Podcasts for kids? Yes, that’s a thing.
You may wonder but are children interested in podcasts? Are kids listening to podcasts these days?
Children love listening to stories and podcasts can be one of the ways we can bring rich storytelling, knowledge based and musical shows to meet our children’s interests. In-fact a recent survey showed that nearly 48% of American children in the age group 13-17 had most likely listened to a podcast.
Even among younger participants age 6-8 at least 20% of this group had heard podcasts. Podcasts are definitely catching on in popularity as a screen free entertainment option for kids.
The next question I get asked is,
WHAT TYPE OF PODCASTS SHOULD I INTRODUCE TO MY KIDS?
Depending on the child’s age, younger children age 4-7, will find story podcasts for kids engaging and older children age 5-12 may find longer length educational podcasts interesting.
We use a mix of story podcasts and educational podcasts for kids in our home. Each has something to offer the child which I will get to in detail further in this post.
HOW LONG ARE PODCASTS?
Kids podcasts are usually between 10 minutes to 30 minutes long. Most children over age 4 can focus on audio content of that length especially when it is in story format.
HOW DO FAMILIES FIND NEW PODCASTS TO LISTEN TO?
Most families find podcasts through recommendations on the app itself, when podcast channels collaborate, or through family friend recommendations.
OUR EXPERIENCE WITH PODCASTS
We first started exploring this medium of storytelling during the Pandemic when I was running out of ideas to keep my child motivated enough to go through the daily routine.
We started with story time podcasts as a break from play and a way to reduce dependence on screens.
This was followed by music podcasts like Story bots. One mistake I made was to introduce these at bedtime, which prolonged the bedtime process. Once I realized my mistake, I pulled off the switch on podcasts at bedtime. It simply didn’t work for us.
Related reading : Toddler sleep tips to help them sleep fast.
Now my son has settled into a routine of listening to podcasts during Quiet time or long car journeys.
I look up a story or episode for him and play it before handing over the iPad. This way I can check what he is listening to.
Most times I prefer that he is around me when listening to his podcasts. Engaging together with the child is important so you can provide context where needed and choose age-appropriate shows and episodes.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF KIDS LISTENING PODCASTS
One of the benefits I noticed after exposure to podcasts is the rich conversation style my son has adopted.
Podcasts increased his interest in hearing stories and conversations with adults.
And last podcasts are fun. They definitely should be a part of little children’s lives. The right content can spark creativity, engage the child and bring joy. I remember in my own childhood listening to Hindi story cassettes during my vacations. Those stories and rhymes are still in my memory as some of the fun I had on slow summer afternoons.
Listed below are some of our favorite kids podcasts. Save the list for your reference.
PODCASTS FOR KIDS (age 4-12)
Story podcasts
Story time by Bedtime FM
Bottle ship adventures by Bedtime FM
Talking Tales from Tulika by Neha Mathews
Story time with Tula Jane and her Mother in the Wild by Mother in the wild
Story time with Philip and Mommy by Lisa Bueno
Tales from the Lily pad by Lily
Educational podcasts
Brains On! by American Public Media
But Why? Vermont Public Radio
Music podcasts
Storybots dinosaurs and planets
The Kiboomers
We use a free Spotify account, yes, the ads are annoying, a paid account is better. Other podcast platforms are Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts app.
Have you tried podcasts for kids yet? Do you have any questions about podcasts? Comment below and I will answer these for you.
Thanks for the recipes.