i have been renewing my grandson's subscription since he was 4 years old. he is now 7 and has graduated to the more advanced magazine. he absolutely LOVES it and looks forward to it every month. there's never been a problem with delivery and their customer support is very helpful. it helps that his parents participate often but even without that, it can be fun and educational. i highly recommend it! you can get age-appropriate subscriptions for each grandchild. try it and if you/they aren't happy with it, you can cancel it at any time.

HIghlights is the best! Still going strong after all these years - and there's a lovely little documentary about the company I enjoyed very much. I used to get Highlights for the campers in our rec program.

My fave is the Brain Games - and of course, Hidden Pictures 😀

Highlights.com

I would look at a copy of it before ordering a subscription. From what I've heard, it's not the same magazine that our children read. You never know what they're putting in children's books and magazines today. It's sad that people can't leave children alone and just let them be children.

I subscribed for my 4 yr old grandson and a 5 yr old grandfriend. They both love it! It's something they look forward to.

My grandson face times me every month when it arrives to show it to me. That's worth it all right there!

I used to get those in the 1950’s! Glad it is still in circulation, I loved them!

What a great MIL, bpath.

bpath, that sounds borderline creepy and overbearing.

Elmer, no one in our family saw it that way, especially not the grands. Perhapsi didn't express it appropriately. They enjoyed, and still enjoy talking with their gran about everything under the sun, even those who live far away from her, and I think the magazines were part of forming that kind of connection. DMIL is the polar opposite of creepy and overbearing.

Elmer, sometimes you sound borderline creepy and overbearing. LOL

Bpath, I think that's a wonderful idea. This Christmas I subscribed to The Week Junior for one of my grands, and now I wish I'd had it sent to me.

I used to work for Highlights. One of my best friends is the former editor, and I know several of the current editors. I never heard anything about issues failing to arrive, but now I'm curious. I'm sure if that's true they're working to fix the problem. Highlights products are excellent.

bpath/alisande, it suggests an action perhaps motivated by concern about the relationship or a perceived competition by this grandmother versus the other. Maybe that's a misperception on my part. It still seems odd to me.

That's an interesting perception. And yes, it is a misperception.

Goofus and Gallant.

Bpath,what a great way to share an experience with a grandchild! Not creepy at all.

Ded, that was my favourite part!

I am happy to hear Highlights is still a thing. I hadn't thought about it in years. My husband's aunt sent my kids subscriptions every birthday and they looked forward to getting them. She was the librarian at Muhlenburg College so she was interested in educating kids starting at a young age.

I am not at all concerned that there is anything inappropriate in the magazine. That sounds like a more politically/socially motivated concern than one based in reality.

The idea of grandma interacting with the child in that manner seems like a nice and personal touch and I am surprised that any one would think it to be at all questionable.

I was more concerned about the number of stories that I hear about the company not delivering the product. There are so many complaints to the BBB about it that it seems to have some validity.

It is time to go beyound another darned stupid overly packaged and overly hyped toy. Enough! So much darned junk and the kids already have more than they could ever appreciate or want. Ugh!! What a waste of everything all those darned toys are. The youngest has abandoned all of his toys now in favor of complete immersion on the ipad.

I found an art box subscription for his sister, but I dont think that is his thing. I want him to get something each month like his sister does.

When my granddaughter was 5, my DIL asked me to start a subscription for her. That only lasted the one year - DIL is an elementary school teacher and was not as impressed by the Highlights content as she thought she would be. DIL actually told me not to renew.

I went and googled Highlight magazine complaints. I would not take the magazine at all. I did have it when my boys were young and they enjoyed it. Now it seems that they are using scams mailer inserts to trick you and your children into ordering extra sufff. It says free, but is not, if you read the fine print. The reviews on BBB, Amazon and Reddit are all horrible.

I also took a National Geographic Magazine that they liked and it was very good. I have not checked to see if it is still avaiable or what age group it is for.

What about puzzles, sticker books, coloring/activity books, or some type of age appropriate game?

ETA: If the parents would remove all the inserts, it might be fine.

Claudia, Highlights might be a little advanced for a 5-year-old. Perhaps High Five might be better.

https://shop.highlights.com/highfive-magazine-subscription?

I read so much about how so many people were not getting what they subscribed to and also about the scams of being charged for things that they never agreed to . I was shocked, as Highlights has a long time good reputation. I dont need that kind of complication. I saw such strong reference to this and find it hard to ignore. I am undecided.

Alisande, I will probably look at some of the speciality publications.

littlebug, I understand why someone would deem some kids fare to be not worth it. There is much hype of things for kids. I used to keep the kids books at a bookstore and, after a while so many of them became to seem so formula driven, or trivial, or just down right empty and repetitive. And, enough with the dinosaurs!!! I think taht, if you have a library, why buy any kids books at all? Especially those for the very young. Much of what we think kids like is our own notion and may not be true at all.

Gawd! I am so sick and tired of all the junk!!! Trying to break free!!!

I told hubs that this is the last year that I will buy anything for anyone. Next year the youngest will be 6 and I will just give them all three a gift of cash and be done with it. I have always hated gift giving and recieving. I give nothing and want nothing given to me. No one needs all of this stuff!

Claudia, I am with you. Giving for the sake of giving is such a waste of money and resources. Fine if its somethingnthe recipient truly wants and will use but the rest is better skipped.

Interesting to see mention of not receiving subscriptions. That's why I stopped subscribing for our rec program. The first few years there were zero problems, but after that we only received a couple of issues, then nothing. Purchasing through a municipal services department is a convoluted process; I use a city credit card with a billing address that's the main offices of the city administration - miles across town from our rec center. We suspected the missing issues were maybe being delivered to that address, but we never could get it straightened out.

City admin. offices take up about 10 stories with multiple departments in one huge building, and there's another building just for Parks & Rec offices.

This was well before the pandemic, so it's been more than 4 years now, I think.

The good thing is the old issues are pretty much evergreen, and we still have and enjoy them.

carolb, and that was Highlights? I am left to think that maybe they were outsourcing it to a third party or some such. The number of complaints to the BBB was surprising. Such a long time reputation to sully with such bad customer service! I may just continue to look for another subscription box for him, instead. I bought a couple of Highlights puzzle books at Barnes n Nobel.

I really dont want to buy kids books online They grow past them so quickly and they are so available and so cheap on the resell market. Where my daugher lives there is a second hand book store that has tons of books for almost a pittance. A few months ago I did go in and buy a box full of books and mailed them .Of course, mailing them upped the price of the books but it was still a mere pittance as compared to had they been bought new. and, the second hand store has some older books that are just different from a lot of the modern stuff. Many of them you know were given as gifts and never used or appreciated. They are, essentially, still new. The kids were disappointed to recieve a box and find it full of books . It may as well have been a box of socks . But, when I got there to visit I got them interacting with some of them and one particular book turned out to be a deightful surprise. But. left to their own, it is all ipad.

I really dont think that as many kids are as enchanted with books as many adults try to believe that they are. For all the warm fuzzy notions of kids reading books, the reality is the Ipad is a bigger draw. Yes, I know that some kids fit that "voracious reader" status. My daughter was a big reader but her brother, not so much. Of three grands, only one really reads much. He has lots of interests, is in advanced classes at school, does well, but doesnt find much use for books. His life is on the computer screen. The other two are both younger and dont have much of any interest in the printed page, or TV, for that matter .None of my three really watch TV anymore, unless it is streaming.

The ipad generation, they are.

I hate trying to figure out what will delight and surprise anyone .It is exhausting. I will have all three of my young grands this holdiay season and it may be a once in a life time thing. I feel such pressure to go the extra mile this year, and, frankly I am tired and exhausted with it already. Trying to find a balance with my conflicting thoughts about it all . I swear that this is the very last year for any gifting . This may be the last year for many things. The world seems to be coming apart and I am getting old.

I hate the Shopping Season . I would rather visit and do things on a normal day in February, or July than on the holidays. Too much pure hype for me. It is all just make believe that any day is different from another . i believe it is referred to as a "collective effervescence", when we share the fantasty in a collective manner. Blech!

Ok I'm done.

I remember Highlights and never wanted to see it in my home because the only place I had ever seen it was in the dentist's office and I hated going to the dentist. I am with all the non shoppers, I still get my grandkids gifts but they have so much and really only care about the games on their phones/ipads.