28 Best Monthly STEAM & Clothing Options

As a kid, it’s fun getting mail. Not so much when you’re an adult, because it usually means a barrage of bills. But nothing beats the thrill of getting a box mailed to you and unwrapping its contents. After all, think about how utterly exciting it is when your mail carrier delivers a package, and you’ll know what I mean. Now, imagine that exhilaration each and every month, with these 25 subscription boxes for babies, kids, tweens, and teens.

A lot of coolness has been curated in the subscription boxes below. You’ll find things like toys (yep, you can’t get away from it), but also the opportunity to explore your child’s interests, like cooking, crafting, or even new and exotic cultures. If you’ve got a tween or teen on your hands, then subscription boxes have definitely upped their game to include the things that they love, like makeup, YA novels, or even showing their support for BLM by ordering subscriptions from Black-owned brands.

Besides, having a subscription box delivered to your door means that you, your child (or both of you, really) will have something fun to look forward to. In some cases, you might know ahead of time what the contents will be; in other instances, what you’ll open will be a complete mystery. And that’s the charm of these subscription boxes, which blend the best of both worlds, offering curated items along with surprise gifts, too.

Finally, a reason to look forward to going to the mailbox each month.

1

Best Chemistry: MEL Science

From learning how to make a metal tree grow (yes, it’s really a thing), to igniting hydrogen soap bubbles, your kiddo will love the MEL Science chemistry subscription. Not only will they get to conduct real hands-on experiments, but they can also enjoy VR lessons and live chemistry classes with science teachers as part of the subscription, which will run you $34.95 monthly (or $104.70 for a 3-month prepaid plan). It also includes a free Starter Kit and VR headset, complete with equipment that your chem-loving kid can use for future projects.

2

Best Art: Paletteful Packs

Your child can channel their love for artwork with Paletteful Packs. The monthly subscription box ($34.50 monthly) offers an all-new artistic experience. Best part: everything you’ll need to complete the project (from canvases to sketch pads) will be included, and no two activities are the same. There are even unboxing and demonstration videos to help your mini Matisse perfect their brush stroke.

3

Best Montessori for Baby & Kids: Lovevery

A subscription box that’s good for Baby’s brain and development, Lovevery Baby has everything you’ll need for your child’s first year. For example, you’ll find a black and white card set, teething rings, a batting ring, and a face card set, among other items that your baby will love. You’ll even find a play guide to teach you how to interact with your baby to maximize playtime. Play Kits start at $36, or $120 for three months of play, but if you prepay, you can save up to 10%.

4

Best Eco-Friendly Crafts: Green Kid Crafts

If you’re looking for eco-friendly arts and crafts, look no further than Green Kid Crafts. Not only will your kiddo get to have fun crafting, but there’s some STEAM action thrown in for fun — and education, too. You can pay $29.95 monthly for one box, or 12 months for $24.95 (and you’ll get a free gift with your first box, too).

5

Best Children’s Books: Amazon Prime Children’s Book Box

If you thought that the only perk of being an Amazon Prime member was getting your packages shipped fast, think again. The Amazon Prime Book Box has books that your baby (and you) will love. Each month, you’ll receive four board books. Already read them? No worries. Amazon offers the ability to prescreen the selections so you always get new books (or make changes) before the box is shipped out to you. ($22.99/monthly)

6

Best Diapering Essentials: Honest Diapers & Wipes

All it takes is one diaper blowout to realize that you can never have enough newborn diapers on hand. The Diapers + Wipes subscription from Honest will keep you well stocked — the monthly plan comes with seven packs of the eco-friendly diapers and four packs of plant-based wipes. Not only will you save (monthly subscription is $79.95), but you’ll also get to put your baby in the limited edition diaper prints, too.

7

Best Clothing & Accessories: Dopple

Your little fashionista is going to love the glam found in each box of Dopple. Simply fill out a quick questionnaire to determine your kid’s style, your budget, and sizing. You pay a $10 service fee per kid, but it’s credited back to your account if you purchase the clothing. You can get future Drops as often as you want, and can choose from hundreds of styles — and might wish something was in your size, too.

8

Best Baby Food: Little Spoon

Little Spoon is a savior if you don’t feel like cooking — at all. The subscription box offers fresh organic baby food delivered directly to your door. You can choose from over 100 fresh flavors, and the meals are made with no preservatives or additives. Each puree contains a very detailed nutritional breakdown to help you pick the right foods for your little one. And sure, you could stick with applesauce, but if you want to encourage your child to be an adventurous eater, you can opt for the Blueberry Chickpea Spinach Pear Rosemary meal. Babyblends start at $2.74 per meal, and can be a great way for your picky eater to try new flavors.

9

Best Imaginative Play: Sago Mini

Geared towards kiddos ages 3-5, Sago Mini is a make-and-pretend play paradise for preschoolers. Each kit offers some DIY crafty component, while encouraging imaginative play. Plus, in each box your child will find a fun collectible figurine from the Sago Mini collection, as well as a letter that you can read to your child ($19/monthly).

10

Best STEAM: KiwiCo

For those rainy days when your kid is climbing the walls, that’s when you can break out the KiwiCo subscription box. You can pick from monthly boxes that focus on creativity (like the Doodle Crate), or ones that are specifically about STEM (like the Eureka Crate, that helps your child learn about engineering). Each box offers instructions and step-by-step instructions. Boxes start at $16.95 if you prepay for the year.

11

Best Sticker: Pipsticks Kids Club

If you loved stickers as a kid, you’ll be totally stuck on Pipsticks. The monthly sticker club has both a Kids and Pro Club, which are $17.95 monthly (the Petite Pack is $11.95/monthly). The stickers range from animals to the alphabet, food to floral. They also have puffy stickers and (swoon), scratch ‘n sniff.

12

Best Travel Themed: Little Passports

Travel all around the world (from the comfort of your couch) with Little Passports. The subscription box (which starts at $27.95 monthly), allows your child to go on some awesome adventures, starting in Brazil. The kit includes the Little Passport signature blue suitcase, their very own passport, a wall-sized world map (so they can mark the places they learned about), along with a chapter book about each country, stickers, a souvenir, and access to online country-themed content.

13

Best for LEGO fans: Brick Loot

For your LEGO-loving little one, you can’t beat Brick Loot. Each month, you’ll get a custom kit with LEGO bricks, accessories, custom LEGO minifigs, and other fun products. A monthly subscription will cost $27.28 monthly, but there are also 3-month, 6-month, and yearly options as well. But with so many extra LEGO pieces being shipped to your house, make sure to not walk around barefoot, because, ouch.

14

Best For Baby Development: Skip and Play

Did you really think you’d get away with a subscription that didn’t include toys? The big ol’ red box from Skip and Play comes with hand-selected, award-winning toys that are specifically selected for your child’s age and stage. For wee ones, your box might include teething toys, or ones that promote tummy time — all to help your child have fun while (sigh) growing up ($49.99/monthly).

15

Best Cooking: Raddish

Your little sous chef can whip up some fab meals (with parental supervision, of course) with Raddish. Each monthly culinary subscription box can help your child make meals inspired by the season, holidays, and the world. They’ll score new skills as well, add a new kitchen tool to their repertoire, and be able to collect an apron patch, too. It costs $24/monthly, but if you have a 6-month subscription, you’ll only pay $22 per kit (or $20 per kit for a 12-month sub paid upfront).

16

Best For Desk Organization: Work Space Spark

Although it’s meant for working professionals, your child can definitely keep their desk stylish (and hopefully neat) with the Work Space Spark subscription box. Each month, you’ll receive 4-5 hand selected desk décor, productivity, and office items that’ll make that bio homework a breeze. Plans start at $47.99, so you might want to peruse the box to see if you find something to outfit your own office space, too.

17

Best Socks: Sock Panda

Socks might be the kind of gift that gets a groan, but not the ones from Sock Panda. For $16 a month, you can get two pairs of fun socks with super cool designs. And for every sock purchase, one pair is donated to people in need (to date, over 140,000 pairs of socks have been given to people in homeless shelters, low income senior centers, and under-privileged classrooms).

18

Best Leggings: Enjoy Leggings

Sure, your kiddo lives in their leggings, and that’s what makes Enjoy Leggings so awesome. Each month, you’ll receive a fun pair of fashionable leggings. Simply choose your size, and stylists will find leggings to fit your body type. You can pay as you go ($16.95/monthly), or pay for the year upfront. Shipping is free, and a portion of profits supports charities that promote body positivity for women and girls.

19

Best YA Books: Owl Crate

Watch reading come to life with Owl Crate. Not only will your tween get a cool book to read, but there’s plenty of goodies inside the monthly box that all match the theme, too. Some of the books come signed by the author as well. The Owl Crate Jr box is for middle schoolers, and includes a collectible monthly sticker and magazine. Monthly, it costs $29.99, but if you prepay ahead of time, you can get six months for $167.94.

20

Best Makeup: GlitzGlam Box

Glitter and lashes and makeup, oh my! You’ll get all that (and more) with the GlitzGlamBox. You can get a glitter product, plus one pair of lashes, and 2-3 full-size beauty products that will help makeover your teen’s makeup routine. You have the option to build your own box, too, in case you’re not too excited about a particular product. Subs start at $15 for month-to-month, although you can prepay for up to six months for $90.

21

Best Jewelry (Bracelets): Pura Vida Bracelets Club

The Pura Vida Bracelet Club lets your kid score some new accessories each month. The subscription includes three exclusive bracelets each month, along with a signature sticker. Shipping is free in the U.S., and a monthly plan starts at $14.95, although you can pay just $11 for a 12-month plan.

22

Best Jewelry (Earrings): Rowan For Earrings, Accessories, And More

Earrings that are delivered to your door? Yes, please. The monthly subscription box from Rowan costs $26 a month, and you can choose from sterling silver or gold vermeil earrings (you can get a 12-month sub for just $20/month if you pay upfront). In addition to the earrings, you can also expect some surprise accessories, (like a bracelet or a necklace), along with a card that’s meant to invoke mindfulness, and matches the earring symbol. There’s free shipping in the U.S., too.

23

Best Snacks: Campus Cube College Care Package

Sending snacks to your kid in college is part and parcel (ha) of being a parent. But if you don’t have time to curate a collection of tasty treats, let the Campus Cube do all the work. The monthly meal plan has everything that a college student would want, from salty snacks to sweet treats. Boxes start at either $29.95 or $39.95 per box, and you can include a gift card (gluten-free options are also available).

24

Best For Supporting Black-Owned Businesses: The Black Box

You can support a bevy of Black-owned businesses when you order the quarterly Black Box. Inside, you’ll find 4-6 full-size products from various Black companies, and learn more about them. You might find anything from candles to creams, crafts to socks. The subscription costs $74.95, and can be purchased for a one-time payment of $274.95.

25

Best Gifts & Accessories: Quirky Crate

For the teen who totally wants something, um, out-of-the-box, there’s Quirky Crate. Each box has a theme (think Food, Glitz and Glam, or Peace, Love, and Summer Time), and is full of fun products that are sure to put a smile on their face. It was voted #1 subscription box by USA Today, too, and a one-month subscription will run you $36.95, although you can score a sub for 6 months for $215.00.

26

Best Beauty (Skincare & Makeup): Ipsy

Five beauty products for $12 is what you’ll get from the Ipsy subscription box. But you won’t have to worry about items that don’t match your skin tone, since you’ll take a quick quiz about your hair and eye color, along with your comfort level with makeup and beauty brands you love or want to try. Each month, you’ll get personalized beauty products in a cute makeup bag that will work for you, including one that you’ll get to pick out yourself.

27

Best Stylist-Approved Clothing: Stitch Fix

Imagine having a personal stylist to pick out your entire ensemble every single day. That’s pretty much what Stitch Fix is. Expert stylists curate your wardrobe for you, and you keep only what you absolutely love. You can schedule regular monthly deliveries, and you’ll pay a $20 styling fee that goes towards the items that you keep. Free shipping, returns, and exchanges make the fashion at Stitch Fix even more fab.

28

Best For Curly Hair: EmbraceBox

Curly-haired kids unite! Your kiddo will embrace their curls, thanks to EmbraceBox. You can create your own hair products with your kid — just use the already-included (and kid-friendly) ingredients to make conditioners, cleansers, styling agents, and more. Follow the hair recipes to make your curls as small (or as big) as you want ‘em. Plans start at $25.00 per month.

Subscription boxes are a fun way to spend some quality time with your kiddos. So if you’re looking for a box full of beauty products, fashion, DIY crafts, or toys, there’s always a subscription box for it.