My kids love getting mail, and apparently there is a surprising amount of free stuff you can actually have mailed to kids.
I went looking specifically for things that would be useful for homeschool. Not free printables that I still have to print myself, but actual physical stuff that shows up at the house. I found kids' magazines, comic books about money, state travel guides, maps and some really good educational resources you can request for free.
Some of these we've been getting for years and others we're just now trying. Everything on this list is completely free, including shipping.
Free Kids' Magazines
LEGO Magazine
If you remember LEGO Life, it's now called LEGO Magazine. The name changed in November 2024, but it's still a free magazine made for kids ages 5 to 9 with comics, building ideas, activities and plenty of LEGO.
It's mailed about five times a year, and you'll need a free LEGO account to sign up.
Netflix Family Magazine
We've been getting Netflix Family Magazine for a couple of years now and my kids love it. It's an actual printed magazine with games, activities, stories and other things featuring Netflix characters they already know. The activities are probably their favorite part because there are usually plenty featuring characters from shows they actually watch.
It's completely free, you don't need a Netflix subscription to get it, and it's available to families in the U.S. There's a limit of one subscription per address.
Critter Connections
Texas families, this one is for us. We've been getting Critter Connections for years and it's another one we really like.
Critter Connections is a free kids' nature magazine from the Texas Wildlife Association. It's made for kids 13 and under, and each issue focuses on Texas wildlife or one of our ecoregions. New issues come out four times a year and Texas families can have them mailed to their homes for free.
We've also gotten a lot of use out of the free educational resources Texas Wildlife Association has online. Their Distance Learning section has on-demand lessons for K–8 covering things like animal adaptations, ecosystems, food chains, life cycles and more. We've used some of these for homeschool and the lessons are actually pretty engaging.
Sign up for Critter Connections
You can also go through the Critter Connections library to read past issues and find additional activities and educational resources.
Not in Texas? Check Your State
If you're not in Texas, it's worth checking to see what your state offers too.
Missouri, for example, has Xplor, a nature magazine from the Missouri Department of Conservation for kids ages 7 to 12. It comes out six times a year and is free for Missouri residents.
Several states have some version of a free kids' nature publication, so check your state's wildlife or conservation department. Depending on where you live, it might be called Parks and Wildlife, Fish and Wildlife, Department of Natural Resources or Department of Conservation. Search their website for "kids magazine," "youth publications" or "educational materials."
And if something says it's available to teachers or classrooms, check whether homeschool families qualify. It never hurts to ask.
Free Money + Financial Literacy Resources
U.S. Currency Education Program
This is such an easy resource to work into homeschool.
The U.S. Currency Education Program has free educational materials that teach kids about actual U.S. money, including how bills are designed and the security features used to tell whether money is real.
You can order Decoding Dollars booklets, posters and other materials and have them shipped to your house for free. Don't skip Carnival Thrills and Dollar Bills either. It's an illustrated book that introduces elementary-age kids to money.
Federal Reserve Comic Books
Did you know the Federal Reserve has comic books for kids? Because I didn't.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has an entire comic book series that teaches kids about money and economics through stories. You can read them online, but you can also request printed copies and have them mailed to your house. There's even a homeschool option on the order form.
I ordered ours and it was really quick and easy.
There are several to choose from depending on your kids' ages and what you want to cover. How Do We Get the Things We Want? covers things like goods, services, trading and how money works, so that's a good starting point for younger kids. Buy Now, Pay Later gets into budgeting and how those payment options can affect financial decisions, which would work well for older kids and teens. There's also How Does Monetary Policy Work? for older kids who are ready to go a little deeper.
Free State Travel Guides + Maps
This one could easily turn into a whole geography lesson.
Most states have an official travel guide, and a lot of them will mail one to your house for free. They're obviously made for travelers and not specifically for kids, but they're full of maps, landmarks, state parks, cities, attractions and photos. There's plenty in there to work with for homeschool.
Texas
We're starting at home. You can request the official Texas State Travel Guide and map and have them mailed to you for free.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin will mail its travel guides and maps to U.S. addresses for free. They say to allow about 10 to 14 days for delivery.
Alabama
Alabama also lets you request a printed travel guide and state highway map by mail.
See How Many States You Can Collect
This is what I want to try with my kids next.
Search "[state name] free travel guide" and make sure you're on that state's official tourism website. Request the states that offer printed guides and see how many you can collect.
You could put a U.S. map on the wall and mark off each state as something arrives. Pick a state each week, find it on the map, learn the capital, look through the guide and have the kids choose somewhere they'd want to visit. You could even have them plan a pretend trip and figure out how far it is from home.
We're going to try this, so I'll share how it goes.
A Few Tips Before You Start Ordering
I would use an email address you don't mind getting promotional emails at because some of these sign-ups may also add you to newsletters.
Also keep in mind that free programs like these can change. If you come across something on this list that isn't available anymore, let me know so I can update it.
I'm still looking too because now I want to see how many actually useful educational things we can get mailed to our house for free. If you know of something I missed that sends physical materials to families for free, send it my way.
And if you know another homeschool family whose kids love getting mail, send this list to them too.
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