The KiwiCo Koala Crate, our longtime pick for preschoolers, emphasizes play-based learning to meet the child’s developmental and attention needs. Each kit has a theme—for example, rainbows or camping. The projects offer hands-on science activities, arts and crafts, and imaginative play elements that set a foundation for early math, sensory activities, and gross and fine motor skills.

The kit offers a variety of projects, and the crafts feel original. Each themed kit typically includes three activities. As we found when we first tested the Koala Crate, in 2017, the materials are on a par with those included in similar preschool boxes. But the Koala Crate’s projects are more original, and the keepsakes your kids create will have you all thinking about the activity long after it’s done.

The creations are long-lasting. One of our 4-year-old testers and his grandmother enjoyed building the activities in the camping crate. (The boy needed help assembling the “camp snacks” and reading the accompanying literature.) His favorite part was the bear-shaped backpack—a keepsake that brought a sense of “payoff” to the crafts. Another 4-year-old, who tested the bugs kit, made a pair of felt wings and an antennae headband that now reside in her costume drawer. (It took both of these little testers roughly 20 to 30 minutes to complete all three projects, with adult help.) And when we tested the rainbow kit, we made a stuffed cloud, which remains in great condition months later, even after being washed.

The kit offers a few extras. Adults appreciated the box’s activity booklet, which includes stories applicable to the box’s theme, as well as little games. The directions are clear and easy to follow, and there are few to zero small choking hazards for little hands and mouths.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Support is required. Most preschoolers will need some grown-up help with reading and following directions, as well as with attaching small tabs and buttons. If you’re looking for independent crafts for your child, you’ll likely have to wait a couple of years.

The boxes may not be challenging enough for those at the top of the age range. As kids near age 5, they may be too advanced for the Koala Crate but not yet ready for the Kiwi Crate (see below), despite its recommended starting age of 5 years old.

You must keep on top of subscription auto-renewal dates to avoid charges. Numerous customer reviews cite the frustration of cancelling or seeking refunds, even though the company notes that it’s simple to cancel a subscription via the website. If you opt for an auto-renewal subscription, you may want to set a calendar alert for the renewal date to allow yourself time to cancel.

Key Specs:

For ages: 3 to 4

Subscription options: There are various types of subscriptions—from monthly to annual, with auto-renewal and without. Monthly with auto-renewal subscriptions are $24 per box. A six-month subscription is $120, and the annual subscription is $222 (working out to about $19 per box). Non-renewal options cost more. KiwiCo also sells single-box projects that are comparable to those found in the Koala Crate line.

What’s included: Each Koala Crate includes all of the materials needed to make at least three projects. A “grownup guide” helps facilitate play-based learning, and there’s also age-appropriate literature, like stories, comics, and games.

KiwiCo’s Kiwi Crate, our longtime pick for early elementary kids, is the Koala Crate’s older sibling, and the crafts build on the skills used in the Koala line. These STEAM boxes allow parents to transition from facilitating crafts to supervising them, as kids work with more independence. The level of quality, function, and creativity in these kits is rare for subscription boxes in this age group.

Kids learn while they create. The Kiwi Crate offers more-formal science activities and crafts than the younger Koala box. Each crate explores topics in biology, mechanics, art techniques, or physics that kids might learn in school. While each Koala Crate box has a few projects, the Kiwi Crate includes one large project, with a smaller craft to complement it. Because the intended child is older, they may be able to read some of the activity booklets without help, as well as to understand the “why” behind the projects they’re making.

The packaging and colors have a premium feel. You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. However, our testers were excited to open the projects because of the bright, engaging packaging and informational materials. The intention in the packaging transfers to the intention visible in the projects, especially when compared with other projects we tested for kids in this age group, including kits from Green Kids Crafts and Little Passports Craft Discovery.

The activities are unique. Our testers found the crafts in the Kiwi Crate unique and engaging, and they brought unexpected fun. They especially enjoyed that many of these crafts involved building their own games. One of our 5-year-old crafters assembled the Mechanical Sweeper—a vacuum cleaner–like device—with her mom. She needed a lot of support but enjoyed the process. Months later, she still uses the toy. Our testers found the Kiwi Co subscription lines consistently delivered on their promise for providing effective and functional toys. This one was no exception.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

As with all subscriptions, some projects are a hit and others aren’t. It’s unlikely every kid will love every activity. My children (ages 5 and 8) weren’t so interested in the Arcade Claw, a mechanical-motion project that involved assembling a claw from pieces of wood and making pom-poms from yarn; they were more into playing with the yarn and using the wooden pieces as swords. However, the 6-year-old son of one Wirecutter editor did enjoy putting together and using the wooden claw.

The targeted age range is a bit broad. Younger kids (ages 5 to 6) may not have the patience, fine motor skills, and focus to engage with certain projects on their own. An advanced 8-year-old may want something more entertaining, depending on the task.

Again, you need to stay on top of cancellations. If you don't like the boxes, it’s best to cancel; the process for that is fairly simple, but you’ll want to keep tabs on an auto-renewal date.

Key Specs:

For ages: 5 to 8

Subscription options: There are various types of subscriptions—from monthly to annual, with auto-renewal and without. Monthly with auto-renewal subscriptions are $24 per box. A six-month subscription is $120, and the annual subscription is $222. Non-renewal options cost more. KiwiCo also sells single-box projects that are comparable to those found in the Kiwi Crate line.

What’s included: Each themed Kiwi Crate includes all of the materials needed to make one large project, and each often has a secondary craft that complements the large project. A mini magazine includes comics, games, activities, and stories.

Little Passports World Adventures establishes continuity of experience from the first box. With the initial delivery, kids receive the World Edition Kit, which comes in a little blue suitcase. You also receive all of the activities specific to one country (the subscription starts with Brazil), including a craft, a themed activity booklet, stickers, and an original country-themed chapter book. The package provides an engaging introduction to the featured country.

The first kit’s presentation is impressive. The World Edition Kit suitcase is packed with a passport, a wall-size world map, and a card where you can insert coins from various countries. Each month, the country-focused package includes a hands-on craft, a fact-filled letter from pen pals Sam and Sofia, a souvenir, a country-themed book, stickers, an activity booklet, a collectible coin, and access to online photos and printable activities.

It offers diverse learning opportunities. The kits explore 24 countries from every continent. Crafts and activities teach lessons about a country’s wildlife and environment. For example, the Brazil kit teaches kids local phrases; the craft involves making a macaw mobile (the macaw is found in the Brazilian rainforest). The Antarctica box includes a board game and a craft to build a Weddell seal.

My 8-year-old son, who is an animal aficionado, enjoyed the cultural and wildlife facts we read. And my 5-year-old also found the Antarctic box engaging, even though she was younger than the intended age. One editor’s 6-year-old was impressed with the presentation; the child needed some support to make the macaw mobile, but he could do most of the other activities on his own. Another 6-year-old tester who worked on the macaw mobile had a similar experience, and this tester loved that the suitcase provided a place to put important keepsakes from each month’s box and that it kept them organized.

There are many activities, so you can “go deep” into lessons. The materials introduce kids to the languages, meals, and landmarks of each country, so they have information to continue exploring independently. Overall, the crafts were not as involved as those in the Kiwi Crate. Although the Little Passports craft was easy to accomplish in one sitting, I found that we were more inclined to spread out the rest of the activities over a week; I appreciated that my kids didn’t feel pressured to complete all of them at once. This is also a great subscription box for homeschoolers or any family seeking a wealth of information about geography or cultural topics.

The quality of the materials means these kits are more than one and done. Although the quality of the craft was comparable to that of the Atlas Crate (a world-cultures subscription kit from KiwiCo) that we tested, the Little Passports box provided more comprehensive reading materials to dive deeper into cultures. Most projects were a hit because they were unique keepsakes.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

There is a lot of reading. The material can feel overwhelming or become too much for younger children and early readers, if it’s not broken into digestible sections. (For others, this will be a benefit.)

Some kids will need parental support. Because the age range is so broad, younger children or those with low focus or executive function limitations will need considerable adult help to understand concepts and materials.

The inaugural box sets a high bar. After the first kit’s delivery, the others can feel lackluster. The types of activities and information in each kit are the same, but the first suitcase really kicks things off with a bang. Be mindful that presentation decreases after the first month.

Key Specs:

For ages: 6 to 10

Subscription options: Subscriptions cost $28 a month if purchased monthly, $23 a month for a six-month subscription, and $20 a month for an annual subscription.

What’s included: The first kit comes with the line’s signature blue suitcase, a passport, a wall-size world map, a coin holder, a country-themed craft, an activity booklet, stickers, a collectible souvenir, a fact-filled letter from pen pals Sam and Sofia, a chapter book, and access to online content. Subsequent kits include the craft, pen-pal letter, country-themed book, stickers, an activity booklet, a collectible country coin, and access to online photos and printable activities.

The CrunchLabs Build Box kits were consistently a hit with our tween testers, some of whom were already familiar with CrunchLabs founder Mark Rober. Rober is an inventor and a former NASA engineer turned YouTube star who has built a large following by explaining complex scientific topics in accessible ways (and doing cool experiments!). After building a library of close to 200 videos and amassing more than 56 million followers since 2011, he started CrunchLabs to encourage kids to “think like an engineer.”

There’s a single project per box. Each Build Box kit includes an instruction booklet and materials—wooden pieces, wires, and any other relevant pieces—to create one engineering project that should work when completed. Among the projects our testers created: a disc launcher, a coin spinner, an air ball, and a drawing machine. They loved that the creations were interactive and that they could use their new toys in their active play. Parents liked that each activity created something cool that the kids could engage with long-term.

The projects feel like true STEM-based activities. Overall, the materials were durable enough to feel worth the money. I noticed the crafts had a more-mature feel than those in other STEM-based craft boxes we tested. The packaging and the blue, red, and yellow color scheme is consistent yet simple, adding to the feel that testers are doing “big kid crafts.”  Each project kept our testers focused for 30 to 60 minutes.

Instructions are clear, and educational videos support multiple learning styles. We found the step-by-step illustrated instruction booklet helpful. Each monthly kit also includes a link to a 15- to 30-minute educational video by Rober.

The age-group sweet spot is 10 years old. Our testers, who ranged from age 8 to 11, really enjoyed these activities, which required focus and skill that exceeded those needed for the Kiwi Co projects we tested. We found the Build Box offerings really unique; they felt like authentic engineering projects. Our 8-year-old testers made an Aurora Reflector, in which you create an awesome rotating aurora borealis simulation. As with our other picks, with this pick, kids on the younger end of the intended age range needed a lot of adult help to focus on the project. But they had fun and loved the outcome. (A CrunchLabs representative told us they see a range of ages in subscribers, but most are 9- to 12-year-olds. It makes sense that younger kids would need more support.) One of our 9-year-old testers, who’s experienced with craft boxes (having done many KiwiCo kits when he was younger), could do almost all of the Build Box projects he tried on his own.

The boxes build teamwork. We appreciated that two to three children of similar ages could work on one project together. Our high-energy boys loved incorporating explosion sounds and imaginative play into their interaction as they completed the craft. It took them longer, but it was cool to watch them work in groups and delegate tasks independently.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It’s not great for families with large age gaps. There’s only one toy per box, and the projects are best for older kids who can build independently and appreciate scientific concepts. If there’s a larger age gap between your kids and you want them to collaborate, you might want a different subscription; KiwiCo’s Eureka Crate may feel more accessible.

Build Box projects are engaging, but they require a lot of attention to direction. This may be challenging for younger and neurodivergent children. Those with low focus or executive function limitations will need considerable parental support to understand concepts and materials.

Sometimes parts were missing or a finished project didn’t work. Engineering kits need perfect materials to work. One editor, who tested four kits with her 9-year-old, found its Gyroscope Walker didn’t work after it was put together, due to faulty wiring. (Heavier-duty wiring and heftier connectors would likely solve the problem.) Another editor, who for years has subscribed to the kit with her daughter, noted a couple of minor technical difficulties, but she said the projects still worked as promised.

Similarly, Reddit users have reported damaged or missing materials from their kits, as well as finished projects that had issues. The CrunchLabs website says subscribers can find a section in their dashboard to request missing parts or email help@crunchlabs.com for assistance, but waiting for a replacement part to arrive slows the creative process.

Key Specs:

For ages: 8 to 13

Subscription options: CrunchLabs offers annual ($300) and quarterly ($90) options. And in the summertime, it also runs Camp CrunchLabs, which is 12 boxes over 12 weeks for $300.

What’s included: All of the necessary materials to complete one project, a QR code for a video tutorial on the craft, and an instruction booklet.

If you like KiwiCo craft kits and you want a geographic box for tweens: KiwiCo’s Atlas Crate is a great choice for 6- to 11-year-olds who are interested in culture and geography. This craft is designed to help your child develop an appreciation for other cultures around the world, though I found that the Little Passport World Adventures had more cultural information. Like the other KiwiCo subscription lines, this one offers good quality and original crafts with bright, engaging patterns.

If you like KiwiCo craft kits and want deep-dive engineering projects for older kids: KiwiCo’s Eureka Crate is a great choice for kids 12 and older. This crate’s goal is to apply science and math principles to the design of everyday items. Crafters explore electronics, energy, mechanics, momentum, optics, and more. Our tester made a programmable music box. This kit has a wider age range than the CrunchLabs kit (and it costs a bit less). And teens and young adults may also appreciate these projects. Our 12-year-old tester was at the young end of the age range and had a bit of trouble.

If you like KiwiCo craft kits and want a fiber-arts option for older kids: KiwiCo also offers the Maker Crate, geared toward ages 14 and up. These kits explore paper marbling, metal sculpture, dip-dye painting, macramé, loom knitting, hand lettering, embroidery, and more. We tested one Maker Crate that included an electroluminescent light. This STEAM project was a big hit with our only teen participant, who was 16. It’s a great option for crafters interested in art and design. The company also sells the Doodle Crate, aimed at kids ages 9 to 16; it includes projects like felting and clay modeling. We have not tested it.

If you want an option that includes multiple crafts for younger kids: Little Dreamers Club Crafts offers two lines, the Adventurer Subscription, for 3- to 5-year-olds, and the Pioneer Subscription, for 6- to 8-year-olds. We tried both, and we loved that each box came with a book, markers and crayons, and six to eight crafts. While the crafts were unique, the quality of the materials was inconsistent, the time required to conduct a particular craft varied greatly, and one kit had a religious message (despite no prior indication that it was a religious craft). You might consider this subscription if you’re looking for a fun batch of crafts for multiple kids, one that gives a “busy work” or “school worksheet” feel. Many of these crafts can be done mostly in one seating, with limited mess.

If you want a cool one-off kit that explores culture and nature: You may like the At Home in the Wild Amate Painting + Sketchbook project from Camp Wildcraft. When we were doing our testing, the company was offering its kits as individual purchases only, not as part of a subscription; it has since expanded to subscriptions. Our tester, who happened to be a 40-year-old neurodivergent church reverend and former nanny, rated this project 10/10. The two 6-year-olds who joined in seemed to enjoy it, too. The craft boxes are designed for kids age 6 through early teens. The materials in the kit include a sketchbook with drawing tips and prompts, drawing and painting supplies, and authentic Amate paper, made from ficus tree bark. Our testers appreciated the quality of supplies—especially the bark paper—as well as the additional types of paper to share with others. They also really enjoyed reading the brief history of Amate bark paper and its roots in the traditions of the Otomi people in San Pablito in Puebla, Mexico. The kit included everything, reducing the need to get up or be distracted. We were interested in this project as a one-off due to price (at $55, it’s more expensive than our picks). Camp Wildcraft offers subscriptions for about $160 for three months or about $320 for six months.

I’m a Wirecutter contributor and journalist who has covered maternal health, especially in communities of color, and the systemic barriers that limit well-being. I’m also the mother of two children, ages 5 and 8 at the time of our testing, who have limited experience doing crafts. They are STEM-oriented and have short attention spans.

We built this guide on the foundation of research and testing done by Wirecutter senior staff writer Jackie Reeve in 2017, as well as on the collective experience of Wirecutter staffers who have bought various craft subscription boxes for their own kids since that time. In the past few years, the diversity of children’s craft subscription box options has exploded.

For this guide:

• I mined information from forums and parent groups, and I connected with parents in my community about the craft boxes they’ve heard of and used. As part of a neurodivergent family of color, I was looking for specific types of craft boxes (like a good nature-themed option), boxes to teach about culture and identity, and those that are STEAM-focused.

• I spoke with Yolande Clark-Jackson, an educator with decades of experience teaching and leading children through guided activities, as well as with Krista Coleman, a licensed occupational therapist. Both spoke to the importance of analyzing an activity’s goal and its benefits for a specific child, before breaking it down to understand the steps and the physical, cognitive, motor, and sensory processing skills required to complete it.

Like all Wirecutter journalists, I review and test products with complete editorial independence. I’m never made aware of any business implications of my editorial recommendations. Read more about our editorial standards.

We determined that a great children’s craft subscription box should be:

Engaging and fun: Boxes with diverse activities by diverse creators was important, and I wanted to find at least one recommendation that blended creativity and culture. We also looked for crafts that could continue to bring the fun after the crafting process was finished; would kids want to play with the item?

Made with quality materials: We eliminated boxes where the materials seemed cheap or flimsy. We also hoped to minimize waste—was there any excess trash or one-and-done materials and paper?

Challenging without becoming tedious: We looked for craft boxes with directions that were easy to understand (for children and adults!) on the first read, as well as those whose crafts were engaging enough that the kids didn’t get bored. Push us, but don’t overwhelm us. If parents had to do the entire project, it was a dealbreaker. Licensed occupational therapist Coleman noted that there’s a line between an appropriately challenging craft and one that is too time-consuming and difficult. “As adults, it’s our job to facilitate and model patience,” she said.

A good value: The essential features of craft boxes—whether they include all of the necessary materials and the quality of the activities—was paramount. The craft subscription boxes we considered ranged in price from about $20 to $55 per month. Boxes with costs that didn’t reflect quality, originality, or number of items were eliminated.

Easy to order—and to cancel: If a company had many reviews that said it was hard to cancel, we didn’t automatically exclude it, but we kept those comments in mind. Companies that made it difficult to connect with a customer service representative gave us pause.

We narrowed our research to 15 subscription lines, which I evaluated, noting the affordability, ease of instructions, and long-term value of the craft. I tested them with 20 children, including my two kids (ages 5 and 8) as well as with a panel of other kids. Most of these crafts were tested during a two-hour community craft night, during which children from age 4 to age 16 interacted with new and familiar kids. Some children worked in groups; others did so individually. I also hosted a smaller craft session with four additional children—two 11-year-olds, a 5-year-old, and a 6-year-old—plus three kids from the previous craft night, including my own. And we tested crafts at home during family night in our household.

The families we tested with had different perspectives and cultures; there was a mix of neurotypical and neurodivergent parents and children, as well as a mix of introverted and extroverted families. Most of these families live in the Mountain West region, specifically Cheyenne, Wyoming, where indoor activities are vital, with the possibility of snow, wind, and cold weather occurring for a considerable portion of the year.

One editor also tested some of the preschool and elementary options with her two children, and another editor tested two of the STEM options with her 9-year-old son.

Green Kids Crafts, our former runner-up craft subscription box for kids ages 5 to 8, lives up to its “hands-on STEAM” expectation. And it brings a small-business, made-with-love feel that I enjoyed as a parent. Green Kids Crafts has two subscription options—the Junior Box, aimed at ages 3 to 5, and the Discovery Box, for ages 5 to 10-plus. Both offer hands-on, age-appropriate activities. When compared with our picks by Kiwi Crate and CrunchLab, however, this one had some activities that were less creative and of lower quality, though they were still enjoyed by our testers.

MEL Science is another STEM craft kit option. We struggled to get any representatives to respond via phone or email to answer preliminary questions. We ordered the project via the website and had a lot of fun building a Hydraulic Lift. The visual instructions and comic-book-style science lessons were effective for my 5-year-old and my 8-year-old. We plan to try this one again.

We tried one kit from Creation Crate’s Tech Prodigy subscription, aimed at ages 10-plus. We ran into customer service issues—I couldn’t get anyone to respond to the chat feature on the website, via email, or by calling the number to get more information before ordering. (That leads to concerns it would be hard to cancel the subscription or make an exchange, if needed.) The website says it’s great for adults, but I struggled to understand the video-style explanation of how to create our mood lamp and assemble the circuits. This is best for someone who already has knowledge of electrical engineering.

Little Passports Craft Discovery is aimed at ages 5 to 8, and it includes everything you need to create “seasonally relevant” DIY crafts with art, science, geography, and culture topics.  One editor and her son tested the Party Piñatas kit. She found the oak tag-like material used to make the piñata bases was too flimsy to stay together, and she found the directions confusing. And she ultimately gave up shortly after her 6-year-old did.

We considered Disrupt the Cycle Co. as a culture-themed option (specifically the Black History Craft Box). However, we dismissed it before ordering based on its mediocre aesthetic. Also, the included supplies—like an empty cookbook without covers, Black history stickers, and a chip bag activity—were items we could purchase at the craft store. The shipping was also very high.

Curiosity Box Kids initially caught my interest on Cratejoy. However, compared with projects in other craft subscription boxes, this box’s projects appeared less original and of lower quality for the price.

Outside the Box Creation offered the best art-supply box we tried for kids ages 5 through 11 when we considered it in 2017. Each box includes all of the supplies needed to learn a new art concept, with clear instructions and a picture book. Some of the projects, like the printmaking box we tested, are messy and need a parent's help to set up, so they don’t ruin the kitchen table.

The Preschool Box has great educational materials and crafts that kids can complete themselves, but it felt more like a box of lesson plans than a fun crafting treat. However, if you’re looking for an educational box for preschoolers that will help them with numbers, the alphabet, and many of the concepts they’ll need to know for kindergarten, this would be a fantastic subscription for your family.

The Young Artist box from Paletteful Packs was one of three art-supply subscriptions we looked at in 2017. Unlike our picks, this box comes with just a few good-quality art supplies and no instructions, and we were really looking for something to give kids more guidance.

Bitsbox is a subscription that guides kids in creating apps on the Bitsbox website that can function on any mobile device. Geared toward ages 6 to 12, it comes with instructions for both parents and kids to help them learn to code. We opted not to try it.

Little Global Citizens is an educational box aimed at helping kids from age 4 to 10 understand people and cultures around the world. While we considered it in 2024 it's considerably more expensive than our Little Passports World Adventures pick.

We did not test Lovevery Play Kits for this guide because they target a younger age group, and they are more boxes of related toys than craft kits. We now have a separate article about toy subscription boxes.

Mail Order Mystery is an activity box that includes a series of letters, puzzles, and packages, creating a personalized mystery for kids to solve. Kids can receive mailings with the well-thought-out clues weekly over six weeks or all at once. We feature this kit in our guide to the best gifts for 10-year-olds.

This guide was edited by Amy Miller Kravetz and Kalee Thompson.