Homeschooling: Toddler-Approved (and Disapproved) Magazines

Logan reading NatGeo Little Kids

With our adventures in homeschooling, I have been trying to find a magazine (or two) that Logan is interested in that we can use to supplement our books. Living abroad has its advantages (language, culture, foods); however, a big downside is that our local library, while it is a great place to take the kids (and they LOVE it there), it is lacking on their books in English. I see so many homeschooling families who post about their adventures to the library and the books they checked out this week...well, we don't really get that part here. Furthermore, if you want to buy popular titles in English, it's double the price! For example, I went to purchase "The Day the Crayons Quit" a few weeks ago. The Chinese version was about $8 USD...the one in English was nearly $20 USD?! So, I think magazines in English will have more short stories and things we can discuss in English without forking out so much dinero! Okay, now onto our reviews. **I have to caveat that our son is 2.5 years old and has a toddler's attention span. **

Babybug Magazine 
This magazine is geared towards 0-3 years old. My 1 year old son LOVES this magazine. I think because the pictures are vibrant, the stories are short but fun and interesting, and the magazine is sturdy and small enough for his little hands to hold and turn the pages. My oldest son (2.5 yrs old) likes the magazine; however, he knows that I bought it for our youngest so he's at that stage where he feels like things for our youngest are "for the baby and too easy" for him. With that being said, he doesn't really have any interest in this magazine unless I am reading it to our youngest. Both LOVE story time, so he will sit and listen. As a homeschooling mother and teacher, I would recommend this book even past the age of 3. I think the sentences are simple enough that once your child begins reading they could be used as little readers for them. My plan is to use them once Logan begins reading. This magazine is from the magazine company Cricket Magazine, and has a free app and songs/activities on the website (http://www.babybugmagkids.com/) to go along with each issue. You can check out an issue free on their website. A big plus is there are NO ADVERTISEMENTS.

Ladybug Magazine
This magazine is geared towards 3-6 years old. This magazine is not user friendly for kids who are in the "ripping/shredding" stage (my youngest who is 1....loves to try to shred books and magazines). My 2.5 yr old likes this magazine because the stories are generally short (short enough for his attention span) and there are songs/activities inside. I have some ESL students I tutor who are between 3-9 years old and they enjoyed the magazine as well. The magazine has a couple short stories, some poems, something that is seasonal (maybe a story that is "fall" or Chinese New Year). If I had to give this magazine stars, I would say using it with my toddler it's about a 3. I will continue to get issues now and then because the stories and songs are interesting; however, if I was able to subscribe (I can't living here in Taiwan) I wouldn't personally. If my son was maybe 5 yrs old, I think he would have more of an interest towards the stories. This magazine is from the magazine company Cricket Magazine, and has a free app and songs/activities on the website (http://www.ladybugmagkids.com/) to go along with each issue. You can check out an issue free on their website. A big plus is there are NO ADVERTISEMENTS.

Click Magazine
This magazine is geared towards 3-6 years old. This magazine is not user friendly for kids who are in the "ripping/shredding" stage (my youngest who is 1....loves to try to shred books and magazines). My 2.5 yr old hasn't really been able to get into this magazine as much as I had hoped. I personally think that the articles are a bit long for a 3 yr old's attention span. Maybe for a 5-6 yr old they would be more well-suited? The magazine has some science articles, stories, and activities inside. I will order these again if I see an issue I feel will go well with what we are learning at the time. This magazine is from the magazine company Cricket Magazine, and has a free app and songs/activities on the website (http://www.clickmagkids.com/) to go along with each issue. You can check out an issue free on their website. A big plus is there are NO ADVERTISEMENTS.

National Geographic Little Kids
This magazine is geared towards 3-6 years old. My SONS both love this magazine. I think it has to do with the fact there are animals on the cover and nearly all children can't resist a cuddly panda bear or tiger cub. My oldest loves this magazine because it comes with animal fact cards he can collect. I laminated them so that we can get more use out them and collect them for both boys. My oldest (and two other children I tutor) love the section in the magazine where they try to find items pictured on the other page. The science articles are short enough to keep my sons' attentions (1 yr old and 2.5 yrs old) and filled with vibrant, interesting photos. This magazine is great because there are NO ADVERTISEMENTS. http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

National Geographic Kids
This magazine is geared towards 6-10 years old (they say +6 yrs old). My son likes the pictures but the stories inside are just too long for his attention span right now. I have some ESL students however who do enjoy the magazine (they are aged 7-11 years old). The magazine is vibrant with interesting photos and articles about everything from weather to bugs to animals. I will likely hold off on getting another one of these until my son is a bit older and has outgrown the Little Kids version. There are NO ADVERTISEMENTS in this one as well.

Storytime Magazine
This magazine is geared toward older kids; however, they have great pictures and classic stories in there that you can easily adapt for your younger kids. I really like how they have condensed classic stories into a nicely made, sturdy keepsake magazine. The magazine pages feel like they are as thick as cardstock, which means they possibly could last through both my sons! The magazine is a bit pricey so I don't think we can afford to get every issue; however, I saw a couple issues I already want to order because of the stories inside would go well with what we are learning. This magazine actually was great for a recent road trip we had. I read to my son who listened very attentively (I was in the front seat -- not driving don't worry haha - and he was in his carseat in the back). He actually wanted to see the pictures and had questions about the story. There are no advertisements and the stories and photos are beautifully illustrated.  This magazine is based in the UK, so if you order a subscription, they will ship it but it's a little pricey.

These are the magazines I have checked out thus far. If you have any further questions, let me know. What magazines does your little ones like? Also, don't forget to search for coupons and look at stores like Zulily to get great discounts! I found that you can get a coupon 2 click magazine subscriptions for $19.95. That is about 60% off each subscription!