Entertain Your Kids With a Toy Exchange Subscription
We are entering the season of boredom. The holidays are over and many of us are looking ahead to at least a few months of imperfect weather, which means our kids are more inside, which means they are bored.
Yes, they probably just got a whole bunch of new toys during the holidays, and yes, you will still get to the point where you wish they had something new to switch things up and distract them on an unexpected snowy day. … And yet they don’t need things anymore.
But you can borrow something for a while. Enter: toy exchange subscription service. According to Pinterest , toy sharing became something of a trend in 2018, with searches for “toy sharing subscriptions” up 313%.
Benefits of Subscribing to Toy Sharing
- The cost of renting toys is cheaper than buying them outright.
- This is a chance to try out toys that you might not want to fully invest in.
- Less giant plastic waste in our landfills.
- You can target their developmental ages with educational toys that are perfect for them right now.
- They get mail! Everyone loves to receive mail!
- If they’re totally into a particular toy, you can still buy it.
Here are a couple to look out for:
Green toys Pinata
For $ 24.99 a month, aimed at kids ages 6 months to 5 years old, you can choose from up to four toys per box. Pick toys, play, buy what you can’t part with, return the rest and wait for your next box. You can view the toy catalog which states that “all of our toys are free of chemicals, made from wood or recycled plastic, produced from sustainable sources, and produced in an environmentally conscious environment.”
Toy Library
You choose 2 toys from each monthly batch for babies up to 10 years old. Basic plans start at $ 19.99 per month and go up based on the cost of the toys. The company has a library of over 500 toys to choose from, and they can recommend your child based on play preferences. All toys, according to Toy Library , are cleaned with “ultrasonic baths,” and wooden toys are cleaned with “non-toxic, environmentally friendly, antibacterial wipes.”
Alternatively, if you want fewer toys but have more work to do, try an action-based subscription:
Small passports
Designed to inspire kids to discover places around the world, Little Passports offers a variety of options for kids ages 3-12. Early explorers (ages 3-5) receive kits with themes such as music, the ocean, or dinosaurs. Children aged 6-10 can learn about a new country every month, and children aged 7-12 can learn about two new states every month. Children 9+ can sign up for monthly science experiments and events.
KiwiCo
KiwiCo sends out “boxes” filled with science and art every month. Choose a box according to age or interests, such as a play and learning box for kids ages 3-4, science and arts for kids ages 5-8, or geography and culture for kids ages 6-11. There are many boxes for teens and teens (art and design, science and engineering, or engineering and design). Each kit contains all the materials needed for each type of activity, and, according to KiwiCo website , classes are engineers, teachers and real rocket scientist.
Spangler Science Club
Designed for “young scientists” between the ages of 5 and 12, you can choose from Starter, Lab, and Deluxe editions, which vary depending on the difficulty level and the number of STEM assignments included.