popular with children, but now they are acceptable and fun.  Get your child in on the act of reading a magazine of their choice and your children will see results.

There is something for every child, whether it is sports or geography — and even math.  Some good magazines for kids that have equally good content for the adult version include:

• National Geographic
• Time Magazine
• Sports Illustrated
• Discovery Kids
• Highlights

These are only a few but they all matter in achieving the same end goal – educating a child.  No matter where children go to school, they can always broaden their horizons by reading the content in a magazine. The best part about it is they can always go back to it anytime they wish.

Unobtrusive Yet Educational

Where magazines for kids have a distinct advantage over other educational tools is that it is not presented in a textbook manner and best of all – there are no homework assignments.  Children are fragile learners.  In some ways they crave learning and education – and as many know they don’t like to do it in the classroom.  There are thousands of magazines geared toward kids that help them pique their interest early on and the information is presented, oftentimes, in a non-traditional educational way. Inspiration may start early in some children.

Kids magazines, however, are not to be used as a substitute for a curriculum.  When children enjoy something they often cling to it and take an early interest in it but it should never be used as a primary educational tool. It often shapes the path they want to take in life.  Magazines for kids also have this power because of the diverse material that it presents.

There are literally thousands of subjects from knitting and crocheting to cooking and baking.  There is bound to be a subject that interests your child. Even if there isn’t one that is immediately apparent, they will more than likely find their niche.  Of course the content is geared toward children but it does give them something to enjoy outside (and inside) the educational context.

There are many ways to get your child a hand on their magazine of choice.  You will be pleasantly surprised at how much it will help.

1. Family Fun Magazine is chock full of ideas to get the entire family involved with fun activities what are suitable for all ages.  The publishers state that this magazine is geared towards children ages 3 – 12 but any member of the family can take part in the planning of family fun.  A great guide to putting together projects, creating activities, and other fun things, this magazine is a must for any family with more than 2 children.

2. Ranger Rick Magazine was the recipient of the 1999 Parent’s Choice Gold Award for outstanding quality and many, many other awards as well.  Though it is chock full of great information and learning exercises, this magazine is still fun to read.   Facts, photos, and adventures are all wrapped up in such a nice, tiny package that you will find your children learning new things without even realizing that they have just dealt with information that is more than likely above their current level of education.  This is a great one to keep around the house.

In Conclusion

Sometimes it seems to be an insurmountable task to find our children something to take in that is still printed on paper media.  Don’t lose hope.  If you have the time to invest in the search, there is no doubt that you will find something that both you and your children can agree on.  The most important thing being that the message received in up to your standards of growth and education.  As for the kids, just make sure it is fun!

Maybe you are looking for something fun and educational.  Highlights, for example has been around for well over 50 years and offers those two things without any fluff or pointless material.  On the other hand, you have pure entertainment with a little bit of social commentary in magazines such as Cracked and Mad.  Finally, for the technically minded youth there are some great publications geared for both children and adults.  Popular Mechanics has always been a staple in this genre.

Magazines for the Explorer

1. Highlights for Children is a great magazine that combines jokes and riddles with science puzzles and projects.  Regular features include the “Goofus and Gallant” stories that most of us remember from our own childhood.  These two have been teaching moral lessons with a humorous twist for many years now.  Hidden pictures and word searches sharpen young minds and the “replay value” of each issue is incredible.  This magazine is definitely a chart topper when looking for new material for your young ones.

2. National Geographic Kids Magazine gives Highlights a run for their money any day.  National Geographic does a superb job of combining learning with fun, though it is geared towards a little older crowd (6+ yrs).  Covering such a broad spectrum, one issue may touch base on any number of topics.  Often you will find stories on animals, physics, biology, technology, and more in a single issue.  They also tend to include inserts like puzzles and trading cards that your child might take with them after they have finished the current issue.

The Highlights Magazine is 42 pages of learning and fun for children ages 6-12. Highlights Magazine makes learning fun, so your children will have no idea that they are really learning important things because they are having so much fun. Some of the fun activities that your child can expect to see are:

• Riddles
• Jokes
• Puzzles
• Real World Articles
• Poems
• Silly Stories
• Science Projects
• Crafts, and many more

Sometimes when children get older the thought of doing a craft just does not sound appealing to them. Once they get a hold of the crafts in Highlights Magazine, their thoughts will change. Doing crafts like making a turtle mouse-pad, or gifts for mom and dad for the holidays should catch their attention. They can even learn how to put a secret message on a pencil or something else for a friend. These activities are sure to make your older children want to engage in creating fun crafts all over again.

There is even a section full of silly stories from other kids around the world. They get to publish their stories in the magazine about a silly moment that has happened to them. Kids will find it funny to know that they are not the only ones that experience silly moments.  Plus they will be able to write down their silly experience, and send it in to be published in Highlights Magazine if they would like to share their story.

The greatest part is that a lot of the poems and short stories are written by children. This gives your child a sense of reassurance in their writing. It lets them open up their minds and get their imagination flowing. They will want to be able to write just like the other kids, and that will encourage their ability to write and create stories.

The Highlight Magazines are perfectly geared toward children. This is a magazine that your children will beg for you to let them read. Plus, as a parent it is wonderful to know that your child is enjoying reading, learning science, figuring out puzzles, and being able to know how to handle everyday problems at school or home. What is an even bigger plus for parents is that the magazine is not littered with advertisements. Your child is not going to start begging for the new video game they saw, because they won’t see it at all. The Highlights Magazine is geared toward educational learning in a fun way. This will be a gift that your children will surely thank you for.

Highlights Magazines

Highlights Magazine has been around for over 60 years. One great thing about this magazine is that it shows children different cultures around the world. The creators of this magazine wanted to have something for children to develop positive lifestyles by using their imagination and creativity to excel in:

• Reading skills
• Kindness
• Thinking skills
• Sensitivity
• Reasoning skills
• and treating others with Respect

There are two magazines for children to make sure that the proper age group is learning on the right level. Highlights High Five is geared towards children ages 2-6, and Highlights Magazine is geared towards children ages 6-12. These magazines bring something special for every age of children around the world. The possibility of fun is never ending.

Highlights High Five

The Highlights High Five Magazine is perfect for your preschooler or kindergartner. High Five Magazine is filled with 40 pages of fun and learning. High Five Magazine is sure to help the development of your child’s learning skills through many different levels of activities. This magazine is very eye catching for children being that the illustrations inside are bold and bright.

Inside the High Five Magazine there are activities that are appealing to the children, like:

• Crafts
• Puzzles
• Poems
• Stories
• Recipes, and much more

The crafts in the High Five Magazine are suitable for the younger children to do with the help of an adult. Learning to make your own hat, ice cream, or books are sure to keep any child interested in the activities. These crafts are sure to get your little one’s mind turning to create their own crafts without having a book around to tell them what to make.

All the puzzles in High Five Magazine are sure to get giggles out of your child. They have a section where you have to find hidden objects in the picture. The pictures are always fun to look at, and the way they hide the objects will make your child smile with enjoyment. There is even a section where you have to find the differences in pictures. They set the same picture side by side so it is easy to find the changes. The colors in the magazine are so full of life that the pictures seem to pop out at you. With pictures and colors so vibrant, all the puzzles in this magazine are full of fun.

The poems and short stories are a great read for the kids. the poems are wonderful for the younger aged children. They have simple words that your child can follow while you are reading. The pictures that go along with the poem make it easy for the child to follow what you are reading. The illustrations really tell the story. The short stories are great for the children who are beginning to read. Your 2-6 year olds are sure to have a lot of fun with the High Five Magazine.

Big Boy Magazines For the Small Audience

Some of the world’s highest grossing magazines such as Time, National Geographic, Discovery, Sports Illustrated, and World News have a pint size (not literally of course) version to them that complements their magazines. The kids version of these magazines (and the many more that are out there) are designed to relate to kids at their level and their age; yet, give them substance, meaning, and imagination.  As kids, we appreciated that – now we can pass down a world of knowledge to them through these means and it will almost certainly open their eyes to new things.  To date, there are over 315,000 magazines and approximately half of them have a child’s version to complement them.

Never underestimate the value of a magazine.  It’s not something merely to be thrown away after a brief reading on an airplane. It should be marveled and the design of it appreciated.  Children are impressionable and introducing them to magazines will help them structure their way of thinking and strike up an imagination in the process. The ever popular Highlights magazine is geared toward kids specifically and that is found in several elementary school classrooms and libraries.  ESPN: The Magazine for children is a magazine that helps kids find their love for a sport and discusses how to get involved.  These are just two popular children magazines that have found a way into children’s lives and many have been shaped by it.

A magazine serves many purposes and it provides an extra avenue of quality instruction.  Of course finding one that fits their education level is a good way to start.  It makes no difference where you look, you are bound to find magazines for kids.  They are abundant and they make great gifts for children of all ages.  Get them started regardless of the route you want them to take.  Bolstering their sense of adventure will net them – and you – benefits that are immeasurable.

There are magazines for kids that range from all types of genres.  Kids have many different interests and they certainly have the right to pursue it to their liking. You can start a kid’s magazine, too, if that is what you felt led to do.  In either event there are plenty of magazines for kids to enjoy.  Magazines are great sources of information and every edition provides something new and fresh.  Some popular magazines for kids are Highlights, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Zoobooks, and Stonesoup.   We grew up with these magazines and we can pass them down to our children.  But you can remember back to when we had them and what kind of impact they had on us.

Magazines for kids make excellent gift ideas. You are giving your children the gift of education – even though they may not see it that way.  Magazine ideas can range from literary to the most random. That’s what makes magazine reading so fun.

Never in our youth did we think a simple of a thing as a magazine would mean so much to us.  Our children will be able to experience that same joy we had. Gift them the extraordinary gift of a magazine, regardless of what it is.  Forming one of your own isn’t too shabby of an idea either.  All it takes is a little creativity and know-how.  The rest is easy.