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Longer episodes and occasional adult topics such as alcohol, war, and politics make this a better choice for older listeners, but hosts Josh and Chuck keep things engaging and manage to make even complex topics relatable. And with nearly 1, episodes in its archive, you might never run out of new things to learn. But this funny program also covers a range of topics by talking to actual kids as well as experts, providing thoughtful fun for young ones and their grown-ups. Although it's not specifically a music podcast, each episode contains an often-silly song that's sure to get stuck in your head.
There's even a quiz segment, so kids will learn something, too. Each week there's a new playlist combining kids' music from artists such as They Might Be Giants , with kid-appropriate songs from artists that grown-ups will recognize, such as Elvis Costello , The Ramones , and John Legend. It's a perfect compromise for parents tired of cheesy kids' music. All Songs Considered This weekly podcast from NPR covers the latest and greatest in new music with a particular focus on emerging artists and indie musicians.
It covers a wide range of genres and even includes artist interviews and live performances. Some songs contain adult themes and explicit language, but teens will love discovering a new favorite that you've probably never heard of.
For Your Family Log in Sign me up. Is it OK for kids to read books outside their reading levels?
Column 4 Our impact report: How Tech Is Changing Childhood. Parenting, Media, and Everything In Between. Get the latest in kids' media, tech, and news right to your inbox Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids' ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
I'm not in the U. Explaining the News to Our Kids. Search by Age and Topic By age Preschoolers By topic Early Childhood. Celebrity Influence on Kids. Character Strengths and Life Skills. Digital Media and School. Media and Body Image. News and Media Literacy. Privacy and Internet Safety. Sex in the Media. Violence in the Media. Entertaining, informative, and kid-friendly podcasts for bedtime, road trips, and more. How to Listen It can be daunting for a first-timer to enter the world of podcasts, but digital tools have made it easier than ever to start listening. Here are some popular options for listening: A mobile app with a sleek, easy-to-use interface SoundCloud.
An online audio-streaming platform for podcasts as well as music also an app Podbay. Streaming platform specifically for podcasts app available for Android, but iOS coming soon Kids Listen. Pros and Cons of Podcasts for Kids On the plus side, podcasts: With engaging hosts and compelling stories, podcasts can be great tools to teach kids about science, history, ethics, and more. Listening to stories helps kids build vocabulary , improve reading skills , and even become more empathetic. With podcasts, families can enjoy the same level of engagement, entertainment, and education as screen-based activities without worrying about staring at a screen.
Podcasts are completely portable. You can listen in the car, on the bus, or in a classroom or even while doing chores around the house. Podcasts don't have subscription or download fees, so anyone with internet access can listen and download for free. Most podcatcher apps are free, too. Get two thumbs up from kids! Podcasts are designed to hook kids with music, jokes, compelling stories, and more.
Some are designed in a serial format with cliffhangers at the end to get kids to tune back in. On the downside, podcasts: Play lots of ads. Many podcasts run several minutes of ads at the beginning or end. Because they're often read by the podcast host, the ads can feel like a hard sell. Many podcasts update regularly, so you can jump right in and start listening. Others are styled like radio or TV shows, so the most recent episode is actually the end of a season.
Check whether something is serialized or long-form before listening to the most recent update. When in doubt, listen first before sharing with your kids. Here are 20 of our favorites: For the Whole Family Dream Big Precocious 7-year-old Eva Karpman and her mom interview celebs, award winners, and experts in a range of fields each week, with a hope of encouraging young people to find their passion and follow their dreams.
Kids Wow in the World One of the newest podcasts to hit the scene, NPR's first show for kids is exactly the sort of engaging, well-produced content you would expect from the leaders in radio and audio series. Kids Book Club for Kids This excellent biweekly podcast features middle schoolers talking about a popular middle-grade or YA book as well as sharing their favorite book recommendations.
Preschoolers and little kids Story Time These to minute stories are a perfect way to lull your little one to sleep. Tweens Welcome to Night Vale Structured like a community radio show for the fictional desert town of Night Vale, the mysterious is ordinary and vice versa in this delightfully eerie series. Kids and tweens Tumble Often compared to a kid-friendly Radiolab, this podcast not only addresses fascinating topics but also tries to foster a love of science itself by interviewing scientists about their process and discoveries.
Kids All Songs Considered This weekly podcast from NPR covers the latest and greatest in new music with a particular focus on emerging artists and indie musicians. How to Raise a Reader. Add comment Sign in or sign up to share your thoughts. Comments 11 What a fabulous round-up! Each week, we find folktales from around the world and adapt them as radio plays for modern audiences ages Well-known voices from the stage and screen headline each sound- and music-rich story, and every episode ends with a gentle call to action: Thanks so much for considering us!
Thanks for reaching out. We think your podcast is truly exceptional! While we created this list in , we did include Circle Round in our followup, which you can find here: Polar bear fur is clear and their skin is black!? This podcast is literally perfect for entertaining the kids for 15 mins without any screen time https: Also check out the new Highlights Hangout podcast!
A beloved classic of children's literature The Secret Garden tells an inspirational tale of transformation and empowerment. When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. Why is she there? Where did she come from? And, most important, how will she survive in her harsh surroundings? Roz's only hope is to learn from the island's hostile animal inhabitants.
When she tries to care for an orphaned gosling, the other animals finally decide to help, and the island starts to feel like home. Until one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her First published in , Pippi Longstocking has given generations of kids a vision of days free from chores, bedtime hours, and homework. It's Maddy's turn to have a bayou summer. At first she misses life back home in the city, but soon she grows to love everything about her new surroundings - the glimmering fireflies, the glorious landscape, and something else, deep within the water, that only Maddy sees.
August Auggie Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school - until now. Palacio has crafted an uplifting novel full of wonderfully realistic family interactions, lively school scenes, and spare emotional power. One of the best-known stories in American culture, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has stirred the imagination of young and old alike for over years. By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner.
But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note. It's been five years since Livy and her family have visited Livy's grandmother in Australia. Now that she's back, Livy has the feeling she's forgotten something really, really important about Gran's house.
It turns out she's right.
Bob, a short, greenish creature dressed in a chicken suit, didn't forget Livy, or her promise. He's been waiting five years for her to come back, hiding in a closet like she told him to. He can't remember who-or what-he is, where he came from, or if he even has a family. But five years ago Livy promised she would help him find his way back home. Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy-pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!
Midnight Gulch used to be a magical place, a town where people could sing up thunderstorms and dance up sunflowers. But that was long ago, before a curse drove the magic away. Twelve-year-old Felicity knows all about things like that; her nomadic mother is cursed with a wandering heart. But when she arrives in Midnight Gulch, Felicity thinks her luck's about to change. A "word collector", Felicity sees words everywhere - shining above strangers, tucked into church eaves, and tangled up her dog's floppy ears - but Midnight Gulch is the first place she's ever seen the word "home".
Stanley Yelnats isn't so surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to a juvenile detention center. After all, his family has been ridden with bad luck ever since a one-legged gypsy put a curse on his great-great grandfather. He is told that the hard labor he must perform, digging five-foot holes in the dried up soil where Green Lake once sat, is meant to build character. But it soon becomes clear to Stanley that the warden is really using the boys to search for something very valuable. A bizarre chain of events begins when 16 unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W.
And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger - and a possible murderer - to inherit his vast fortune, one thing's for sure: Sam Westing may be dead Kyle Keeley is the class clown, popular with most kids, if not the teachers , and an ardent fan of all games: His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative game maker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the building of the new town library.
Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of the first 12 kids in the library for an overnight of fun, food, and lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors remain locked. Kyle and the other winners must solve every clue and every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route. She washed ashore in a hurricane eleven years ago, and she's been making waves ever since. She will protect those she loves with every bit of her strong will and tough attitude.
It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. Guts, glory, danger, and sacrifice are all in a day's work for Hank the Cowdog, Head of Ranch Security. While investigating a murder on the ranch, Hank finds himself the number-one suspect. Dozens of children respond to this peculiar ad in the newspaper and are then put through a series of mind-bending tests.
And you, dear listener, can test your wits right alongside them. Only four children - Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance - succeed. Max Einstein is not your typical genius. She hacks the computer system at NYU to attend classes, builds inventions to help the homeless, and talks to Albert Einstein! Okay, that's just in her imagination. But everything changes when Max is recruited by a mysterious organization! She's helped by a diverse group of young geniuses from around the globe as they invent new ways to power the farthest reaches of the planet.
Editorial Reviews. About the Author. Marcus Emerson is a middle grade and young adult author with a degree in English, a head full of ideas, and very little. Editorial Reviews. About the Author. Marcus Emerson is a middle grade and young adult author Adventure Club #1: Hilarious Adventures For Children Ages · Noah Child · out of 5 stars 1. Kindle Edition. $ · The Shortest Samurai.
But that's only if the sinister outfit known only as The Corporation doesn't get to her first. It was kind of like how he used to talk about quantum physics or how he used to say ghosts haunted their overgrown golf course. But then one day, after Stuey and his best friend, Elly Rose, spend countless afternoons in the deadfall in the middle of the woods, something totally unbelievable happens. Tully is a former search-and rescue dog who is trying to enjoy his retirement after years of performing daring missions saving lives.
So he's not terribly impressed when two chicks named Dirt and Sugar who look like popcorn on legs and their chicken mom show up demanding his help to track down their missing siblings. But driven by the promise of a cheeseburger, J. Ben Ripley may only be in middle school, but he's already pegged his dream job: Unfortunately for him, his personality doesn't exactly scream "secret agent".
In fact Ben is so awkward, he can barely get to school and back without a mishap. Because of his innate nerdiness, Ben is not surprised when he is recruited for a magnet school with a focus on science - but he's entirely shocked to discover that the school is actually a front for a junior CIA academy.
What would happen if you discovered that your family was one of the most powerful in human history?
What if you were told that the source of the family's power was hidden around the world, in the form of 39 Clues? What if you were given a choice - take a million dollars and walk away If you're Amy and Dan Cahill, you take the Clue - and begin a very dangerous race. Years ago, a man vanished from the yellow house on Surprise Island. The Aldens have found a clue to the mystery! Nancy Drew's keen mind is tested when she searches for a missing will. This collection of wonderful stories read by John Lavelle and penned by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat will find a place on any Nate the Great fan's bookshelf.
Bowser is a dog detective on the loose, paired with an year-old girl, Birdie. Bowser and Birdie live on the Louisiana coast with Birdie's Grammy. When a prize stuffed marlin is stolen from Grammy's bait and tackle shop, Birdie and Bowser decide to take on the case. But what looks like a straightforward break-in soon becomes as tangled as a tourist's fishing line. When a book of unexplainable occurrences brings Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay together, strange things start to happen: Meet Randi Rhodes, the world's first ninja detective!
Mystery abounds in this delightful new middle-grade series from Academy Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer. Deer Creek is a small town whose only hope for survival is the success of their Founder's Day Festival. But the festival's main attraction, a time capsule that many people believe holds the town's treasure, has gone missing. After a dying criminal confesses that his loot has been stashed "in the tower," the Hardy boys make an astonishing discovery. This adventure story has everything you could want: Join Westley the plucky farm boy, Buttercup the beautiful young maiden, Inigo Montoya the driven, embittered swordsman, and many other strange and unusual characters in this swashbuckling tale of good-natured silliness.
It is read by Rob Reiner, who directed the motion picture based on this classic tale. Pip is a girl who can talk to magical creatures. Her aunt is a vet for magical creatures. And her new friend, Tomas, is allergic to most magical creatures. When things go amok - and they often go amok - Pip consults Jeffrey Higgleston's Guide to Magical Creatures , a reference work that Pip finds herself constantly amending.
Because dealing with magical creatures like unicorns, griffins, and fuzzles doesn't just require book knowledge - it requires hands-on experience and thinking on your feet. Nory Horace is nine years old. She's resourceful, she's brave, she likes peanut butter cookies. Also, she's able to transform into many different animals. Unfortunately, Nory's shape-shifting talent is a bit wonky. And when she flunks out of her own father's magic academy, Nory's forced to enter public school, where she meets a group of kids whose magic is, well, different.
In this classic fantasy novel from author Michael Ende, small and insignificant Bastian Balthazar Bux is nobody's idea of a hero, least of all his own. Then, through the pages of an ancient, mysterious book, he discovers the enchanted world of Fantastica, and only Bastian himself can save the fairy people who live there. Shy, awkward Bastian is amazed to discover that he has become a character in the mysterious book he is reading and that he has an important mission to fulfill.
Even though his awful great-aunt Gertrudis doesn't approve, Micah believes in the stories his dying grandpa Ephraim tells him of the magical Circus Mirandus: Finally Grandpa Ephraim offers proof. The circus is real.
And the lightbender owes Ephraim a miracle. For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic in a cynical world. Well, actually, quite the opposite Kendra and her brother Seth have no idea their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. A thrilling new series soars above the competition and redefines middle-grade fantasy fiction for a new generation!
The seven dragon tribes have been at war for generations, locked in an endless battle over an ancient, lost treasure. A secret movement called the Talons of Peace is determined to bring an end to the fighting, with the help of a prophecy - a foretelling that calls for great sacrifice. Five dragonets are collected to fulfill the prophecy, raised in a hidden cave and enlisted, against their will, to end the terrible war.
In Coraline's family's new flat are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close. The fourteenth is locked, and on the other side is only a brick wall, until the day Coraline unlocks the door to find a passage to another flat in another house just like her own. Nathaniel is eleven-years-old and a magician's apprentice, learning the traditional art of magic. All is well until he has a life-changing encounter with Simon Lovelace, a magician of unrivaled ruthlessness and ambition. When Lovelace brutally humiliates Nathaniel in public, Nathaniel decides to speed up his education, teaching himself spells far beyond his years.
With revenge on his mind, he masters one of the toughest spells of all and summons Bartimaeus, a five-thousand-year-old djinni, to assist him. The recently orphaned Sisters Grimm find out from their Granny, who they thought was dead, that they're descendents of the legendary Brothers Grimm. Now they must take over the family responsibility of being fairy tale detectives in a town where fairy tales are real.
Audiobooks for Road Trips with Kids Turn family vacations into adventures, mysteries, or chances to laugh out loud. Browse our favorite children's audiobooks for long trips.
Most Popular Road Trip Listens. The Tale of Despereaux By: Kate DiCamillo Narrated by: Tracey Baptiste Narrated by: Kelly Barnhill Narrated by: When the Sea Turned to Silver By: Grace Lin Narrated by: Kim Mai Guest Length: The One and Only Ivan By: Katherine Applegate, Patricia Castelao Narrated by: White, George Plimpton Length: A Wrinkle in Time By: Madeleine L'Engle Narrated by: Roald Dahl Narrated by: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Narrated by: Ruth Stiles Gannett Narrated by: The Mouse and the Motorcycle By: Beverly Cleary Narrated by: Clementine Clementine, Book 1 By: Sara Pennypacker Narrated by: Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson Narrated by: Lemony Snicket Narrated by: Tim Curry, Full Cast Length: The Doll People By: