Podcasts for Kids

With the prevalence of screens in our daily lives, sometimes we may forget about the beauty of listening to a story. With the prevalence of streaming video like YouTube and Netflix, it may be hard to imagine children taking the time to sit and listen to a story. With podcasts, screens aren't necessary and are becoming more popular with children. Escpecially since many teachers even use them in the classroom!

With surprising stories, fascinating facts, and engaging sound effects to grab your children's interest, all you need for an entertaining family-listening experience are some headphones or a set of speakers. Here are some podcasts that include bedtime stories, science exploration, interesting news, and more.

Why Podcasts?

With engaging hosts and compelling stories, podcasts can be great tools to teach kids about science, history, ethics, and boost learning. Listening to stories helps kids build vocabulary, improve reading skills, and even become more empathetic. Podcasts are designed to hook kids with music, jokes, compelling stories, and more. Some are designed in a serial format with cliffhangers at the end to get kids to tune back in.

Podcasts are completely portable. You can listen in the car, on the bus, or in a classroom or even while doing chores around the house. Podcasts don't have subscription or download fees, so anyone with internet access can listen and download for free.

How to Listen

Podcasts are available to stream online or with an app you can download specifically for podcasts. Apps make it super easy to start listening. Here are a few options:

• Podcasts. The original podcast app (Apple iOS)

• Stitcher Radio. (Android, iOS)

• SoundCloud. (Online, Android, iOS)

• Podbay.fm. (Android)

• Kids Listen. (Apple iOS)

Once you download an app or choose a website, search its library by topic and start exploring. Make sure you subscribe to your favorites. This delivers new episodes to your device. Podcasts can take up space, so after you listen, feel free to delete the episode. (Some apps will auto-delete episodes after you listen).

Important to Note:

Many podcasts run several minutes of ads at the beginning or end. Because they're often read by the podcast host, the ads can seem pushy. You can always skip through the ads.

Podcasts vary in age-appropriateness. The iTunes Store labels podcasts "Explicit" or "Clean," but that is in reference to specific language, not necessarily content. Based on the podcast, it may be a good idea to listen first before sharing with your kids.

Podcasts for Kids

Below are some recommended podcasts for kids and teens. Be sure to check out the content first to see if it is appropriate for you and your family.

For the Whole Family

Dream Big Eva Karpman (age seven) and her mom interview celebs, award winners, and experts in a range of fields each week, with a hope of encouraging young people to find their passion and follow their dreams. The relatable mother-daughter dynamic and the big-name guests make this a fun choice for kids and their parents to listen to together. Best for: Kids

Wow in the World Hosts Guy Roz and Mindy Thomas discuss the latest news in science and technology in a way that's enjoyable for kids and informative for grown-ups. Best for: Kids

Book Club for Kids This biweekly podcast features middle school aged children talking about a popular middle-grade or YA book as well as sharing their favorite book recommendations. Public radio figure Kitty Felde runs the discussion, and each episode includes a passage of that week's book read by a celebrity guest. Best for: Tweens and teens

Best Bedtime Podcasts

Peace Out This is a gentle podcast that encourages relaxation and mindfulness. It is great for bedtime or when kids could use a calming activity. This podcast combines breathing exercises with whimsical visualizations for a truly peaceful experience. Best for: Preschoolers and little kids

Story Time These 10- to 15-minute stories are a perfect way to lull your little one to sleep. The podcast is updated every other week, and each episode contains a kid-friendly story, read by a soothing narrator. Best for: Preschoolers and little kids

What If World With wacky episode titles such as "What if Legos were alive?" and "What if sharks had legs?," this series takes ridiculous "what if" questions submitted by young listeners and turns them into a new story every two weeks. Host Eric O'Keefe uses silly voices and crazy characters to capture the imaginations of young listeners. Best for: Kids

Stories Podcast This podcast has kid-friendly renditions of classic stories, fairy tales, and original works. These longer stories with a vivid vocabulary are great for bigger kids past the age for picture books but who still love a good bedtime story. Best for: Big kids

Best Podcasts for Road Trips

The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian This serialized podcast tells the story of an 8-year-old boy living on an interplanetary space station who explores the galaxy and solves mysteries with his friends. With no violence or edgy content and with two seasons totaling over 13 hours of content, this sci-fi adventure is perfect for long car rides. Best for: Kids and tweens

Eleanor Amplified This serial podcast was inspired by old-timey radio shows. It follows a journalist who goes on adventures looking for her big scoop. Tweens will love Eleanor's wit and daring and might even pick up some great messages along the way. There's even a "Road Trip Edition" episode with the entire first season in a single audio file. Best for: Tweens

The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel This mystery series has been called a Stranger Things for tweens. With a voice cast of actual middle schoolers, a gripping, suspenseful plot, and interactive tie-ins, this story about an 11-year-old searching for his missing friends will keep tweens hooked to the speakers for hours -- more than five, to be exact. Best for: Tweens

Welcome to Night Vale Structured like a community radio show for the fictional desert town of Night Vale, the mysterious is ordinary and vice versa in this delightfully eerie series. Both the clever concept and the smooth voice of narrator Cecil Baldwin have helped the show develop a cult-like following. It's a bit creepy and dark for kids, but older listeners will find it perfect for a nighttime drive along a deserted highway. Best for: Teens

Best Podcasts for Science Lovers

But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids Kids are always asking seemingly simple questions that have surprisingly complex answers, such as "Why is the sky blue?" and "Who invented words?" This cute biweekly radio show/podcast takes on answering them. Each episode features several kid-submitted questions, usually on a single theme, and with the help of experts, it gives clear, interesting answers. Best for: Kids

Brains On Similar to But Why, this is another radio show/podcast that takes kid-submitted science questions and answers them with the help of experts. What makes this one different is it tends to skew a bit older, both in its questions and answers, and it has a different kid co-host each week. The result is a fun show that's as silly as it is educational. Best for: Kids and tweens

Tumble Often compared to a kid-friendly Radiolab, this podcast not only addresses fascinating topics but also tries to foster a love of science itself by interviewing scientists about their process and discoveries. The hosts don't assume that listeners have a science background -- but even kids who think they don't like science may change their minds after listening to this podcast. Best for: Kids and tweens

Stuff You Should Know From the people behind the award-winning website HowStuffWorks, this frequently updated podcast explains the ins and outs of everyday things from the major ("How Free Speech Works")  to the mundane ("How Itching Works"). Longer episodes and occasional adult topics such as alcohol, war, and politics make this a better choice for older listeners, but hosts Josh and Chuck keep things engaging and manage to make even complex topics relatable. And with nearly 1,000 episodes in its archive, you might never run out of new things to learn. Best for: Teens

This post was adapted from 20 podcasts for kids.