Here is a proposal: Instead of delighting your child once or twice a year with a large, expensive gift that will eventually be put aside, why not surprise them with a small, charming package once a month? I have two children, one 6 years old and the other 9 years old. they are delighted when something arrives in the mail that isn’t invoices, replacement chargers from Amazon, or catalogs from Garnet Hill.
Subscription boxes can be useful additions to remote learning. Some of them are consumables, so your child can have a gift that won’t rot in the corner of a playroom until he is 25 years old. They’re also handy to have around the house if you can’t send your whiny toddler to school or a big indoor birthday party, and as a bonus, they’re usually affordable too. I tried some of the subscriptions on this list and bought others for my kids and their friends. These are our favorites.
Be sure to check out all of our other buying guides for kids, including the best STEM toys, the best headphones for kids, the best tablets for kids, and the best tech gifts for kids.
Updated March 2024: We added the Lalo and Stickii Club toy subscription box.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get CABLING for only $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com, complete Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.