Getting real mail is still a thrill for kids, and a magazine subscription is one of the easiest gifts that keeps giving all year. Here’s our updated, honest roundup of the best kids’ magazine subscriptions in Australia, from ad-free preschool titles to science mags for teens.
We’ve read through a lot of kids’ magazines over the years (some good, some very “branded”), so this list only includes the ones we’d actually put in front of our own kids. Most ship to Australia, most are light on advertising, and there’s something here for every age from three to eighteen.
Magazine Subscriptions for Kids: What to Expect
Most kids’ magazine subscriptions in Australia run quarterly to monthly, and cost anywhere from around $40 to $90 a year depending on frequency and whether they’re printed locally or shipped in from overseas. A good chunk of the titles below are entirely ad-free, which is a big drawcard if you’re tired of your kid asking for things they saw in a magazine.
Age recommendations are a guide only. Plenty of younger kids will happily “read” a magazine pitched a bit older if there’s an older sibling to share it with, and vice versa.
Table of Contents
Magazines for Preschoolers (Under 6)
1. Storybox
Ages 3โ6 ยท Monthly ยท 12-month subscription (10 issues) ยท Ad-free
Storybox pairs a 25-page illustrated story in every issue with science, nature, poems, picture stories and activities for little ones. It’s a lovely one for reading together at bedtime, and being ad-free means no pester power from the pages.
2. Chirp
Ages 3โ6 ยท Monthly ยท 12-month subscription (10 issues) ยท Ships worldwide
This Canadian import follows a cheerful yellow chick called Chirp through jokes, stories and early-learning craft and recipe ideas. The small trim size suits little hands, and it’s a natural stepping stone to Chirp’s sister titles, ChickaDEE and OWL, as kids get older.
3. Bluey Magazine
Ages 3โ6 ยท Monthly
If you’ve got a Bluey fan at home, this one is a given. Each issue is packed with draw, stick, colour and imagine-style activities featuring Bluey, Bingo, Bandit and Chilli, and it’s a solid way to get some independent screen-free play out of a devoted fan.
Related: Bluey merchandise guide
4. DOT Magazine
Preschool ยท Unisex
DOT is the little sibling of Anorak magazine (below), made by the same UK studio, printed on recycled paper with vegetable-based ink. It’s designed to be kept and revisited rather than read once and binned, which we like.
5. National Geographic Little Kids
Ages 3โ6
The junior version of Nat Geo Kids, built around big animal photography, simple puzzles and gentle nature facts. A good pick if you’ve got a budding little scientist who isn’t quite ready for the older Nat Geo Kids title yet.
Subscribe to National Geographic Little Kids
Magazines for Primary-Aged Kids (5โ12)
6. LEGO Life Magazine
Ages 5โ9 ยท Quarterly ยท Free, including shipping
This one is free, which makes it an easy yes. Each issue has comics, activities, posters and build instructions, plus creations submitted by other kids (with parental permission). Back issues are also available to read digitally if you don’t want to wait for the post.
Subscribe to LEGO Life Magazine
Related: LEGO Super Mario review, LEGOLAND Melbourne review, Melbourne’s first dedicated LEGO shop
7. Kookie
Ages 7โ12 ยท Quarterly ยท Ad-free
An Australian/UK co-produced girls’ magazine with profiles of female role models, fiction, comics and features spanning adventure, science, craft and problem pages. It’s ad-free, which explains the slightly higher cover price, and boys with a tween sister will probably sneak a read too.
8. Poppy For Real
Poppy For Real is a tween girl magazine for kids age 8-11 years.
There are NO ADS, just quality information and short, informative articles on history, archaeology and nature.
Poppy For Real is published 11 times a year. A subscription to Poppy For Real is for 12 months.
Subscribe to Poppy For Real on Angus & Robertson
9. Owl, ChickaDEE and Chirp
Ages 9โ13 (Owl) ยท 6โ9 (ChickaDEE) ยท Monthly ยท 12-month subscription (10 issues)
OWL has been running since 1976 and leans into science, tech, engineering, art and maths with a good dose of humour. It’s genuinely enjoyed by girls and boys alike. The same publisher covers younger readers through ChickaDEE and Chirp, so you can move a child through all three as they grow.
Subscribe to Owl ยท Subscribe to ChickaDEE
10. AdventureBox and AdventureBox Max
Ages 6โ9 (AdventureBox) ยท 9โ12 (AdventureBox Max) ยท Monthly ยท 12-month subscription (10 issues)
A multi-chapter story with action and humour, natural science, games and a comic strip called Zak Jinks. It tends to appeal more to boys, though it’s not marketed that way. AdventureBox Max steps readers up to longer, more challenging stories as they outgrow the original.
11.ย Crikey! Magazine
All ages ยท Quarterly ยท 12-month subscription (4 issues)
Produced by Australia Zoo and the Irwin family, this conservation-focused magazine is full of wildlife photos and posters, plus editorial from Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin. Every copy comes with a free child pass to Australia Zoo, which is a nice bonus if you’re ever heading up that way.
12. The Week Junior
Ages 8โ14 ยท Weekly
A UK current affairs magazine that helps kids make sense of the news without the doom-scrolling. When we asked one of our own kids what she’d learned from her first issue, the answer ranged from the Hiroshima memorial service to how to eat a chocolate digestive biscuit properly. It ships worldwide and can be bundled with the quarterly Science + Nature title.
13. Kazoo
Ages 5โ12 ยท Quarterly ยท Ad-free ยท Ships from the US
An award-winning, completely ad-free magazine for girls that celebrates being strong, smart and true to yourself. Kazoo is upfront that boys are just as welcome to read it: science is science, art is art, and there’s no reason those subjects need a “girls’ version.” It ships from the US, so factor in postage.
14. theINmag
Ages 5โ12 ยท Tri-annual ยท Ad-free ยท Printed in Australia
This is the newest addition to our list, and it’s a genuinely different concept: every single page is made by kids. theINmag publishes writing, art, photography and puzzles submitted by hundreds of Australian children each issue, with no advertising at all. It’s a brilliant one if your kid loves seeing their own work in print, since they can submit their own creations for a future issue. Membership options run from single issues to multi-issue packs.
15. BIG Kids Magazine
All ages ยท Limited edition, back issues only
A beautifully produced magazine built around contemporary Australian art, featuring the work of children and professional artists side by side. It’s no longer in production, but back copies are still available and worth grabbing for an art-loving kid.
16. The School Magazine
Ages 7โ11+ ยท Monthly during the school year ยท 12-month subscription (10 issues)
Published continuously since 1961 by the NSW Department of Education, this literary magazine of stories, poems and plays is available to families as well as schools. There are four versions by age: Countdown, Blast Off, Orbit and Touchdown.
Subscribe to The School Magazine
17.ย Aquila
Ages 8โ12 ยท Monthly ยท 4 or 12-month subscriptions ยท Ad-free ยท Ships from the UK
A beautifully illustrated UK title covering science, history and general knowledge, with no ads, gimmicks or cartoons. You can even buy a binder to keep your collection together.
18.ย Anorak Magazine
Primary-aged ยท Printed on recycled paper with vegetable ink
Made by Studio Anorak, a UK illustration and content agency that works with museums and cultural organisations, Anorak is designed to be collected and handed down rather than read once and tossed out. Amy has a referral link that gets you 20% off.
Magazines for Tweens & Teens
19. Teen Breathe
Ages 9โ18 ยท Bi-monthly ยท 12-month subscription (6 issues)
From the team behind the adult title Breathe Magazine, this one focuses on mindfulness tips and activities to help tweens and teens build a calmer, more authentic relationship with themselves.
20. Wacky But True
Ages 8โ15 ยท 11 issues a year ยท 12-month subscription ยท Ad-free
From the same publisher as Poppy For Real, this one is fun facts and games on history, archaeology and nature, all genuinely true and ad-free.
21. National Geographic Kids
Ages 6โ14 ยท Monthly ยท 6 or 12-month subscriptions
The child-friendly edition of the long-running Nat Geo title, covering wildlife, space, geography and the environment with the same high-quality photography the brand is known for, plus puzzles and competitions.
Subscribe to National Geographic Kids
22. Operation Ouch
Primary to early teens
The official magazine of the BBC show, packed with interactive puzzles, experiments and facts, hosted by Doctors Chris, Xand and Ronx as they explore the world of medicine and human biology.
23. OYLA Magazine
Ages 12+ ยท Monthly
A STEM-focused science magazine covering everything from recent breakthroughs to unsolved mysteries, published in six languages and distributed across ten countries. A solid pick for an older kid who’s outgrown the more junior science titles.
What Parents Need to Know
- Cost: Most subscriptions land somewhere between $40 and $90 a year. Ad-free titles and those shipped from overseas (Kazoo, Aquila) tend to sit at the higher end.
- Delivery time: Australian-published titles are usually the quickest to arrive. Overseas titles can take 8โ12 weeks for the first issue, so factor that in if you’re buying as a birthday gift.
- Gifting: Nearly all of these can be bought as gift subscriptions, and several (Bluey, LEGO Life) offer printable gift cards if you need something to put under the tree or in a card on the day.
- Trial before you commit: A few publishers, including Wonder and theINmag, offer a free sample issue or digital preview, which is worth doing before locking in a full year.
Is It Worth Subscribing?
If your child is a reluctant reader, we’d start with something highly visual and interactive, like Bluey Magazine or LEGO Life. For a keen young scientist, Double Helix or National Geographic Kids are hard to beat. And if you want a magazine that will genuinely surprise you, theINmag is worth a look purely because it’s kids talking to kids, not adults writing down to them.
Best suited to families who like the ritual of real post arriving addressed to their child, and want an alternative to screen time that doesn’t feel like a chore. Not every title on this list will suit every kid, so use the age guides above as a starting point rather than a rule.
FAQ
What age should a kid get their first magazine subscription? Most publishers start from around age 3, with titles like Storybox and Chirp built specifically for preschoolers. The activities are simple enough for a parent to read alongside a toddler.
Are kids’ magazine subscriptions worth the cost compared to newsstand copies? Generally yes. Subscribing is usually cheaper per issue than buying at the newsstand, and your child gets the added thrill of mail addressed to them.
Which kids’ magazines are ad-free? Poppy For Real, Wacky But True, Storybox, Aquila, Kazoo and theINmag are all completely ad-free. Others, like Kookie and Wonder, keep advertising minimal and limited to age-appropriate brands.
Can I subscribe to overseas magazines like Kazoo or Aquila from Australia? Yes, both ship to Australia, though delivery can take longer than local titles and postage may add to the cost.
Is there a magazine where my child’s own work can be published? theINmag is entirely made up of content submitted by children, and OWL and Kookie also run reader submission opportunities.
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