14 Favorites From May
My favorite pieces in children's magazines this month
This is one of my favorite posts to write, as it gives me an excuse to spend hours looking through magazines. These magazines are ones I either found on newsstands or can access through my public library’s Libby or my son’s school library, so next month I’m hoping to widen my breadth and dig into some indies and other magazines I’ve recently found.
What On Earth!’s “Get Moving” was my favorite cover story of the month. How we talk to kids about exercise and health has long been a passionate topic for me, and I think this feature nailed it. For example, I cringe when I see weight brought up in a children’s magazine, and I have seen content in the past tout exercise as a way to control weight. So, I appreciated that this feature did not mention weight at all but rather focused on how movement helps your body—and that “exercise” isn’t just working out or playing sports. The feature also included informative callouts about how muscles work, how to build healthy habits, busted fitness myths, and accessible movement for people with differing abilities. Inclusive, interesting, and helpful to all readers!
brainPLAY’s “How to Master Connect 4” is a fun way to introduce kids to the strategy behind a common game. I especially appreciated bringing in a bit of narrative content in a magazine mostly made of puzzles and activities.
Kazoo’s “The Key,” a breathtaking fiction story by bestselling author Nina LaCour, was one of my favorite pieces of this entire bunch. The story, written in first person, perfectly captures the voice of a 10-year-old girl and the strong emotions—and need for alone time and their own “special place”—I remember feeling when I was that age. The design felt perfectly paced, with multiple large or full-page illustrations that encourage readers to slow down and take their time reading the story. Beautiful and meaningful.
The “Family Food Faves” spread from the Bluey Magazine gives families a chance to talk about the week’s menu and get kids involved in meal planning. I like it because it fosters conversation between parents and kids and subtly teaches kids about some of our day-to-day adult responsibilities.
Not a lot of magazines touched on Memorial Day, but The Week Junior (US) not only described the holiday, but also showed kids how they could honor it. This was helpful to me as my son did, in fact, ask me what Memorial Day was, and I had stumbled over my words trying to give a fully encompassing answer. I wish I’d seen this before that conversation!
The illustration on Ranger Rick’s “Ask Scarlett” page made me giggle. One reader asks the difference between a tortoise and a turtle (fair question, I still didn’t know the answer to it before reading this page), and the illustration and labeling goes, “turtle, tortoise, ninja,” with the latter being the lower half of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and his pizza.
The inside front cover of Ranger Rick Jr. paid tribute to its first-ever Jr. Ranger of the Year, an effort that raised $6.5 million for nature conservation. The winning kid was recognized on this page and was “Guest Editor” of this issue, which I have never seen before! He got to select the cover photo and the children’s art shown on the page. What a fun and inventive way to get kids involved in making the magazine.
Spider’s “Squirmy Sandwich Prank” made me laugh—the fake worm sandwich is a recipe, a craft, and a prank all in one, but doesn’t harm anyone. And the recipe seems do-able for the age level of the magazine, which isn’t always the case in other mags.
I was intrigued by “Tasting the Number Seven,” a feature in Cricket about synesthesia. I imagine it felt really inclusive to kids who have the condition and was interesting enough to grab the attention of those who don’t. I especially liked the bold design and layout of this one.
Home for the summer and snooping on the various children’s magazines on mom’s computer screen, my son actually picked out this content in Ladybug. He really liked that toddlers were being introduced to music notes at such a young age. (I agree! And I like that the name of the actual tune is provided in case the parents are not musically inclined and can just sing along with the words.)
National Geographic Kids (UK) profiles a traveling vet service in “Vets on Wheels.” I liked the variety in this story - cute animals, doing good in the world, healing animals, and how kids can help wherever they live.
National Geographic Kids (US) put animals in a group texting chain in “Critter Chat.” I’ve seen group texts in magazine format, but none with accompanying pictures to better help kids keep track of which person/animal is texting. Cute, informative, and easy to follow!
I am not a soccer fan in the slightest. (In fact, as the daughter of a college football coach, the sport was pretty much banned in our house.) So, I very much appreciated TIME for Kids’ short feature on the 2026 World Cup. It was just enough information to keep kids (and me) in the loop of a major global event without overwhelm.
The “Shorten My Sports” story in Sports Illustrated Kids genuinely made me laugh. Written by SI character Kip Shoremore, the editorial advocates for shortened sports events, tying in real stats in a really funny way that plays off of kids’ short attention spans. (Also, this cover gets my vote for the best of the month! Just absolutely gorgeous photography.)