Podcasts for Kids, Pre-Teens and Teens

Whether you’re driving to school, sports practice, after school activities or grandma’s house … this is a great time to put on a podcast and listen together. Below you can read about my top four personal favourites! And then I’ve listed loads more podcasts under a few categories for you. Enjoy!

• Short & Curly –Hosts Molly, Carl and Matt explore ethical dilemmas in this hilarious and thought-provoking podcast. This is our favourite podcast to listen to. My kids and I are obsessed with it! It’s great for kids and adults because the hosts are so funny.
• Fierce Girls –  Inspiring stories of fierce Australian women from Turia Pitt and Edith Cowan to Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Layne Beachley.  I gotta say, I think this podcast is better than Rebel Girls.
• Pants on Fire: Can you spot a liar, liar, pants on fire? In the era of fake news, kids must be able to tell what’s true from what’s false. And what better way than with a game show? My kids and I find this American podcast great fun to listen to and enjoy trying to guess which guest is telling fibs the whole way through.
• Ask Me Anything – Okay, okay this is my podcast where I play Agony Aunt to tween and teenage girls across Australia answering everything from “How do I convince my mum to let me have Instagram?” to “How do you know if your friends really like you?”

SHORT STORIES

Six Minutes: from the award-winning creators of The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel and The Ghost of Jessica Majors, comes Six Minutes, a new mystery adventure for the whole family. Starting on March 1st, new six-minute episodes, twice a week, all year long…and beyond.

Storynory:  brings you an audio story every week. Each one is beautifully read by Natasha and friends. Let Natasha’s voice beguile you with classic fairy tales, new children’s stories, poems, myths, adventures and romance.

Story Pirates Story Pirates is a group of world-class actors, comedians, improvisers and musicians who adapt stories written by kids into sketch comedy and musical theatre. 

The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel is a scripted podcast for middle grade kids, performed by middle grade kids. It is a fun, high-quality, serial mystery that can be described as Goonies meets Spy Kids meets Stranger Things for 8-12-year olds.

Eleanor Amplified Eleanor Amplified is a radio adventure series for the whole family. Listen together as world-famous radio reporter Eleanor foils devious plots, outwits crafty villains, and goes after The Big Story. 

The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian:  a serialized science-fiction podcast for kids, 

SCIENCE / NATURE / EDUCATIONAL

Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls –Inspired by the best-selling books, this podcast brings the true stories from some of the world’s most amazing, intelligent, courageous women.

Big Picture Science: The radio show and podcast of the SETI Institute Big Picture Science engages the public with modern science research through smart and humorous storytelling.

Shirtloads of Science with Dr Karl Dr Karl’s a curious optimist – a great combination for a science lover. Join him and his guests for weird facts, amazing conversation and remember, it’s never too late for a happy childhood.

But Why? But Why is a show led by you, kids! You ask the questions and we find the answers. It’s a big interesting world out there. On But Why, we tackle topics large and small, about nature, words, even the end of the world.

Wow In The World Hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz guide curious kids and their grown-ups on a journey into the wonders of the world around them. 

Imagine This:  Imagine a world where it’s alright to ask questions and have your voice heard. Each episode we delve into a puzzling question from an inquisitive mind, examining the science behind it in a fun and engaging way. This podcast is suited to kids aged 4 and up, though all members of the family are sure to learn something!

BTN:  Behind The News – Australian podcast Each episode is a collection of the big, breaking, and just plain weird stories of the day, told in simple language, with no boring stuff. They’re perfect for the classroom and on the drive home from school. The BTN podcast finished in June 2019 but the TV show is still going.

Brains On:  a science podcast for curious kids and adults from American Public Media. Co-hosted each week by kid scientists and reporters from public radio, we ask questions ranging from the science behind sneezing to how to translate the purr of cats, and go wherever the answers take us

QUIZ/ DEBATES

Smash Boom Best Smash Boom Best is a debate show for kids and families from the makers of the award-winning podcast, Brains On! Every episode takes two cool things, smashes them together and lets you decide which is best. … (e.g. Museums vs Libraries, Unicorns vs Dragons)