There are a lot of podcasts out there. A LOT. And it can be hard to know where to start – and which are worth your time (and data). If you subscribe to a few and forget about them for a bit, suddenly you have more audio than you could ever dream of getting through, right there in your pocket.
But it’s not just adults who have an overwhelming amount of pre-recorded audio at their fingertips, there are plenty of podcasts for kids, too.
We listened to loads of them to find the best – whether they’re something to stick on during a long car journey, an alternative to screen time or to sit down and enjoy as a family.
Best kids podcasts for comedy
Ask The Nincompoops Kids never stop asking questions, and now there’s a podcast dedicated to just that. Andy Stanton, author of Mr Gum, and Carrie Quinlan, a radio 4 actor, host this very silly, vaguely educational show looking at issues such as farting, the history of cheese and why humans aren’t stripy.
Story Pirates Stories written by kids are reinterpreted by comedians, musicians and improvisers in usually deeply silly ways. Beloved by The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart, and featuring occasional guest appearances by big names like John Oliver and Clare Danes, it’s at once really funny and a heartfelt celebration of creativity.
What If World “What if monsters were real... but made of chocolate?” Our host, My Eric, takes incredibly random, hypothetical situations sent in by children, and improvises stories based on them. Even if the spinning of ales seemingly out of thin air doesn’t impress you, his endless ability to switch between voices certainly will should.
Best kids podcasts for storytelling
Circle Round This podcast takes folk tales from around the world and turns them into music-filled, high-production-value radio plays featuring big(ish)-name actors. They’re less than half an hour long and generally have some kind of moral ending with a bunch of talking points for kids and parents.
CBeebies Radio Popular shows such as Molly and Mack, Something Special and Ferne and Rory’s Pet Tales do lose something edited into audio-only formats (there’s a reason radio doesn’t do a lot of documentaries about animals) but CBeebies-devoted kids will love it.
The Creeping Hour This horror anthology series (think: Tales From The Crypt, Amazing Stories or The Twilight Zone) has only just launched, but seems like an absolute go-to for fans of Goosebumps and the grislier side of everything.
Best kids podcasts for music
The Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl Got kids who love music? Regularly in the car for a while? The Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl offers weekly two-hour curated playlists of kid-friendly music with a quirky indie sensibility. It’s more They Might Be Giants than Baby Shark, plus every so often there’ll be a Ramones track to keep the grown-ups awake.
Spare The Rock, Spoil The Child “Indie music for indie kids”, this weekly hour of family-friendly music is equal parts tunes specifically made for kids (Caspar Babypants and so on) and tunes for grown-ups that there’s no reason for kids not to like (Elvis Costello, Frank Turner and Guided By Voices have all featured). They also regularly get artists in for exclusive live sessions.
Best kids podcasts for learning
Wow in the World Made by NPR (think: Serial and This American Life), Wow in the World is a science podcast aimed at “curious kids and their grown-ups”. It looks at technology and innovation along with plenty of appealingly gross subjects like bug-eating.
Short & Curly Despite having literally the worst title of any podcast ever (especially one aimed at kids approaching puberty), Short & Curly is a fascinating look at the world of ethics. If you’ve got the sort of thoughtful offspring that wonder whether robots should have rights, this is one for them.
Everything Under The Sun The first QI Elf ever hired, and the author of three books, Molly Oldfield tackles questions from kids such as why rainbows are as colourful as they are, why flamingos like standing on one leg and whether different kinds of whales can communicate with each other. Guest experts have included historian Dan Snow and children’s author Oliver Jeffers. The show also recently bagged a British Podcast Award.
Brains On! Featuring a different child co-host every week, Brains On! aims to answer kids’ questions about the world of science – everything from ‘why are cats so weird?’ to ‘which animals fart the most?’
You’re Dead To Me Greg Jenner, the resident historian on CBBC’s BAFTA-winning Horrible Histories, brings comedians and historians together to talk about the past with all the grotty bits left in.
Pants On Fire A game show not dissimilar to a fact-based Would I Lie To You?, Pants On Fire sees kids grilling two experts, one of whom tells the truth while the other lies. It’s all intended to encourage critical thinking skills in an age of disinformation and ‘fake news’, but provides plenty of laughs along the way.
Best short podcasts for kids
Six Minutes An endlessly unfolding drama told in handy six-minute instalments (ideal for a short school run or a “by the time this episode is over, this room had better be tidy” situation), Six Minutes is a suspense-filled adventure serving up cliffhanger after cliffhanger for almost two hundred episodes (and counting).
Chompers A twice-daily two-minute podcast, Chompers is designed exclusively to be listened to while children brush their teeth. It’s also Alexa-enabled, and keeps track of tooth-brushing streaks – we live in the future. It’s filled with jokes, riddles and songs to make dental care something to look forward to.