Little Passports Review: Our Family’s Experience

I wanted to provide my children with a fun and exciting activity that would keep them engaged for longer than five or ten minutes. Too often we purchase a new toy or activity for our kids, only to have them forget about it very shortly after the initial novelty has worn off. I know in my household, I like to invest in things that not only are fun to play with, but also enrich the mind in some way.

When the mailman comes to our house each day, my children fight with each other over who can check the mailbox first. This got me thinking. How could I provide them with something fun to do that would keep them engaged and get them excited? That’s when I came across Little Passports. This subscription-based service provides regular shipments of things like educational materials, games, activities, projects and even experiments. There is a different theme each time you receive a package, whether it’s focused on geography, STEM activities, music or world cultures.

I know Little Passports has been an amazing experience in my household on a rainy day or when my kids are bored, so I want to share with you a review of this company and product.

Quick Summary of Little Passports Review

Product:	Little Passports (educational gift subscriptions for kids)
Why kids love it:	Little Passports sparks your child's curiosity about the world – it's a fun an exciting way to learn
Potential Benefits:	Kids have the opportunity to learn geography, culture, animals, science, math, play games.
Pricing Model:	Subscription (monthly)
Cost per month:	Starting at $24.95 / mo
Where to buy:	Little Passport's official website
Avg. Customer Rating:	4.8/5
GW Rating:	4.6/5

What is Little Passports for Kids?

Little Passports is a monthly subscription box that is geared towards children of varying ages. When you sign up, you’ll need to choose an age range for what kind of items you want to receive. Deliveries are based on the following categories:

• Early Explorers – ages 3 to 5
• Science Junior – ages 5 to 8
• Science Expeditions – ages 8 and up
• World Edition – ages 6 to 8
• USA Editions – ages 7 to 12

What is included in each of these boxes will vary, but they’re generally based on travel and exploration with some science included. Your child will be able to learn, create and play with different activities that are designed to keep them engaged.

Behind the Brand

Little Passports has been around since 2009, when two moms decided that they wanted their own children to have access to entertaining educational resources right from home. Creator Amy had moved a lot as a child. Stella grew up in a Chinese American household where culture was very important. Both of these women understood the importance of learning about different cultures and parts of the world from a very young age. They decided to make education and culture accessible to children all over the world, through their subscription concept. Little Passports has really taken off since it was created, having shipped more than two million packages to date. In addition to their subscription service, there are other games, toys and learning materials that you can purchase to supplement your kits.

Pros

• There is a personalized touch to each arrival, with your child’s name printed on certain items
• You get fresh materials each time your child receives their order
• Different material is available for different age groups
• Provides a screen-free activity for your children to enjoy
• Orders come in carrying cases for on-the-go play
• Supplemental online material is often available

Cons

• You can choose what kind of material you want your child to receive, but there are some pretty expensive items that you may not find affordable

Early Explorers Subscription Box

Early Explorers allows your child to discover the many wonders of the world, from ocean life to art activities. My children loved this subscription box when they were younger. There were always plenty of hands-on activities and games they would play together. We would sit down together and read through the stories that were included.

In the first order, your child receives a Little Passports suitcase that they can keep all of their items in moving forward. A wall-sized world map is also included. We hung this up on our playroom wall and marked off every location we learned about. Your child will receive a letter from their new pen pals, Max, Mia and Toby along with stickers, a play set and activity book.

You can view a full list of the different themes that are offered as part of the Early Explorers box on the Little Passports website. Some of them include oceans, food, space, weather, dinosaurs, insects, sports, rocks and world coins.

Learn more about Early Explorers

Animals of the Wild Subscription Box

The Animals of the Wild Subscription Box provides interesting information on some of the most fascinating animals that we share the Earth with. This is a great method of learning if your child is more of the hands-on type. Play sets, games and activities are all included. Your first shipment as part of this box includes a lift-the-flap play set featuring information on the Amazon rainforest. Your child will get to launch foam disks onto a giant kapok tree and a 3D macaw, poison dart frog and jaguar are also included. The matching game is really fun, and there’s plenty of additional information and facts provided.

The Animals of the Wild Subscription Box allows your child to learn about all of the different wildlife in areas like the Amazon, the Serengeti, the Pacific Ocean and more. I remember learning a thing or two from these boxes as well.

Learn more about Animals of the Wild

Science Junior Subscription Box

The Science Junior Subscription Box was perfect for my little budding scientist. It’s designed for children between the ages of five and eight. With monthly hands-on experiments, this is one of my favorite Little Passports options. The first box comes with activities and information about Antarctica. Your child gets a letter from their new pen pals Sam and Sofia, a magazine is packed with different puzzles, activities and stories and a Weddell seal craft is the craft of the month. You can sit down and play an Antarctic board game as a family, and collectible trading cards are included along with colorful stickers that spark your child’s creativity.

Learn more about Science Junior

Space Quest Subscription Box

Six different cosmic activity kits provide your child with hours of imaginative play. From building a cardstock planetarium that projects onto the walls and ceiling to making a mini flashlight projector to help guide a rocket, astronaut or comet around the room, this is a really fun Little Passports kit. My kids loved the life cycle of a star poster, and there was a lot of talk about space around the dinner table when we were in the middle of this subscription box.

Space Quest is recommended for children between the ages of five and eight. Some of the other activities include a marble maze game, solar-powered rover, alien life lab and even a satellite radio. This box keeps you and your kids quite busy!

Learn more about Space Quest

World Edition

The World Edition Subscription Box allows your child to explore a brand-new country every month through different hands-on activities, stories, and souvenirs. The first kit includes information and activities focusing on Brazil. A display board stars up your child’s world coin collection, a chapter book allows you to sit down with your child to learn about Brazil while improving their reading skills, a collectible souvenir is included, and a jam-packed activity book will provide hours of fun. There’s even more content available online for this month. Future months include mining through a pyramid for treasure, completing a sticker art mosaic and decorating a DIY piñata.

Learn more about World Edition

Science Expeditions

When you take a peek inside the Science Expeditions kit, you’ll find a new science topic each month that features experiments, inventions, comic books and badges. The very first month’s delivery includes things like a forensic science experiment kit, fingerprint analysis card and ink pad, a science lab notebook to fill in, an original comic book and activity booklet and an achievement badge. Everything fits into a really cute, reusable tote bag. I love this subscription because it’s packed with so much information. You get plenty of learning materials, but there’s also a nice balance of hands-on activities that keep your child engaged. They’ll ask to do some of the experiments over and over again.

Learn more about Science Expeditions

USA Edition

Travel all across the United States without having to leave the comfort of your home thanks to this USA Edition Little Passports Subscription Box. Each delivery brings new information on new states. Everything kicks off with a welcome letter from your travel guides, Sam and Sofia. Your child gets their very own Little Passports USA field guide. A wall-sized map of the United States can be hung up for easy reference and a discovery kit is full of activities and information. This edition is recommended for children aged seven to 12. I definitely feel this box is more for the older ones since it features less hands-on activities and more reading materials.

Learn more about USA Edition

Toys and Board Games

In addition to monthly subscription boxes, you can purchase additional products through Little Passports that include things like educational board games, learning toys, activity kits, plushies and science activities. If your child found a specific box exciting and interesting, you can keep that momentum going. My youngest was really into plushies when they were younger, so we purchased some of the characters to go with the stories we were reading. It was nice to have the option to expand the world coin collection and do the Spooky Shadow Theatre around Halloween.

What’s Great About Little Passports?

There’s a lot to be discovered thanks to Little Passports deliveries. We always found that the deliveries arrived on time, which was nice because that prevented my kids from being disappointed. I also thought the information and activities included each month were very relevant based on the age range that’s recommended. Both of my children tend to be fast learners, so I was able to choose additional material when needed and we upgraded to different boxes whenever the current one seemed too easy. I liked that this was an opportunity for an activity that didn’t involve screen time. Rather, it got my kids to use their imagination and learn something new.

What Could Be Better?

I felt like some of the subscription boxes were packed with some really amazing hands-on activities. Other ones seemed to lack a little bit. I would love to see more consistency across the board. That way, if you change subscription boxes, your child will know what to expect and won’t see a change in the type of activities that are featured. For example, the geography material for the older kids in the USA Edition is very text-based. Whereas the Science Junior kit for ages five to eight is very hands-on.

What I Don’t Like

Little Passports really seems like it’s geared towards the younger ages. Once your child is a pre-teen or teen, they’re probably not going to be that interested anymore. If you have an older child and a younger child, you may have to split your time between the two in order to complete the activities with your little one. Some of the kits go up a little in age range, but you sometimes don’t see the same categories featured. So one child may have to work on something geography-focused, while another child will be learning about a completely different science-based topic.

What Age Is Little Passports Good For?

You can find Little Passports boxes starting at the age of three. The service drops off after the age of 12. We found that the age recommendations were pretty accurate, but there were some times that we chose to skip ahead to a higher age bracket if the material seemed to be getting too simple.

How Much Does It Cost Per Month?

The price range varies for Little Passports monthly subscriptions, but the cost starts at $16.95 per month. For each category, you can save money by signing up for longer subscriptions. For example, the The Science Expeditions subscription box costs $27.95 monthly if you’re paying month-to-month. You can lower that cost to $25.95 per month if you opt for a 6-month subscription. The price lowers further to $23.95 per month for a 12-month subscription. Shipping is free, and coupons are sometimes available online.

Does It Auto Renew?

The Little Passports subscription service will automatically renew once you have signed up. However, you can choose to turn this feature off in your account settings. Your subscription will continue to run down for the amount of time that you signed up for.

Is It Easy to Cancel?

You can choose to cancel your subscription at any time. However, you cannot receive refunds for months that you have already purchased. Little Passports has a very helpful customer service department, so you can reach out to them with your questions at any time.

Real Parents and Kids Little Passport Reviews

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to find any verified customer reviews on sites like Trustpilot or Consumer Affairs. However, there are a lot of independent reviews of Little Passports on the internet, and you can do a quick search to find some of them. I find that some of the best information and recommendations comes from real life parents that have tried a product with their own children. Ask some of your friends and family members if they’ve tried Little Passports and what they thought about it. You can also look on Amazon at some of the Little Passports' products to see what people had to say.

Read all reviews on Little Passport's website here.

Any Alternatives to Consider?

Little Passports has some other subscription-based competitors. Let’s take a look at what they are.

KiwiCo

KiwiCo is a very popular subscription box service that offers different hands-on activities, including different arts and crafts projects. It’s a little less education-based than Little Passports, but it’s fun if you’re just looking for a quick and easy activity to do with your child periodically. Your child still gets to enjoy the excitement of having something delivered to them in the mailbox each month. KiwiCo is recommended for toddlers and small children, but there are even adult age ranges.

We Craft

We Craft is packed with different arts and crafts projects, coloring books, prop kits, ornaments and much more. It takes on the theme of outdoor adventure for the most part, and also doesn’t have an educational aspect to it like Little Passports does.

Amazon STEM

Amazon STEM offers a lot more flexibility with their subscription service. They offer shorter periods of time that you can sign up for boxes, and you have the ability to skip a month if you feel like your family is busy and you just can’t get to the activities that month. Amazon STEM is recommended for children between the ages of three and 13, including engineer-based information and activities.

The Bottom Line

For my household, I would have to say that Little Passports is definitely one of the best subscription box services out there. You get a lot of products for your money, but I like the educational aspect. I like my kids to learn while they think that they’re just playing. This doesn’t make your child feel like they’re sitting down for additional schoolwork, which is what I like to avoid. You can count on the box to arrive at your doorstep each month, and it’s likely that your child is going to find it interesting as long as you’ve picked a theme that you think they’ll like.

Which Little Passports Subscription Box Is Right for You?

Are you trying to figure out which Little Passports Subscription Box is going to be right for your household? I would recommend considering the following:

• Take a look at the age ranges listed on the Little Passports website. We always found that these recommendations were pretty spot on for our kids.
• Think about the different topics that you know your child is interested in. If they’re interested in science and how the world works, it’s best not to opt for a geography box right away. You can branch out later on if you’re finding the boxes to be successful.
• Let your child participate in choosing the kind of box that they want to receive. You can view a lot of what’s in the first kit, so let them take a look along with you.