L is for Listening
Our pick of the best kids podcasts
There are so many ways to encourage good listening in children; from reading regularly to having one-on-one conversations but we are also huge fans of a good podcast and there are so many brilliant ones out there. Whether informative and educational or amusing and entertaining, they are a great way to spark imagination and curiosity, encouraging children to consume content using just their ears, learning to listen and read both non-verbal and verbal cues, improving attention and memory. There all help towards better communication skills, which you can enjoy together as a family, at bedtime, in the car or when stuck indoors! Here’s a list of some of our favourites for kids...
https://www.funkidslive.com/podcast/the-week-junior-show/ - Our favourite radio station and weekly magazine rolled in to one! Each week, the Fun Kids presenters are joined by young members of The Week Junior team to discuss their favourite stories and debate the week's hot topics?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07mdbhg/episodes/downloads - The perfect way to make history fun for kids presented by Greg Jenner and a host of the best names in comedy! Learn and laugh at the same time!
https://play.acast.com/s/nincompoops - Author, Andy Stanton, and actress, Carrie Quinlan, answer the very important questions that kids want to know! Like who invented cheese? What are trees for? What’s the meaning of life? Full of nonsense, hilarity and a few outrageous lies, the whole family will be laughing their socks off to this one!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02tkm27/episodes/downloads - A selection of the brilliant stories written by kids for the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show 500 Words competition. Great for bedtime!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/storynory-stories-for-kids/id94571049?mt=2 – A different audio story every week. From fairytales to new children’s stories, poems to myths, adventures and romance, there’s something for everyone.
There are also tonnes of American ones too…
https://www.rebelgirls.com/pages/podcast - Based on the best-selling book, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, this podcast series features audio adventures about extraordinary real-life women from all over the world and throughout history.
http://www.whatifworldpodcast.com/episodes - Bonkers stories inspired by bonkers questions - What if a tiny dragon lived in my closet? What if there were a never-ending bowl of ice cream? What if cats ruled the world? Brilliantly imaginative.
https://www.npr.org/podcasts/474377890/but-why-a-podcast-for-curious-kids - In this podcast series, kids ask the questions about our amazing world and the hosts answer them. From nature to words, no topic is too big or too small!
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/shortandcurly/ - A fast-paced, fun-filled podcast about ethics with questions and ideas to get kids and parents alike thinking. Right up our street! Hosted by ethicist, Matt Beard, from The Ethics Centre, school kids and special guests including sports persons and musicians, who discuss the answer to questions about animals, technology, school, pop culture and the future.
https://girltalespodcast.com/ - You won’t find any damsels in distress or princesses in need of protection in these reimagined fairytales - the girls in these exciting adventure stories take control of their own destiny.
https://biglifejournal.com/pages/podcast - A podcast version of the fab journal which helps kids develop a growth mindset.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dream-big-podcast/id1168126157?mt=2 – Hosted by 10-year-old Eva Karpman alongside her mum, the Dream Big Podcast inspires children to pursue their passions in life and take action to make their dreams a reality. Yes!!!
https://www.storyseedspodcast.com/ - This podcast invites young creative rockstars to submit their story idea (or seed) and have it turned in to an original script for the show by famous authors!
If you’re looking to inspire then Ted Talks for Kids are a perfect place to start. Check out these links:
https://www.ted.com/playlists/86/talks_to_watch_with_kids
https://www.ted.com/playlists/129/ted_under_20
https://www.lifehack.org/785441/inspiring-ted-talks-for-kids
And for bedtime try these:
https://www.moshisleep.com/ - This award winning audio app helps families experience calm and relaxing bedtimes, encouraging to kids drift off to sleep quickly and easily.
https://www.relaxkids.com/ - Leading experts in relaxation for kids, Relax Kids wide range of resources including MP3 Albums and Chill Skills CDs help them become more resilient, giving them the tools and techniques required to manage their emotional and mental health.