The Best Kids Podcasts
- Nikki Yeager
- Sep 16, 2024
- 8 min read
Why did I make a podcast list on a website meant for teaching ideas? Well, why not?!
But seriously, a lot of students who I tutor in writing come from ESL families. I've learned that an easy way for parents and kids to practice English together is by listening to podcasts. Adult podcasts can be both boring and difficult to understand, so although this is a children's podcast list, we love to share it with adult language learners as well.
And what if you're a native speaker? Podcasts are a great, screen-free way for kids to kill some time. They are also a wonderful introduction to story telling. If you're working on writing skills, ask your kids to model a story off of a podcast, or continue a podcast story on their own by writing what happens next. Oftentimes, if you send a copy to the podcast directly, they'll shout out to your kid on the next episode which is always a nice confidence-booster for hesitant writers.
So here we go! I've listed each podcast with the youngest age I'd suggest trying the podcast (completely made up by me, so feel free to ignore it), and an activities column for very bare-bones ideas of how to incorporate the podcast into reading or writing lessons. These are generally sorted by youngest to oldest, but the ratings are subjective.
Name (youngest age suggested for podcast), links Purple = May also be interesting for adults (good for families who listen together) 👂= Speaks clearly. Good for English language learners. | What is it? | Skills or activities related to the podcast. |
Very simple stories of Molly and her life in a native Alaskan community. Most of these stories follow similar story arcs as any show made for younger kids. However, it also introduces some cultural context about native Alaskan residents. Kids may lose interest after about 6 years old. | Social Studies/Geography: The website has videos, games, and more related to Molly and her culture. Look up where Alaska is on a globe! | |
I love this podcast myself, even though it’s made for kids in the 2-6 year old range. It’s about all the furniture coming to life when the humans leave. Melon, the family dog, and the lovable Couch are best friends and have a surprising amount of adventures around the house. There are silly songs mixed in that are made for little kids, but still fun to listen to when you’re older. | Singing: Sing along to practice singing. | |
No problematic content. Simple stories about dinosaur machines that usually have morals. Short, sweet, similar to young kid’s disney shows. | ||
Each episode talks about a day in the life of Cairo, a kid living in the big city. Every episode teaches a good lesson while still being entertaining enough for most kids. No swearing, no bad role models, no violence. Kids over 7 or 8 years old may not be interested. | ||
Very calm podcast telling original stories and retellings of classic books. May not be interesting to listeners over 7-10 years old. | Reading: Read the classic books mentioned in Storynory's classic retellings. | |
This podcast is very, very goofy. It’s about a kid who realizes he’s actually an alien with super powers. The trouble he gets in is all kid friendly with nothing dangerous or violent. Although it’s probably designed for kids 4-7 years old, the production quality is great and my family enjoys it for both younger and older kids. | Writing: The Bobby Wonder website has some extra activities including some writing prompts like “who would your ideal sidekick be like?” | |
Huge volume of original stories with no scary stuff, no violence, no bad language. The quality of these stories make them interesting enough for kids even as they get older. | ||
Great adventure story about kids who live on a spaceship with their families and discover new planets. There is no scary background music, bad language, or violence. Good story telling engages adults as well as kids. | Reading: Purchase the Finn Capsian chapter books for kids to practice reading. | |
This podcast is perfect for kids 5-8 years old. It’s about a girl who wants to be a detective and is on the case of who stole her friend’s good luck charm. It’s simple without too much action, but is fast paced enough to keep kids’ attention. | ||
Some references to Posey getting picked on by her relatives, but an otherwise simple, child-friendly story about a girl who likes to sing and is trying to make it to a big competition. Usually has at least one song in an episode. It’s appropriate for very young kids, but may not interest listeners under 4. | Singing: Sing along with the songs. | |
Has a huge volume of stories. Original characters and stories come in series including the Ninjas of Valleytown. Some adventure and battling, but no overt violence. May not be exciting for kids 11+ | Storytelling, games: The Kid’s Stories website has printouts for games and storytelling prompts for kids to come up with their own stories | |
This is a podcast full of traditional African folktales told by African storytellers. | Social Studies/Geography: Look up other traditional folktales and learn about the tribe or region they come from. | |
Highly entertaining stories for kids about a group of spies who use science and skills to fight Dr. Stinkybreath and his goons. Good for any age, and still enjoyable for kids until they’re about 10 years old. | General: The website has a ton of activities for primary school aged kids. | |
This is a good podcast for kids up to about 12 years old. It’s not something that usually entertains adults, so it’s good for when you need your kid to give you a break. This podcast tells ridiculous stories based on imagined prompts (What if… elephants could fly?). | Writing: After the podcast have your kid write a short story using the same prompt as the podcast. Reading: You can find the transcripts for every episode on their website so kids can read along if they have a hard time following. | |
A new kid moves into a neighborhood and meets a diverse group of friends. These primary school aged kids spend each episode doing a different sport (the podcast was created by basketball player Kobe Bryant before he died) and usually has a moral to the story, but always incorporates humor and fast-paced storytelling. Great option for kids who like sports. | ||
This story is set in a Minecraft style world and follows a kid who is learning how to be an adventurer. There is lots of action and is great for kids who like to game. No inappropriate language or realistic violence. Older kids will probably continue to enjoy it. | Gaming: This is also a roleplaying game available online and via app. I have never played it and cannot vouch for it, but it can be found here if you’d like to try it out. | |
You either love this podcast or have no use for it. It’s very slow, calm and quiet (perfect for bedtime) but it discusses historical figures and events (may not be interesting or may be difficult to understand under 5 years old). I find older kids who like history (7-10 years old) but need some sort of sound stimulation in order to relax benefit from listening to this podcast in a quiet room either when they need to calm down or in the evening before bed. | Reading: Stories and information sheets that line up with each podcast episode can be found on the website. | |
This story is about a boring old dad who turns out to be a former adventurer. The story isn’t necessarily scary, but does have instances of realistic danger (a dad and his kids having to escape bad guys). Older kids may still enjoy this into their teenage years. | ||
Does your kid like to argue? This is a debate podcast for kids. Two people come together and debate a topic (who is better, batman or spiderman?) using proper debate tactics. But they make it fun! The podcast describes the rules and terminology throughout. Some 6 or 7 year olds may appreciate this, but kids 9-12 might get the most enjoyment out of it. | Debate: Print out a score card for both you and your kid. Keep score throughout the podcast and determine your own winners. Turn it into a debate and debate which argument was best! | |
This podcast has adult voice actors telling stories for kids following the Stories Role Playing Game (RPG) format. At the beginning of the episode they create their characters and then they play the game while creating a story. Some concepts may not make sense to younger kids. I’d say the ideal age range to both listen AND play is 8/9-12 but it just depends on the kid. | Storytelling: The Stories RPG game is a storytelling game like Dungeons and Dragons but simplified for kids. The rules and activity sheets can be downloaded here. Listen to some episodes and then play with your kids! | |
Listen to the story about a famous figure and guess who it is! This is a fun podcast for families to listen to together and try to guess who the episode is about. Appropriate for younger kids, but probably not interesting for younger kids who may not be able to guess the character. | History: Look up more information about the characters in the podcast. | |
Follows the story of a girl whose grandmother is Mother Nature. The girl is 12 so there are scenes with her being bullied and the hint of crushes. There is no actual violence or any bad words so younger listeners can still enjoy it. Interesting for teenagers and adults as well. | ||
Continuation of the story/play “Annie”. This podcast picks up when Annie is living with her adoptive father and continues on as disaster strikes. The podcast follows 15 year old girls but is appropriate for younger listeners with no bad words, overt violence, or physical romance. If you know the story of Annie you will definitely like this podcast! | ||
In this sci-fi story, there are no schools or libraries - just screens and social media. Jef, the AI helper character, is out of control and a group of kids try to defeat him. It’s not as scary or depressing as it sounds, and is generally good for any kid who can understand slightly more complex ideas about society or social media. | ||
Follows the story of a girl in a future society where people believe animals have gone completely extinct. The girl discovers a dog and spends the entire podcast trying to save it. There are some more adult themes (government regulation,climate change, etc.) and the content may be a bit slow moving for younger listeners. Probably best for kids 8 or 9+ and through teenage years. | ||
This is a story following a a family who discovers a girl in the water and then takes her in as a daughter. Her and her new siblings start to uncover her past through the episodes. There is a story line about the characters having a crush on each other and two of the characters kissing once. Some of the scenes with scientists “snatching” kids may scare younger listeners. The first season may also be interesting to adults, but becomes repetitive in future seasons. I think it’s best for ages 8 or 9 -15. |
Also check out our post on combining books and podcasts to boost reading skills.
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