Magazines that publish children's writing

Want to encourage reluctant writers?  Want to give enthusiastic writers a place to spotlight their work?  There are few things that are more rewarding for writers than seeing their work in print! 

Many magazines publish children's writing.  In some cases payment is in copies of the magazine, while others offer cash.  Competition tends to be high, especially with better known publications.  Remind kids that many famous authors were rejected dozens or hundreds of times before they were published.

Here are some magazines that publish children's writing.

Creative Kids magazine is a quarterly magazine that features games, stories, and opinions all by and for kids ages 8–14. Visit the web site to download sample pieces, read submission guidelines and find subscription info.

Magic Dragon, a quarterly publication, presents writing and art created by children in the elementary school grades.  Magic Dragon is published by the non-profit Association for Encouragement of Children’s Creativity.  The magazine is ad-free.  Click here for more info, to see sample pages and to subscribe.

New Moon Girls is an online community and print magazine where girls create and share poetry, artwork, videos and more.  Girls can see their work published online or in the magazine.  Click here to download a full copy sample issue, get a free one month online subscription and get more info.

Cricket magazine and its sister publications are written by adults but they feature children's work through story, poetry, art, and photography contests.  Click here for subscription info and more.

Secular Homeschooling is a magazine for homeschool parents (religious or not) and features a "Home Scholars" section featuring work by homeschooled kids in each issue.  Homeschoolers are invited to contribute short articles, stories, black and white artwork, and poems. Contributors are paid $5 for each accepted submission.  Click here for more info about the magazine or here for writers' guidelines.

Skipping Stones is an ad-free, international non-profit magazine that focuses on sharing children's cultures and perspectives from all over the world. Geared towards readers ages 8 to 16, they accept essays, stories, letters to the editor, riddles and more.  They also encourage kids to submit illustrations with their work.  Children can submit work in other languages, too (it will be accompanied with a translation).  Click here for writers' guidelines and here for more information about the magazine.

Stone Soup magazine is published by the nonprofit Children’s Art Foundation and features children's writing and art.  Called "the New Yorker of the 8 to 13 set" by Ms. Magazine, this is a very tough magazine to get published in.  They report that they receive about 250 submissions per week.  All contributors whose work is accepted receive a certificate, complimentary copies and discounts on other purchases. In addition, contributors of stories, poems and book reviews are paid $40 each; illustrators are paid $25 per illustration.  Click here for more information.

Keep in mind that one of the best ways to improve writing is to read writing by others, and the best way to keep magazines like these around is to support them.  Many of these magazines would make great gifts as well.

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