9 DIY-Style Kids Subscription Boxes to Help With Distance Learning
Updated: Oct. 20, 2023
Keep distance learning fun and inventive with a kids' DIY subscription box to help them explore STEM, carpentry and the arts.
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If your child is one of the millions around the country doing full or part-time distance learning this year, you’re probably looking for ways to keep homeschooling fresh and interesting. A monthly DIY-style subscription box is a fun way for kids to use their hands and learn new skills, from woodworking to cooking to arts and crafts. The subscription box is also a monthly reward for their hard work at virtual school. Best of all, it doesn’t involve sitting in front of the computer!
Here are 10 of our favorite DIY-style monthly subscription boxes for kids.
Note: On all of these subscription services, read the fine print! Shipping is included with some and is an additional charge with others.
For Junior Carpenters
Candy dispensers, toy trucks and models of the Space Shuttle — kids never know what’s in store with Annie’s Young Woodworkers Kit Club. Each monthly kit includes pre-cut, pre-drilled wood pieces. The first month’s starter kit also includes five kid-sized tools they’ll use again and again.
Age range: 7-12.
Price: After a discounted first shipment, most kits are $24.99.
Check out more building kits for kids to boost creativity.
For Lego-Maniacs
For kids who love all things Lego, a Brick Loot Box subscription offers them a monthly haul of Lego and Lego-compatible Brick Loot bricks and components, custom building kits and the newest bricks and models before they hit the market. There’s also a surprise in every box. It’s Lego nirvana!
Age range: 6 and up.
Price: $27.28 per box; cheaper if you pre-pay for several months.
Looking for more subscription boxes? Here’s our list of the most loved subscription services.
For Inspired Girls
Celebrate and nurture fearless young females with a Girls Can! Crate subscription. Each monthly crate introduces kids to one or more heroic women who changed the world — artists, astronauts, physicists and other change-makers. Crates include games, activities and experiments related to science, engineering and art. They’re great for boys, too!
Age range: 5-10.
Price: $32.95 per box; cheaper if you pre-pay for several months.
For the Next Computer Titan
If your kids love computers, Bitsbox subscription boxes reveal the mysteries of computer science and coding. Every box comes with several coding projects from which kids can choose to build their own working, personalized apps. And don’t worry, parents — there are instructions for the grown-ups, too!
Age range: 6-12.
Price: $29.95 per box; cheaper if you pre-pay for several months.
For the Family Chef
Make mealtime a family affair with America’s Test Kitchen Young Chefs’ Club. Each monthly package includes cooking projects that explore the fundamentals of science and food. Parents are pre-mailed the list of ingredients for each new box. The colorful, easy-to-read recipe cards can be saved in a recipe book or box.
Age range: 5 and up.
Price: $24.99 per box; cheaper if you pre-pay for several months.
For World Explorers and More
There’s a KiwiCo crate for kids of every age range and interest. Atlas Crates, for example, help kids ages 6 to 11 learn about world geography and culture, and there are other crate subscriptions for engineering, art, craft, science projects and more. There are lots of choices for older kids and teens, too.
Age range: Kits for up to 24 months, 2-4, 5-8, 6-11, 9-16 and 14+.
Price: $29.95 per crate; cheaper if you pre-pay for several months.
For Aspiring Bakers
We love that Baketivity subscription boxes come with all dry ingredients pre-measured and packaged, ready for your little ones to create cookies, cupcakes, granola bars and even bagels — plus gluten-free options, too. Boxes include recipes and activity booklets. And did we mention there’s cake? Just make sure you organize your baking supplies for easy cleanup.
Age range: 4-10.
Price: $32.95 per box; cheaper if you pre-pay for several months.
For Future Scientists
For kids enrolled in the Steve Spangler Science Club, the science is real. Each monthly kit comes with three to five experiments (more if you upgrade) that kids can do by themselves or with an adult’s help. With projects including making homemade rock candy or DIY slime to building a simple, functioning motor, these kits are sure to inspire future STEM scholars.
Age range: 5-12.
Price: $19.99 per kit or $29.99 for deluxe kits; slightly cheaper if you pre-pay for several months.
More Kits for Curious Kids
Hot tip: There are a wide range of kids subscription boxes available for easy browsing on Amazon.com. One standout: STEM Discovery Boxes, which significantly cut down on desperate rummaging through the junk drawer in search of project necessities. They come with every item you need to complete the three STEM projects inside, whether it’s glue, tape or a battery. Kids can create VR goggles, robots, constellation lamps and more — all fully functioning, of course.
Age range: 7 to teens.
Price: $25 for the first box; $30 per month thereafter.
