Should You Listen to Podcasts With Your Kids?

To say podcasts have become popular would be a bit of an understatement. Podcasting as a platform was just finding its footing a decade ago, but it’s in full flight today. No matter what topic you are interested in, it’s a safe bet you can find one—or ten—podcasts on it to enjoy.

But are podcasts a good option for entertainment when listening with your kids? If you already love podcasts and want to know if involving your kids would be a good move, this post is designed to help. We’ll dive into some of the potential benefits, some things to watch out for, and how you can get started.

What to Know About Podcasts for Kids

Podcast for Kids: A Growing Trend

Let’s answer the question from the title of this article right away: yes, podcasts are a great form of entertainment for the whole family, not just adults! Of course, you’ll need to find the right podcasts to listen to with your kids, and we’ll get to more about that in a bit.

If you spend a little time searching within your preferred podcast app, you’ll find that plenty of kid-centric shows are available. Even when you find some shows that sound like a good fit for your family, it’s smart to listen to an episode or so by yourself first just to try it out. This will confirm that the show’s content is appropriate for the whole family and that the style of the presentation is going to be a good fit for your needs. It might take testing a few shows before you find something that you want to introduce to the kids.

Speaking of introducing your family to podcasts for kids, car rides are a great time for using this form of entertainment. Many kids get bored quickly in the car, so even if the drive is only 20 or 30 minutes, turning on a podcast that they love will make the time fly by. Kids’ podcasts are often shorter in duration than shows marketed to adults, so it’s easy to fit in an episode before you reach your destination.

A Few Benefits of Listening to Podcasts With Your Kids

Wondering how your kids might benefit from adding podcasts to their routine—and how your family might benefit as a whole? Let’s check out some key advantages of using this platform.

• Educational Value – It’s always nice to “sneak” in some education when your kids think they are just having fun. And that happens a lot with podcasts. The presentation may be in the form of a fun story or even a song, but they’ll likely be learning something along the way. Science and history are common areas to be covered in kid’s podcasts, but there are countless options out there to explore. Whatever the topic, a good kids podcast is going to include learning in every episode. You might also consider audiobooks (the close cousin to podcasts) to spark an interest in reading in your kids.
• Developing Creativity – Many of the forms of entertainment kids experience today involve video. That’s fine, and it certainly has its place, but watching a video strips away some of the need to be creative. With an all-audio format, your kids will need to imagine and visualize the scene as they listen, which is a powerful opportunity for development.
• Diminishing Screen Time – This goes right along with the previous point, but it bears repeating. Most kids get tons of screen time daily, and podcasts allow for a break from that constant bombardment. If you have been looking for ways to moderate screen time while still keeping kids entertained, this is a great solution.
• Flexibility – You can listen to podcasts in so many different settings. Whether it’s the car ride we were talking about earlier, while doing chores at home, on vacation, or in any other setting, modern technology means podcast audio is usually just a click or tap away.
• Bringing the Family Together – This might be the best benefit of all. If everyone in the family listens to a podcast together, you can share the experience, discuss it afterward, and find shows that you all love. Technology and entertainment are at their best when they bring people together.

How to Find the Right Podcasts

Now that you are convinced of the value of podcasts, how do you find some of the best kids’ podcasts? Other than trying out the Go Fish Podcast for Kids!, we have a few other tips that might be helpful.

Start by searching, either on the web or in a podcast app, for podcasts for kids. This will give you a basic understanding of what is out there to explore. Then, start to narrow down the options to topics that are going to be appealing to your kids. No one knows your children better than you, so keep their interests in mind as you browse. They are more likely to fall in love with the podcast experience if you pick a relevant topic; you can always branch out later once you get used to listening to these kinds of shows.

It’s also helpful to look at reviews for any podcasts that you are considering. Those reviews will give you insight into the right age range for kids who may enjoy the show and will help you understand the overall quality of the product. Since it’s relatively easy to record a podcast and publish it to the world, the quality you find is going to vary. The best podcasts for kids are going to be properly produced and have good sound quality—meaning they’ll be far more likely to hold your children’s attention.

Comparing Podcasts to TV

Are podcasts better for kids than TV? Television has been one of the default entertainment options for kids for the last few generations. Countless kids have grown up on cartoons and other forms of children’s entertainment. So, do podcasts make for a better entertainment option than television?

It’s hard to say that one is “better” than the other, but there are some things to like about how podcasts work. For one thing, you don’t have the screen aspect, as we mentioned above. In a world full of screens, it’s nice to give them a break from the staring. Also, to really engage with a podcast, the child will need to pay close attention and actively listen to the content. This can foster valuable development in a variety of cognitive areas.

None of this means that children should never watch TV again, or that listening to a podcast is the same as reading a book. In our opinion, moderation is the key to everything in discussions like this. Just like six hours of television per day probably wouldn’t be great for your child, neither would six hours of podcasts. When used in moderation, all of these forms of entertainment can add to the experience of life, rather than taking away.

Give Our Show a Try!

At Go Fish, we love all kinds of podcasts—including our own! If you would like a fun and safe podcast for kids, consider giving our show a try. You can consume it anywhere you like to get your media, including on Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and even directly through our website.

On our Go Fish Podcast for Kids!, we discuss important biblical topics while having a ton of fun along the way. And don’t worry—there will be plenty of music, including some of our songs that you already know and love. Try out our show today; we hope it’s a hit for the whole family.