Bridging the Gap – Magazines for Kids

While many children in the 8-12 age range read voraciously, others are still reluctant or still hitting their stride with reading longer works. For both groups of children, magazines for kids can be an excellent alternative. The voracious readers learn about a variety of topics (possibly while they wait for the next book in their favorite series to become available at the library) and the tentative readers will find a variety of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, all presented with color photos and shorter chunks of information that can be less intimidating that a full-length novel.

So with that in mind, here is a great list of magazines for kids aged 8-12, along with a short blurb from each magazine’s web site.

Cover art - American Girl(c) magazineStories, crafts, and so much more–it’s what makes American Girl(c) magazine a favorite for girls.

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have a budding archeologist in your life? Open his or her eyes to the world of ancient history with award-winning DIG INTO HISTORY magazine, your child’s entry into all things archeology. With engaging and vivid text aimed at 9 to 14 year olds, each issue is stuffed with articles on the latest archeological finds and chock-full of spirited word games, and hands-on projects. Designed to boost their appreciation for the scientists who explore the ancient world and increase their excitement about world history and human development, DIG INTO HISTORY will have your kids yearning to get out and discover the secrets buried beneath their own two feet.

Cover art - Cobblestone magazine

For over 35 years, COBBLESTONE magazine has been transforming history from a dry classroom exercise into a living, breathing guide to how Americans live, work, play, and eat from the 1600s to today. Filled with fascinating true stories from all decades of our country’s history, augmented with dramatic photographs, and beautiful illustrations, COBBLESTONE introduces young readers to important American events and places, from colonial Williamsburg to famous battles of the Civil War to the Gold Rush to the Korean War. COBBLESTONE takes kids on a journey through history, designed to excite their imaginations and bring the past to life!

Cover art - Creative Kids magazineCreative Kids magazine is the nation’s largest magazine by and for kids. The magazine bursts with games, stories, artwork, and opinions, all by and for kids ages 8–16.

In the pages of Creative Kids you also will find fun activities such as brain teasers, contests, stories, poetry, mysteries, and much more! This interactive magazine also includes activities that stimulate and encourage the creativity of readers.

The most exciting aspect of Creative Kids is that it is written by kids.

Cover art - Cricket magazineCRICKET Magazine, our flagship publication, is the world leader in providing the highest-quality fiction and nonfiction to children ages 9 to 14. Since its premiere in 1973, CRICKET has delighted and entertained generations of kids with contemporary stories and classic literature from the world’s best writers, paired with illustrations so beautiful they take your breath away. CRICKET delivers storytelling in its purest form.

 

Cover art - Faces magazineFACES magazine takes young readers around the world and back to get an honest and unbiased view of how children in other countries and world regions live. Young readers ages 9 to 14 learn about the important inventions and ideas from other cultures through articles, folk tales, recipes, illustrations, and hands-on projects. Be it games from Samoa, maps of the Kalahari, Palestinian folk tales, or Australian animals, FACES magazine will help kids discover it! Packed with breathtaking photography and authentic local voices, FACES is the next best thing to being there.

Cover art - Girl's World magazineIn addition to a magazine published seven times per year, Girl’s World also has an interactive lifestyle web site with lots of activities for tween girls.

 

 

 

 

MUSE magazine is the science and arts magazine for kids that’s spot on with the facts, but off-kilter with the jokes. Kids who can’t help wondering whether video games really kill their brain cells, or what a gentleman ladybug is called, will find the answers here, in articles written by award-winning authors and accompanied by high-quality illustration and photography. MUSE magazine makes a perfect gift for readers who are outgrowing ASK magazine or are interested in science, history, and the arts. Explore the world in a fun (and funny!) way with MUSE!

Cover art - Make magazineMake: Magazine is loaded with exciting projects that celebrate your right to tweak, hack, and bend any technology to your own will. We’ve shown you how to make a wide variety of projects, including: a Twittering cat toy, a video camera stabilizer, a cigar box guitar, a hydrogen-oxygen bottle rocket, and a five-in-one cable adapter for connecting to networks. Some projects are strictly for fun, others are very practical, and still others are absolutely astounding. In addition, we keep you informed about groundbreaking new DIY technologies, like Arduino microcontrollers and 3D printing.

 

Cover Art - New Moon Girls magazineGet the BEST magazine by and for girls. Your choice of paper or e-magazine.

Meet interesting girls your age in our unique online creative community. Some are like you and some are different.

Adult moderators keep our online safe and respectful for you and all the members.

Get and give support, help and your best advice to make it through tough times.

Have fun together sharing your art, writing, photos, opinions, creativity.

Cover art - Stone Soup magazineStone Soup is the magazine of creative writing by children ages 8 to 13. Stories and poems written by kids make Stone Soup unique. It inspires creative children. Once called “The New Yorker of the 8-to-13 set,” Stone Soup is a longtime favorite of teachers and homeschoolers. Founded in 1973.

 

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Julie Artz
JULIE ARTZ spent her childhood sneaking into wardrobes hoping to find Narnia. Now that she's older, people think that’s creepy, so she writes middle grade instead. Her stories for children feature the natural world, folklore, mythology, history, and all that is magical about those things. In addition to contributing to The Mixed Up Files, she works as a developmental editor for Author Accelerator, writes about local Washington history for Gatherings, contributes regularly to The Winged Pen, and is co-RA of SCBWI Western Washington. She is represented by Jennie Dunham of Dunham Lit.
1 Comment
  1. So many wonderful choices! Thanks for compiling this list.