I want to encourage my 8-year old to read more and she loves magazines. Right now she gets a science magazine and I was wondering if there was a good general magazine for kids her age. She really likes clothes, fashion and celebrities. However, some of the Teen magazines I think are just a little too old for her, they are starting to focus on things like kissing, boyfriends and girl issues and obviously she's not there yet.
Any suggestions?
Thanks for all the suggestions! American Girl was just what I was looking for! Something that would show a little fashion (that's age-appropriate) but also would help her feel good about herself. I like that the girls in the magazine are cute and dressed for their age. I didn't gt a chance to look through it totally but I think she'll want to read it (which was the point!) She already gets Big Backyard, and when that runs out we might try National Geographic Kids.
I teach 3rd graders and they enjoy reading Highlights. It's interesting and interactive, for boys and girls. I remember reading it myself when I was around 8 years old.
Hi NW, I'm a librarian. Great idea to encourage reading! My parents set a good example by reading themselves and reading to us. I grew up with a love of reading and a respect for the information in books. Children love to be read to. I always encourage children to read chapter books. Watching TV has shortened children's attention span, so cutting down -way down- on TV now and encouraging your daughter to read chapter books will help her a great deal in the future. She'll be able to make decisions based on a deeper understanding. Ask your children librarian about a general magazine.
Please don't buy your daughter teenage anything. Clothes, fashion and celebrities are fun topics, but these subjects can include so much comparison with others and result in negative self-judgment. Those celebrities lead lives that most people cannot and shouldn't live. Also, the magazines are expensive. I'm surprised that so many of them are still being published when the economy is so rocky. In comparison, books at the library are free to borrow and offer so much more. When she's older your daughter could read the Nancy Drew books, which are wonderful.
"Almost 9 out of 10 U.S. female teens say the fashion industry is at least partially responsible for girls' obsession with being skinny, a survey indicates, reported UPI on Feb. 2. The survey of more than 1,000 girls ages 13-17, released by the Girl Scouts of the USA, found 89 percent say the fashion industry, and 88 percent say the media, put pressure on them to be thin." Womens eNEWS Feb. 6, 2010.
Discovery Girls Magazine for girls ages 8-12.
My kids enjoy Muse, Time for Kids and Click. They are all general, educational and fun to read.
American Girl
How about the American Girl Magazine. I think you can check out a sample on the website. My daughter is seven and she loves the game section on the website. Magazines don't get read at my house but the American Girl books are great. I know the company focuses on esteem for girls. Check it out.
C.
Hi NW,
My 8 yr. old daughter gets the magazine called In Your Backyard mailed to her. It focuses on animals... very colorful photos, too. Her twin brother gets Ranger Rick mailed to him and that too focuses on animals. They LOVE getting them in the mail and they love learning about animals. If your daughter likes girlie type subjects maybe the magazine called American Girl would be a good choice. Someone from Mamasource recommened checking out Amazon to me for buying magazines. And here's the link if you're interested:
http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Magazines-Subscriptions/b...
My 8 1/2 year old daughter loves the American Girl magazine. I even used some ideas from the December issue for her class Christmas party.
My mom gives the Cricket magazine series (http://www.cricketmag.com//ProductList.aspx?type=M) as gifts. They are a bit pricey, but she says she has gotten positive feedback from the recipients... I believe that you have the option to switch your subscription to a different magazine as your child grows or changes interests...
We like national geographic kids and discovery kids. We also check out magazines from the library. (We have a wednesday trip to our local library where our 7yo is allowed to check out up to 3 books and 2 magizines at a time (his card lets him check out more... those are just our rules, so that they have time to be read... 1 book to be read to, 2 books to read himself, and 2 magazines of his choice).
Some of the other magazines he has checked out (in addition to nat.geo.soc & discovery) are highlights, archeology, pop sciene, pop mechanics, and various museum publications. We already get the adult version of Nat. Geo. Soc., and he looks at the pictures and will occasionally read the articles, but it's the kids version he really loves.
