In our family, nothing says summer like a road trip, and nothing says road trip quite like that small voice coming from the back seat: “Are we there yet?” As every parent knows, it starts out as a question but quickly turns into a demand.
There are limits to how long any child can stand riding in a car seat, but those limits can be extended with some good entertainment. My family has spent years living in an RV, traveling the country, so my children have put in some serious miles, most of them with surprisingly few complaints. And no, we didn't just turn on the movies and drive. My wife and I wanted the kids to see the land we were driving through, so we skipped the screen and instead turned to modern radio—aka, the podcast.
My kids have since grown out of podcasts in favor of music, and many of their favorite shows are unfortunately not what they used to be. Podcasting is awash in content at the moment, and finding the good stuff in the noise can be difficult. These are the best shows I've found. I won't go so far as to guarantee you a peaceful drive, but before you resort to another game of I Spy or singing about 99 bottles of anything, give these podcasts a try.
Be sure to check out our many other guides, like the Best Kids' Headphones, Best STEM Toys, and Fun Ways to Help Kids Learn.
Updated April 2024: We've added new podcasts like Lights Out Bedtime Stories for Children and Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl.
The Greeking Out podcast from National Geographic Kids retells classic Greek myths in kid-friendly form. Recently there have been a couple of forays into other mythic tales, like Loki from Norse mythology, but it's mainly Greek. This quickly became a favorite in our household, though my kids were occasionally not happy that the versions told here did not precisely match the versions they knew (from, among other things, D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths (Amazon, $21)), but I like that it got them thinking about how stories change and why there might be different versions.
If your children are into mythological stories, or you want to get them into mythology, this one is highly recommended.
The Who, When, Wow! podcast from Tinkercast is a history-focused podcast with an emphasis on less well-known figures whose stories will (hopefully) make your children say "wow!" It's a good mix of biographies, with everything from scientists like Caroline Hershel to sports greats like Roberto Clemente to Harry Houdini. The mix is eclectic enough that there's something for everyone.
Unfortunately, there are quite a lot of ads (you can listen ad-free by subscribing through Wondery Kids+ or Amazon Prime), and stories are often interrupted by things jumping out of closets and other stage effects, but this still manages to be one of our favorites.
This creative story podcast focuses on folktales from around the world. Episodes of Circle Round range from 10 to 20 minutes each. Lately Circle Round has been promoting some other podcast episodes in its feed, so you might find an episode of Brains On (listed below) or other kids' podcasts alongside its own creations.
Circle Round is a bit more overt in its value-teaching than some of the others in this list. It routinely delivers some kind of message, something about kindness, generosity, or other shared American cultural values. Teaching morality is one of the main purposes of folktales, but here I find it a little heavy-handed at times.
It has pirates in the name, which is all my kids needed to hear. Story Pirates is an entertaining mix of stories and fun songs (like "The Bear That Couldn't Disco"). There are some special guest voices you might recognize in some episodes too, like Claire Danes and John Oliver.
There's a lot more here than just the podcast. If your kids want to go beyond listening, check out the website, which has links to the book series (for middle-grade kids), information on live shows, and pirate T-shirts.
Like Stories Podcast, Purple Rocket Podcast has a mix of content with quite a few long-running series, including “Grandpa's Globe,” which is about twins Sawyer and Suzie, who use their grandfather's magical globe to explore the universe. Other adventures involve everything from aliens to fairies. Mixed in with the series are occasional one-offs, some of which manage to impart little lessons for your kids. For example, “My Homework Ate Me” is a cautionary tale of procrastination.
All the episodes I've listened to feature an elaborate array of voices, ambient sounds, and music to help bring the stories to life. These are very much in the spirit of old radio plays like The Shadow.
The mix of content makes for a podcast that should satisfy even the pickiest of listeners. New episodes arrive every other week. There are also transcripts available so your kids can read along while listening to improve literacy.
Story Seeds is a relatively new podcast, and it's a bit different from the others; rather than a story, it's a meta view of how to create a story.
Each episode pairs a kid (age 6-12) with a children's book author. They meet up in person and collaborate to write original stories that start out with the kid's idea (the “seed” in the name). It's not updated as frequently as some of the rest of these, but there's over two dozen episodes available.
This Australian podcast is devoted to showcasing true stories of Australian women. From athletes to spies, Fierce Girls often promotes a unifying theme of adventurous girls with “guts and spirit.” While the stories are all appropriate for kids and not graphic, the hosts don't shy away from telling stories as they happen. In some cases, you might want to listen first to make sure a story is appropriate for your children's maturity level. That said, our 9-year-old twins love them.
This podcast is episodic readings of classic children's books, making it somewhere between a podcast and an audiobook. It covers a variety of books from shorter, single-episode tales for younger kids to longer-form, multi-episode readings. The nice thing about this one is there's something for just about everyone. My only complaint is that some of these are very short, most of them are under 5 minutes. All episodes are ad-free, but you will need a Spotify account to listen.
Offering a mix of classic stories like those of Beatrix Potter and lesser-known content, Planet Storytime aims for that mix of entertainment and education Fred Rogers perfected. It releases new episodes every Thursday.
One really nice feature that sets this podcast apart is that at the end of each month, there's one long episode with an entire month's worth of content—perfect for getting an hour or so to yourself.
This science podcast is aimed at kids, though I'll be honest, I've learned plenty from it as well. Brains On is educational—just don't tell your kids that. They'll love learning how insects walk on walls, how to find their way without a compass, and even where poo and pee go when you flush the toilet.
There's a series called “Smash Boom Best” in which two things are pitted against each other, and your kid can pick their favorite. For example, Loki was recently pitted against Athena. This podcast is probably best suited for slightly older kids.
The Warrior Kid Podcast is not for everyone, but my kids really like the question-and-answer format of this podcast, which is based on the books of the same name. The author of the books and host of the show is Jocko Willink, a decorated, retired Navy SEAL officer and leadership guru. Here Willink stands in for the character of Uncle Jake in Willink's Warrior Kid book series, answering kids' questions about everything from how to avoid eating candy to what it takes to be a Navy Seal.
Willink places a worthwhile emphasis on physical activity, mental sharpness, diet (encouraging kids to develop healthy eating habits), and hard work. The latter forms the core of the message in this podcast: Work hard, train in jiujitsu, and you will eventually succeed. This one is targeting slightly older kids, probably best for ages 8 and up. One special note: Willink has another podcast, Jocko Podcast, that is most definitely not for children.
A production of Anorak Kids Magazine, The Happy Podcast for Kids is educational and entertaining, and it works well for the whole family, since there are plenty of stories that will entertain adults as well kids. Much of the content explores themes similar to Anorak's magazines, so if something really catches your child's interest, you can order the relevant issue. Themes include everything from sea life to imagination to linguistics. Guests cover a similarly wide-ranging spectrum with everything from scuba divers to ice cream makers. While this one is fine for the whole family, given the level of detail and episode length (around 30 minutes), you might have to take breaks with younger children with shorter attention spans.
Another NPR podcast, But Why aims to answer kid questions about everything from nature, politics, culture, science, even the end of the world. Your kids can submit their own questions too; instructions are on the website.
Because But Why covers a wide range of topics, I tend to help out more with it. Many episodes are best suited to slightly older kids. My kids (7 and 5) were not about to sit through an episode on what happens when a president is impeached, for example, but they did enjoy an episode on how we taste food.
One of the few podcasts on this list that was created by a kid, Aaron's World is a 50-episode audio-drama following the adventures of a boy (Aaron) and his trusty computer sidekick (INO) exploring the prehistoric world of dinosaurs. The episodes focus on single topics—e.g., iguanodon, microraptor, sharks—but over the five-year run, some fun larger story arcs emerged that create a running plot. All came from the mind of initially 6-year-old Aaron, who kept at it for five years. Highly recommended for any kid who's interested in dinosaurs.
OK, this isn't really a podcast, more of a radio show, but long before my kids got into storytelling podcasts, they loved this weekly two-hour music show released every, ahem, Saturday. And I know what you're thinking: kids' music. But it's really not kids' music, it's just music kids will enjoy. This is also a great way to discover music your kids love that won't drive you crazy. Did you know Walkmen co-songwriter Walter Martin has a fantastic album for children? How about The Verve Pipe? Johnny Cash? All these and more I have discovered through Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl.
There are quite a few podcast platforms that make it easy to subscribe to many of our favorites and listen ad-free (as well as supporting the creators). Some of these are available through Amazon Music if you're a Prime subscriber, but my favorite way to get rid of ads and get access to a ton of great shows is a Wondery+ Kids Subscription. You get access to shows like Whose Amazing Life, Wow in the World, and Who When Wow, among others, all for one price. If your kids are really into podcasts, this is the way to go.
Other Great Podcasts and Audio Shows
The internet is awash in podcasts, with far too many to mention in detail. That said, here are some others your kids may like.
- Earth Rangers: This podcast has a biology slant but makes a good listen for any kids interested in digging in the dirt, learning about animals, or listening to tales of the ecosystems in far-off lands. There are episodes on the jungle, the Arctic, and nearly everything between. Episodes are generally about 15 minutes each and usually tackle a single animal or environment. Earth Ranger is probably best suited to kids who are a little more mature.
- Molly of Denali: This eight-episode podcast sets the backstory for the PBS cartoon of the same name. Each episode is about 10 minutes long, and they're sequential, telling the backstory of Molly Mabray, an Alaska native growing up with her parents, family, and friends in Alaska.
- Eleanor Amplified: This long-running adventure series features an intrepid reporter named Eleanor Amplified. She specializes in foiling the devious plots of villains. It's a bit pro-journalist at times, in a rah-rah kind of way that's not for everyone, but the stories are fast-paced, entertaining, and in the spirit of old-time radio shows.
- Live From Mount Olympus: My kids were working their way through the Percy Jackson book series when this arrived, so this Olympian-focused podcast was an instant hit. It follows the adventures of a young Perseus, who is on a quest to save his mother from an evil king. Live From Mount Olympus mostly sticks to the Greek stories as you may remember them, though there are some additional characters. Live From Mount Olympus is part of the Trax network, which hosts other kids podcasts as well.
