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Screen (time) savers
Podcasts continue to provide entertainment and education to young kids, while not adding to their screen time. In the past, we’ve provided podcast recommendations for families and kids of different ages, and many of those choices still top the “best” lists.
But if you’re looking for something different, here are 15 more options to consider. Some are new, while others are hidden gems that were new to us.
If you are new to podcasts, visit our guide to get more information on where you can find them and how to download them.
Use the arrows above the image to discover your next great listen
Storytelling from around the world
‘Fierce Girls’
You may be familiar with the U.S. franchise “Rebel Girls,” short tales of historic women who broke barriers and inspire a new generation of children to be their authentic selves. “Fierce Girls” features stories of Australian heroines, including athletes, doctors, poets and activists with similar intentions. The most recent season features 8-minute stories written and narrated by 8- to 11-year-old girls. Within this collection of short youth-narrated profiles you’ll also find some episodes that include longer-form stories with narration by Australian notables.
‘African Folktales’
Launched in 2020, this series of bedtime stories (each of which is about 10-minutes long) features animals and other young characters in tales that end in learning lessons. The storyteller, Aunti Oni (Oni Lasana), goes out of her way to create different voices for the characters and keeps the storytelling engaging. Some tales may sound familiar (for example, “The Rabbit and the Turtle” is essentially a retelling of the Aesop fable “The Tortoise and the Hare,”) but the African-centric storytelling provides an opportunity to recognize the different cultures that are embedded in our community.
‘Spanish Stories for Kids’
This Spanish-language podcast is ideal for the dual-language household (or a fun opportunity to strengthen your language skills). Young Marcelo introduces each podcast with his insights into the story about to be told and shares a handful of vocabulary words that he reviews at the end of the story. His mother narrates a story in Spanish in a soothing voice. These stories are adaptations of tales many children in the United States have probably learned already, such as “Jack and the Beanstalk” (“Las Habichuelas Mágicas”).
‘Circle Round’
WBUR, Boston’s public radio station, produces a well-loved storytelling podcast that features folktales from around the world. Veteran radio reporter Rebecca Sher hosts the podcast, which brings in actors some adults may be familiar with (Corey Stoll, Rosalind Chao, William Jackson Harper) to voice the characters. Original music has been composed using instruments native to the country in which the story originated. “Circle Round” has featured stories from China, South Asia, Brazil, Africa and more, and provides another entertaining entry into conversations about the world around us with your young family members.
‘Molly of Denali’
Also a series on PBS, “Molly of Denali” is a serial podcast that follows the adventures of Molly, an Alaska Native, and her friends and family as they solve a series-long mystery (for season one, Molly investigates what creature stole her birthday cake). “Molly of Denali” is the first national children’s series to feature all Native American leads. The series itself seemingly lends itself better as a TV show than a podcast, however, kids will still have fun listening as Molly and her friend Tooey gather clues to solve mysteries.
‘Hank the Cow Dog’
This long-running children’s book series is now a podcast starring Matthew McConaughey in the titular role. It’s a treat to listen to McConaughey’s Texas drawl as Hank, the “head of ranch security,” gets himself into a variety of sticky situations while trying to solve mysteries around the ranch where he lives. Adults may get a kick out of guessing who is playing the side characters, as Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, Cynthia Ervo, Leslie Jordan and others lend their voices to this fun serial. The first season features five episodes, running about 20 minutes each.
Humorous history
‘Greeking Out’
National Geographic has developed a fun and engaging podcast for school-aged kids. “Greeking Out” uses comedy, fun sound effects and a Siri-type sidekick to share the stories of mythological Greek gods. Season one ran at about 15-minutes per episode, however, the second season has expanded, with some as long as 30-minutes.
‘Homeschool History’
When the global lockdown happened in the spring of 2020, the creator behind “You’re Dead to Me,” a humorous history podcast geared toward adults, had the great idea to create a series geared toward kids: “Homeschool History” was born. British entertainer Greg Jenner teaches some world history events, delivered with comic commentary and kid-loving sound effects. Be sure to listen carefully, because at the end of each episode, Jenner delivers a quiz for listeners.
‘David Walliams’ Marvellous Musical Podcast’
Grown-ups will recognize host David Walliams from the British sketch series “Little Britain,” and kids may know him as a best-selling children’s author of several books, including “Billionaire Boy” and “Mr. Stink.” This podcast mirrors the tone and voice of “Homeschool History,” though is focused on classical music. The funny sound effects and unusual stories, with modern references to Fortnite and Harry Potter, is a brilliant way to introduce kids to Mozart, Beethoven and even John Williams.
In their own words
‘The Story Seeds Podcast’
On each episode of “The Story Seeds,” a child between the ages of 6 and 12 is matched with an author who helps the child develop their “story seed.” The kids are creative and often hilarious, and the authors ask the right questions to keep the story focused and provide guidance that allows each original piece to grow. Host Betsy Bird, a librarian and author in her own right, helps set the scenes and keeps the pace moving. Original music and other sound effects bring the right amount of levity. In the first season, Jason Reynolds, Aram Kim, Dan Gutman and Veera Hiranandani are among the authors paired with budding writers. The first season includes 10 episodes, each 20–30 minutes long, as well as bonus Q&As as separate episodes.
‘Mystery Recipe’
Calling all chefs! “Mystery Recipe” is co-hosted by America’s Test Kitchen Kids Editor-in-Chief Molly Birnbaum and a cartoony oven mitt, Mitsy. Together they perform experiments and play games with kids via Skype or phone, and “show” the audience how cooking can be fun and educational. Each episode centers around an ingredient, and the finale of each episode concludes in a mystery recipe cook-along.
‘Mic Drop’
In Canada, CBC produces “Mic Drop,” where teens speak their minds directly to the audience, with no adult intervention. The episodes are short, around 10 minutes, and tweens and teens share honest stories of racism, hunger, divorce, culture clash and mental health. The kids have something to say, and the adults should listen. Note some of these topics are tough, so for younger listeners, you may want to listen together.
For the older set
‘Let’s Be Real with Sammy Jaye’
Seventeen-year-old Sammy Jaye may not be the youngest podcast host ever, but she is currently the youngest host at the behemoth entertainment company iHeartMedia. Jaye has years of experience as a Radio Disney personality, and her interviews with athletes, actors, musicians and teen activists are engaging. Jaye is providing an outlet for a younger generation to address fun pop culture topics in addition to more serious issues that affect them, such as depression, mental health and gun control. Episodes are around 30-minutes in length, but that time goes by quickly.
‘Office Ladies’
Thanks to viral memes and Netflix bingeing, the TV series “The Office” has found new life with a much younger audience. While it is up to individual families to decide if this show is age-appropriate, new fans of the old show might want to tune into “Office Ladies,” a rewatch podcast hosted by stars and best friends Jenna Fisher (Pam) and Angela Kinsey (Angela). Fisher and Kinsey read letters from fans, answer nuanced questions about the show, often bring in guest stars and sometimes find their conversations going off-topic. The additional insight into their time on “The Office” is a fun way to spend an hour once a week.
‘The Anthropocene Reviewed’
This podcast may be of interest to the precocious teen. John Green, bestselling author of YA novels (“The Fault in Our Stars,” “Paper Towns”) and co-host of the podcast “Dear Hank and John,” developed this podcast to review topics as one might review a book. Topics are wide-ranging (he has reviewed the plague, prom and air conditioning), and Green seemingly does a great amount of research and writing to prepare for them (this might explain why the series was monthly in cadence). Within the episodes you often get a glimpse into his career as a writer, and he is open with some of the personal and mental health issues he has faced in the past. Many hard-hitting topics are addressed, but they are done so with reverence and care. We give this podcast 5 stars.
Six Minutes
When the Anders family is on vacation and discover a girl floating in the icy Alaskan waters there are more questions than answers. How did she get there? Why is her memory gone? Are her parents really who they say they are? This action packed podcast (from the Peabody award-winning creators of The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel) is part mystery, part adventure, part sci-fi. There are two seasons with a total of 105 episodes, each six minutes long (except for the finale, which is nearly an hour). Your kids (and you!) will find it hard to stop listening, but since the show is complete you could binge it all at once. Keep this one in mind the next time you have a long car ride in your future, it will keep everyone entertained and begging for just one more episode!
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in November 2020, and updated in December 2021.
