Periodicals for preschoolers

November 12, 2020 7:17 AM

When I was very small, my mother used to buy a kids' comic called Twinkle which she read to me every week. I'd love to re-create the experience with my own kid, who is a little under three and who loves being read to, but the kind of thing I remember doesn't seem to exist any more or, if it does, it's only as a marketing tool for toy lines. Parents and carers-for-small-children of metafilter, do you know of something like this?

I'm looking for something which is available in the UK, with new issues weekly or monthly. The content would be a selection of stories, either in simple comic-book panel style or prose with illustrations, or both, maybe with a few features or activity suggestions as well. Preferably this publication would not be linked to an existing toy or media property, but I'll make an exception for something which is good quality. Does anyone have any recommendations which they've enjoyed reading with kids they look after?

posted by damsel with a dulcimer to Media & Arts (14 answers total)

I genuinely enjoyed reading the Owl magazines with my daughter when she was very young! They have a mix of little comics & stories, jokes, little activities, and facts (e.g., about animals). They have separate magazines targeted towards different ages; I can only vouch for Chickadee, which is actually aimed a bit older (6-9), but my kiddo enjoyed it at 4-5 years old. They have one specifically for kids aged 3-6 as well. They're based in Canada but I see they ship internationally.
posted by DTMFA at 7:30 AM on November 12, 2020 [4 favorites]

Chirp is the magazine from Owl Magazines that's for little kids (3-6). My son was a fan. Here in Canada it is not uncommon to find piles of them for next to nothing at second hand stores.
posted by Ashwagandha at 7:33 AM on November 12, 2020 [4 favorites]

The Okido magazine is really cool, despite being linked to the Okido TV. It's a bit more education-focussed than story-focussed, but usually has two or three stories in, plus educational stuff, activities linked to the theme*, and colouring/drawing activities.
*Each issue is connected to a subject like maths, the human body, the environment, etc.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 7:36 AM on November 12, 2020

The closest that I found when my kids were little was the CBeebies comic. I think it's weekly? I'm afraid that it fails your test of not being attached to any existing media, but we were a CBeebies family at home anyway so (I hope) no additional harm was done. And the content was fairly cute & innocuous tbh.

If you look along the rack at the supermarket or newsagent, you'll see plenty of others. Maybe pick the one with least plastic toys taped to the cover. We sometimes used to get small-fluffy-animal themed comics too, there are a whole bunch of those.
posted by rd45 at 7:37 AM on November 12, 2020 [1 favorite]

The two options I know about are US based and they don't offer international subscriptions. Maybe you could find them at a News Agent that imports magazines (is that still a thing?) Or you could opt for a digital subscription?

Cricket

Highlights
posted by momochan at 7:43 AM on November 12, 2020 [5 favorites]

My kid loved Babybug, which is available as a digital subscription internationally (it's a Cricket publication). I am sorry I don't have a UK recommendation, since I think a print magazine is infinitely to be preferred.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 8:20 AM on November 12, 2020 [1 favorite]

Ranger Rick Jr. or Ranger Rick Cub
posted by Toddles at 8:39 AM on November 12, 2020 [1 favorite]

Came in to suggest Ranger Rick. There is an add-on comic book as part of the Ranger Rick book club which my daughter loves.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:45 AM on November 12, 2020

Not as frequent but you might check out Illustoria or Anorak?
posted by actionpact at 8:50 AM on November 12, 2020

We get National Geographic Little Kids, Ladybug (which is the highlights magazine), and Chirp, which is the little kids Magazine from Owl. I really liked Owl as a kid.

Anyway, I dislike Ladybug. My son likes it. I can't articulate why I don't like it. It feels somehow "conservative" or "traiditional" to me. I have no evidence to back up this feeling. I have not done a content analysis of the magazines. I just get an icky feeling from Ladybug. I won't renew it when the subscription ends.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:59 AM on November 12, 2020

The two options I know about are US based and they don't offer international subscriptions.

Ladybug is from Cricket and I subscribe in Canada. But again, I don't recommend it.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:00 AM on November 12, 2020

We do Hello (Highlights) and Babybug (Cricket) with our 2 year old. They are both really really really great. There's a recurring plotline in one of them about a kid named Kim and their bunny Carrots. Our daughter calls all the magazines simply"Kim Carrots". They're awesome. Highly recommend.
posted by rossination at 12:13 PM on November 12, 2020

The curriculum we use at work has Highlights Hello for the infant and toddler rooms. There is also a Spanish version called Highlights Hola.

The example on their website is very close to what our magazines look like (since they come with the curriculum, they don't come monthly).
posted by kathrynm at 4:12 PM on November 12, 2020

My young son liked National Geographic Little Kids. Each issue comes with collectable cards of animals. The magazine only comes out six times a year, unfortunately.
posted by Leontine at 5:26 PM on November 12, 2020 [1 favorite]