My daughter turned nine in March and has turned into a "tween", if you know what I mean. She suddenly brushes her hair (yay!) without me nagging and cares a little more about what she wears. She is starting to be interested in pop music, etc. After struggling some in 1st and 2nd grade with reading, her interest and skill in reading has taken off (again, yay!). I get an occasional magazine at the check-out or a catalog comes in the mail and she is very interested in them. I'd like to get her a magazine subscription of her own. Are there any magazines designed for tweens (9-12) that you like?
Thanks for the great ideas, everyone! Riley - We'll be checking out the magazine rack at Barnes & Noble real soon!
And thanks for reminding me about New Moon! That is published right here in MN and I had forgotten about it.
American Girl magazine is my 10 year old daughter's favorite. (I have even found ideas for school parties in it.) Discovery Girls is her second favorite.
Check out Girls Liife it seems great to consider for girls (10 to 15) in 5th grade and up.
http://www.girlslife.com/page/about.aspx
We got if for our child who is a middling girl not a tom boy nor a girlie oriented girl to help her learn about the spectrum of tweens and their issues.
So far She seems to like it.
I've heard discovery girls was really good for tweens.
http://www.wikisnipits.com/discovery-girls-magazine-to-fe...
There's a magazine called New Moon--the magazine is bimonthly and the website is interactive. From their website (www.newmoon.com):
Our bi-monthly magazine is 100% advertising-free, highest-quality content for girls age 8 and up! You won't find diet advice or popularity contests here.
New Moon Girls magazine is about helping girls discover and honor their true selves, engage in meaningful pursuits and dialogue, and express their voices in ways that matter.
My SD loves Miss Teen, I think it's called.
You'll see it in the magazine racks.
Not quite Seventeen magazine and not baby-ish.
She started liking it when she was 9 or 10.
I completely agree that New Moon is the perfect magazine for young girls!! As a 4th-5th grade reading teacher it is one magazine that I do not hesitate to recommend to my girls. They love it and I don't have to worry that there might be something that is not age appropriate. I love that it isn't a "fashion" magazine, it doesn't talk down to girls, it covers a wide range of topics, and doesn't have advertising in it. It really does empower girls. I wish it had been around when I was that age! It is a little pricey, but the subscription also includes access to a VERY secure website (even as a teacher I can't access some areas of the website).
I'd suggest going for her interests. Go to any MegaBookStore (barnes & noble, borders, etc.) and they have several hundred magazines. Ranging from technical magazines only a professional could hope to understand, to laymen/enthusiasts, to intro & kid magazines. There's something like 50 different types for every area;
Science & Exploration
___________________
Popular Science
National Geographic Society (also Nat.Geo.Soc. Kids)
Discovery (and Discovery Kids)
+ 47 more
Arts
___________________
Museum World type (painting, sculpture)
Modern Art
Photography
Dance (ballet, street, modern, etc.)
Theatric Arts (acting, directing, stage, cinema, etc.)
Fashion (not checkstand fashion, but fashion world)
Writing
Music (from Rolling Stone to Opera)
+ hundreds more: since the above are not actual magazine, but subgenres... there are like 6 ballet magazines, and 10 photography mags for example
Sports
___________________
Not just sports illustrated but:
- 6 different horseback riding
- 6 different football
- Sailing
- Swimming
etc.
Everything from knitting to kittens, and auto mechanics to travel, HUNDREDS of magazines.
Instead of buying a magazine that caters to what a publisher thinks a kid "should" like (boys, hair, clothes, friends)... why not get a magazine that explores her innate interests and talents? After all, you will give her MUCH better advice about boys, hair, clothes, friends than some hack writer who has gotten stuck writing OMG what do boys REALLY like?!? articles in order to pay the bills.
Just my .02
Save the subscription money -- go the library! Many libraries carry all the good tween/teen magazines including American Girl and Discovery Girls and many others your girl can try.
We love American Girl. Very wholesome and positive, with a lot of emphasis on how to resolve problems etc. There are no ads...except for the back cover ads for AG Place etc. and the monthly article about "things to do with your doll," which annoys me a bit, but otherwise it's so positive we still get it. Discovery Girls I think has many more ads but I'm not sure.
Find out what else interests your daughter. There is a history magazine for kids, for instance, called Cobblestones that many libraries carry and it may have a sister magazine for older kids too. The library is a good way to "test drive" magazines before you commit to a subscription.
If she likes animals in particular, National Geographic Kids is popular with a lot of kids we know including mine though I think that at 10 my daughter is outgrowing the short texts; however it does include a lot of fun facts about nature and animals that she still likes.
Another vote for American Girl. My daughters LOVED it from about 10 until probably 13 or so.
