Welcome to the world of subscription boxes, where your kid gets a monthly dose of excitement, education, and endless opportunities for growth and discovery right at their doorstep.

If you're new here, we'll show you around, and tell you how to choose the perfect subscription box that aligns with your child's age range and interests. Let's start by seeing the different types of subscription boxes for kids available on the market.

What kind of subscription box to get for your 8-year-old?

Is your child an aspiring chef? Or a future engineer, perhaps? Regardless of their interests, the subscription box options are diverse.

The industry of subscription boxes is continually expanding, offering a wide array of choices designed for various customer groups, including subscription boxes crafted for 8 year olds.

In fact, the number of box categories might seem overwhelming, so we've compiled a list of popular subscription box categories you can consider.

Play kits

Play kits usually come in the form of a themed story, providing kids with a world of imaginative play and hands-on exploration. Whether your kid wants to be a doctor, architect, or a world-famous musician for an afternoon, there's probably a play kit subscription that lets them do that. Younger kids are especially fond of play kits, which is why many such kits are made from baby-safe plastics or even organic cotton.

Craft boxes

If you have a kid with a never-ending supply of creativity, a craft box subscription is the perfect way to channel their imagination and skills. With all the materials and inspiration you need packed inside each craft box, your kid can explore their artistic side through painting, sculpting, or making DIY projects.

STEM subscription boxes

STEM kits are a box category that caters mostly to older kids, ages 8 and above. They're here to spark your child's curiosity about science and engineering topics. By turning learning into an adventure, STEM kids subscription boxes make complex concepts easy to understand in an engaging way.

Culture and geography boxes

Younger children don't have to wait for their graduation trip to get to know the world. With subscription boxes that explore history, geography, and traditions, your kid can go on exciting journeys without leaving home.

How subscription boxes for kids can help them grow?

It's worth noting that the best subscription boxes for kids offer more than a few hours of playtime during a rainy afternoon. An age-appropriate and well-designed monthly subscription box can serve as a trusty companion throughout each crucial developmental stage of your child.

More precisely, monthly subscription boxes for kids bring the following benefits:

• Routine and responsibility: Receiving a regularly scheduled subscription box creates a sense of routine. Your child learns to anticipate and manage their special delivery, teaching them valuable life skills such as time management.
• Organization: A typical 8 year old doesn't really have the organizational skills of Marie Condo. However, a growing collection of subscription boxes will teach them how to manage their inventory and organize materials. No more pencils and scissors lying around the house!
• Consistent learning: Think of subscription boxes for kids as a steady stream of educational content and activities, promoting continuous learning. With new challenges arriving each month, your child's discovery journey never takes a break.
• Confidence building: Completing art or science projects can boost your child's confidence and self-esteem by showing them that they are capable of tackling challenges and achieving their goals.

Beyond these valuable skills and personal growth, subscription boxes for kids also offer an added bonus for parents.

Subscriptions often reduce the monthly cost of educational and entertaining products compared to individual purchases, helping families save money while fostering their child's development. What's not to love?

8 best subscription boxes for 8-year-olds

We know—there are so many subscription boxes out there that it might make your head spin.

To spare you from headaches, we've selected the top eight best subscription boxes designed for 8 year olds, ensuring that you find the perfect fit for kids of this age group. Receiving a clothing box is so passé; let's see what active and engaging adventures await your kid.

#1 Wacky Robots

Somehow, the best subscription boxes for kids are always those that allow them to create something from scratch that not only looks impressive, but also teaches kids lessons along the way. Wacky Robots, a DIY electronics subscription line, is one such gem.

Instead of every month, this STEM subscription box is delivered every three months. However, each new box includes three new hands-on projects in the form of lovely robot-like creatures.

Isn't this a perfect example of how subscription boxes help kids learn time management, as we've discussed above? If you assemble them all at once, you'll get bored, and if you wait too long, you won't have enough time before a new shipment arrives.

Pros and cons

In a world where education and careers increasingly revolve around STEM, STEM toys like Wacky Robots are your kid's best friend when it comes to preparing for their future.

Designed for kids ages 8 and above, Wacky Robots teach kids about electric motors, photoresists, light sensors, and more, all in a simple and age-appropriate way.

Each robot teaches kids about different aspects of electronics, helping your kid to gradually build a solid foundation of STEM knowledge while having loads of fun along the way.

These educational robots promote creativity, problem-solving, and curiosity, ensuring that your child is well-prepared for a tech-savvy future.

However, building Wacky Robots takes some effort and requires adult supervision, especially since they include electronics. So, if you've been looking for a subscription box that your kid can play with while you're doing something else, this one may not fit the bill!

#2 Kiwi Crate

Kiwi Crate, designed by KiwiCo, is a classic among STEM kits. Although the Kiwi Crate line mainly focuses on science activities, some boxes also include materials for arts and crafts, imaginative play, and more.

Image source: KiwiCo

Besides all the supplies needed for science projects, each crate also includes an issue of the explore! magazine, along with ideas for additional DIY science projects that kids can do at home.

You can expect your crate to look something like this:

Image source: KiwiCo

Note that this kids subscription box is created for kids ages five to eight, meaning that your eight year old can play and explore with younger children, siblings, or friends.

Pros and cons

The biggest advantage of this subscription box is its versatility.

STEM kits frequently focus on technology and engineering, overlooking medicine. However, Kiwi Crates occasionally explore topics such as muscles and organs, expanding kids' educational horizons.

Depending on your child's preferences, that may also be a disadvantage. For instance, if you know your kid wants to build gadgets or smart devices every month, it's better to look for a subscription that delivers consistent content in line with their specific interests.

#3 Little Passports World Edition

When it comes to culture and geography boxes, Little Passports World Edition is our top pick for the category.

The first travel-themed box you order includes a small suitcase, a passport, and a wall-sized world map. Of course, there are also items related to the country of the month, such as the activity booklet, collectible coins, a souvenir, and more.

Image source: Little Passports

Your kid can use the monthly delivery of crafts, puzzles, and treasures to learn about countries from Kenya to Thailand.

With every new destination, they will uncover treasures, learn fascinating facts, and be inspired to dream, explore, and connect with the world.

Pros and cons

The kit offers more than a list of generic geography facts each month. Each box delivers tangible ways your child can connect with the country they're exploring. For instance, kids can learn about the world cuisine through recipes they can make.

Unfortunately, there's a limited list of countries you can visit with this kit. If your little one dreams of visiting, say, Norway or Peru, you'll have to do some Googling on your own, or book a real flight.

#4 Make and Wonder Box

Don't forget that you can also pick an art box as your monthly box of choice. If you think your kid would be interested in a craft subscription box, you should check out the Make and Wonder Box.

Image source: Make and Wonder

Each issue of this art box includes illustrated stories, engaging art projects, and all the materials you need to complete them.

What sets the Make and Wonder boxes apart from the rest of subscription kits is their commitment to featuring strong female role models from the realm of art and beyond. A look at past boxes reveals the stories of remarkable women like Zaha Hadid, Frida Kahlo, and more.

Image source: Make and Wonder

The leaflets shipped with the boxes state "There are no rules!", meaning that this craft subscription box encourages your kid's open-ended creativity.

Pros and cons

Art plays an important role in childhood for kids ages three to ten, making this craft box an excellent option for eight year olds. Also, Make and Wonder offers sibling art club plans, allowing your kid to embark on a fun craft project with their sibling.

However, you should note that the open-ended nature of these craft projects may not suit every child's preference as some kids prefer more structured projects.

#5 Cubie Box

Representing the dreaded M in STEM, the Cubie box brings an approachable monthly subscription to hands-on mathematics exploration.

The box is delivered monthly, like most others. However, Cubie provides your kid with bite-sized maths practice for every day of the month.

Image source: Cubie Education

With just 10-15 minutes of work every day, your child can engage with mathematics regularly, which turns a seemingly difficult task into something achievable.

The Cubie box is designed on the "little and often" approach, helping kids build positive learning habits. And at the end of each day's activity, there's a little stop sign that reminds children to add their reward sticker to the chart and carry on with their day.

Image source: Independent

Isn't that a fun way to illustrate progress? Who says that learning maths has to be done in tedious two-hour sessions!

Pros and cons

If you're looking for ways to reduce your kid's screen-time, then you'll like Cubie. Each box contains a printed booklet with fun maths exercises, along with stationery and extras like coins or dice when needed.

That way, your kid gets to focus on the task at hand without distractions lurking from the next tab.

Bear in mind that Cubie boxes are made for kids ages three to eight. So, if you have older children, they may outgrow these kids subscription boxes after they've mastered inverse operations, adding and subtracting fractions, or calculating the perimeter of 2D shapes.

#6 The Foodini Club

If you have an aspiring foodie who can't work with Noma-level techniques just yet, the Foodini Club is one of the best subscription boxes for kids that you can get.

This seasonal cooking subscription line allows aspiring chefs to cook delicious kids meals using fun, easy-to-follow recipes.

Image source: Foodini Club

The box is shipped every three months, and includes illustrated recipe cards, pre-measured herbs and spices, a 12-week meal planner, a complete grocery list, and more.

If you subscribe to three or four seasons of the year, your first box will also include a Foodini recipe binder, and a silicone spatula, respectively.

Using these items, your kids will be able to plan, shop, prepare, and cook all the ingredients independently.

Image source: Foodini Club

Unlike the Global Eats Club, Super Yum Box, Yummy Crate, or other subscription services from this category, the Foodini Club focuses on seasonal produce, which is a great way to support sustainability and eco-friendly choices.

Pros and cons

From the first box onwards, the Foodini boxes allow kids to build their kitchen skills safely. Since the box requires kids to buy ingredients, they also learn about home economics, budgeting, and planning.

The Foodini kids meals are developed to cater to a wide range of tastes. However, depending on your child's age and the pickiness that comes with it, be prepared that maybe not all snacks will appeal to them.

#7 MEL Space

Want to take your at-home STEM experiments to the next level? If so, you should check out MEL Science subscription boxes for kids, especially the collection dedicated to space exploration.

Gas giants, rockets, and rocket fuel are some of the topics your child will get to explore.

When receiving your monthly subscription, you can expect more than a box filled with cheap trinkets—MEL Science places great emphasis on delivering materials needed for realistic experiments.

Image source: MEL Science

For instance, the box about rocket fuel includes chemicals that you can use to synthesize fuel and actually launch the provided test tube rocket.

Pros and cons

The reason why the MEL Space subscription is often included in the lists of best subscription boxes for kids is because of how realistic the components are. In addition to quality equipment, boxes also include posters with awe-inspiring photos taken by NASA.

While the realistic sets provide an authentic learning experience, it's crucial to handle the included chemicals carefully, following all safety instructions. There's a reason why the box is marketed to children ages eight to fourteen, i.e., older kids!

#8 Mysteries in Time

It's not a secret that a big chunk of students don't particularly like history. The last subscription box on our list can help you change that, at least with your 8 year old.

Mysteries in Time, a history subscription line, provides a monthly delivery of important historical topics made engaging.

Image source: Counting to Ten

Your kid will get a world map with timeline, stickers, and magazines that always include a themed story, puzzles, and crafts ideas.

Paired with well-written descriptions of historic events and home life in different eras, these elements can truly help your child step back in time.

Image source: Mysteries in Time

With topics ranging from Ancient China to modern space exploration, this subscription box is a great way to show kids that learning history doesn't have to mean memorizing a list of dates.

Pros and cons

While most kids subscription boxes are shipped in a fixed order, Mysteries in Time lets parents order boxes in bulk, giving them the flexibility to customize the historical journey for their child.

But you can also follow the kit's default shipping order which makes fun transitions between ancient, middle, and modern history.

A potential disadvantage of Mysteries in Time lies in that that the box may not cover all periods and regions, so your child's specific historical interests might not always align with the topics provided. Nevertheless, it's a fantastic starting point to spark their curiosity about history.

Which subscription box is the best choice for your 8-year-old kid?

There you have it; the best kids subscription boxes that you can find on the market. From STEM-inspired play kits that include light-up toys, to crafty takes on social topics, there are boxes for all age groups, including our 8 year olds.

So, which one to choose?

You already know the answer: the one that aligns with your child's interests.

If your kid proudly rocks their NASA t-shirt, you know that going with a space or science-themed box is a safe bet. (Psst! Here's a little something extra for NASA lovers!)

If an apron is a standard addition to their outfit, a cooking subscription is the way to go.

And in case your kid doesn't display their interests as clearly, the best thing you can do is ask them what they might be curious about. This way, you'll be sure to choose a subscription box that lights up their world with excitement, knowledge, and a sense of wonder.