I am a huge fan of Podcasts. I usually listen to them whilst doing boring chores. The type of podcasts I listen to are generally those that teach me something. I see it as an opportunity to learn whilst I have to waste my time doing chores. It’s a way to absorb information without having to actually spare the time to read stuff! When the schools closed in 2020 and we were in lock-down and observing social distancing, using audio as a way to get my girls to absorb information was a lifesaver. Cue me researching which are the best podcasts and audio resources for kids.
The list below are all recommendations I’ve received or audio resources that my girls enjoy listening to.
Podcasts for Kids
These podcasts for kids are perfect for children of all ages, but specifically for kids aged 5 to 12 years old. They are all free to download. I’d recommend clicking on the links in the headings to go to the main page for each one, and then see which podcast provider they are available on. Most are available on Apple and Spotify, but not all.
BBC Radio 2 – 500 Words Bedtime Stories
These are fab little stories written by kids for kids and they really do have a soothing quality to them, great for getting kids to wind down after a busy day. There are a huge number of episodes to download for free.
Thanks for the recommendation from Zoe.
The David Walliams Marvellous Musical Podcast by Classic FM
David Walliams, the best-selling children’s author and TV personality brings to life the stories of the great composers. Each episode introduces children to composers like Mozart, Ethel Smyth, Liszt and Clara Schumann. It also covers topics such as Ballet, the history of the piano and some of the world’s strangest instruments. There are 10 episodes in total.
Another fab recommendation by Zoe from My Allergy Kitchen.
If that wasn’t enough, David Walliams is also releasing an audio story, every day for 30 days. Just click the link in the tweet below, or head straight to his website.
Fun Kids – Story Quest, Stories for kids
My girls love this one! At the moment they are listening to the story of King Flashypants and the Evil Emperor, by Andy Riley. They are gripped. My idea of the girls listening whilst doing their homeschool work was shot to pieces as there are completely gripped by this story. It’s told by Matthew Baynton (one of the stars of Horrible Histories).
The Big Life Journal Podcast
The Big Life Kids Podcast helps kids develop a growth mindset.
This is not just a podcast, it’s an entire toolkit developed by parents to help children live a more mindful life. Resources focusing on resilience, gratitude, kindness and all the other things we all want our children to embrace. The podcast is amazing. Do yourself a favour and definitely check it out. They also have actual journals that you can buy – the one below is aimed at kids aged 7 to 10 but they do have a number of others available for different ages too. Their podcasts work in conjunction with their journals and other resources.
Thanks Tanya for the recommendation!
Wow In The World
Wow in the world is an amazing Science focused podcast for kids. Here’s how they describe themselves: Hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz guide curious kids and their grown-ups on a journey into the wonders of the world around them. We’ll go inside our brains, out into space and deep into the coolest new stories in science and technology.
Credit: NPR.org
Girl Tales Podcast
This is a podcast for kids, sharing fairy tales with a feminist twist on them. Instead of damsels in distress, you find strong female role models to inspire our young women.
The Circle Round Podcast
I haven’t listened to this one, but this is what they have to say about themselves:
Created and produced by parents of young children, WBUR’s Circle Round adapts carefully-selected folktales from around the world into sound- and music-rich radio plays for kids ages 4 to 10. Each 10- to 20-minute episode explores important issues like kindness, persistence and generosity. And each episode ends with an activity that inspires a deeper conversation between children and grown-ups.
Sounds good to me!
If you have any other Podcasts that your kids enjoy, please let me know. I would be happy to update this list.
Storyberries Radio – Free Bedtime Stories
Storyberries offer a number of short stories, perfect for bedtime! Download them on your apple podcast and the kids can listen to them before they go to bed.
Other Audio Resources that your kids will love!
It’s not just podcasts, there are loads of other audio resources for kids that are great for their entertainment or to help with their learning and education. Here are a few of those that can help us all get through the quarantine and self isolation period.
Sooper Books Children’s Stories
Sooper Books are award winning Children’s Stories, and in an effort to support parents during the quarantine and lockdown response to Coronavirus, they have decided to make all their books, new and old, available for FREE from now until the foreseeable future.
Not only do they have ebooks, but they also have read-along videos, teacher-approved lesson plans, and are in the process of converting more of their stories into audiobooks. The first one they have is The Three Little Pigs. You can check it out by clicking the image below.
Josh Gad reading books on Twitter!
Josh Gad, is an American actor, better know by kids as the voice of Olaf from Frozen and Frozen 2, as well as staring in the remake of Beauty and the Beast playing Le Fou, Gaston’s Sidekick! How can we forget that musical number, right?
Anyway, he has committed to do his best to read a children’s book every day on Twitter! It’s fab, honestly. Just follow Josh Gad himself on Twitter and set up a Notification for the hashtag #GadBookClub. You can go back and watch previous stories if you wanted to too.
Amazon – Audible & Kindle Fire
Amazon Audible
Audible is the audiobook subscription service by Amazon. They are offering a huge number of free and discounted children’s books at the moment. This is definitely worth checking out. You can download the app for free and then search 1000s of titles to download.
Kindle Fire for Kids Unlimited
Kindle Fire for Kids Unlimited is also great for a wide range of books, games, movies, TV Shows and educational apps. In addition to that they offer the following:
- A completely kid-friendly environment
- Promotion of reading and maths with educadtional apps and thousands of books
- Flexible parental controls that you can manage from their device, or remotely from our Amazon Parent Dashboard.
- It also offers the ability to personalize each kid’s experience with profiles, and let them watch where they want to – on Fire Tablets, or Kindle eReaders
After the trial, monthly subscriptions start at just £1.99/month!
Oxford Owl – Storyteller Videos
Oxford Owl have a huge number of resources to support home learning during the Coronavirus lockdown. All for free! The Oxford Owl Storyteller videos are really great for a few minutes of peace and quiet whilst your kids are entertained.
I hope you all found this list of podcasts and audio resources for kids useful. I would advise that if your children do listen to podcasts on headphones that you keep an eye on the health of their ears. Use a good quality headset for them.
Of course, learning happens in so many different ways, something that these unprecedented circumstances have definitely taught us, parents. Check out this post by fellow blogger Jess from Tantrums to Smiles on the many ways of helping your kids to stay motivated to learn during lockdown.
If you have any other podcasts for kids that you can recommend, I’m happy to keep adding to this post. Send me your recommendations of podcasts, audiobooks, storytime or ebooks that would be great for kids (and tired parents) during quarantine and coronavirus lock-down.
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If you’re interested in listening to my podcast, which is for adults, it’s called The Migration Generation. In it, I chat to other moms who have left their lives in Africa where they grew up and migrated to different parts of the world. As well as to those who stayed behind and to ask their perspective on why so many people leave SA, return, or stay.
If you enjoyed this list of podcasts and audio resources for kids, please share it with your friends on social media.
This is a great list! Thank you!
OH wow! these are awesome! we definitely need something other than the TV to occupy us right now. These are great! Plus we can do some follow up activities afterwards too! I can’t wait to start doing the bedtime one before lights out. That would be a great one to listen to as a family before bed.
This is so helpful .And so need right now! Thank you!
Holy cow, I had no idea ANY of this existed! Thanks for the super list of resources – have scheduled to my FB page!!! Great collection!
OMG, this list is fantastic! Perfect for ANY parent with kids at home right now!
I love podcasts but never thought about having my kids listen! There are a few on here that my little ones would love so I’m going to give it a try. Thanks for sharing!
This is great! We have been looking for something new to do, thanks for the list.
What a great resource! We’ve tried the David Walliams one – brilliant. And also the free books on audible are great for little ones. Thank you for sharing this list with the #DreamTeamLinky xx
Some good ideas here. I love podcasts so am trying to encourage my kids to listen and enjoy them too #DreamTeam