Silence is not my friend. I must have something to listen to at all times. Music will always be my first love, and talk radio comes in at a close second. I grew up listening to local sports talk and Howard Stern. I still listen to Howard daily (please don’t hate). My time with music and Howard has been cut short lately, due to my unhealthy obsession with podcasts. True Crime is my go-to, and I will listen to a few celeb gossip or pop culture ones here and there (check out Amanda from Not Skinny But Not Fat. I love her and her insta). Currently, I am in the middle of COLD, a pod about the disappearance of Susan Powell. If you haven’t, please start listening. It is SO. DAMN. GOOD. And messed up. And sad. It basically brings out every emotion, and the narrator does an outstanding job of telling the story. Maybe it’s a good idea that I take a break and clear my brain of all things morbid and true crime-y…but I probably won’t.
When I first started listening to podcasts (my preferred platform is Apple), there were not a lot of kid-friendly choices. Both of my kids have a hard time falling asleep (pretty much since birth), so I thought it would be helpful to listen to something to help wind down for the night. Night after night, we listened to NPR’s Wow in the World. OVER AND OVER. Luckily, this one is available on Amazon Alexa so it’s easily accessible. Now they are obsessed! I found that listening truly helped with the bedtime routine, as well as my kid’s anxiety.
Every day, it seems as if another series shows up in the browse section of the app. Like I said, we use Apple or Alexa- but you can listen on a variety of platforms. At first, we would hear the same episode multiple times (UGHHH) due to a lack of variety. Now, we can’t keep up with all of the new content (which is an okay problem to have). My kids, like me, love to listen. Some of the podcasts are calming and meditative, while others are educational and funny. There are a lot of really cool choices for all moods. It also opens a lot of discussions, which I think is really cool…especially for my tween who isn’t as open as he used to be.
Below is a list of podcasts that we…I mean the kids, are LOVING.
- Wow in the World (NPR)
- Smash Boom Best
- Tumble: A Science Podcast for Kids
- Brains On!
- The Punies
- Eat Your Spanish
- Best Day Yet: Affirmations for Kids
- Mr. Bedtime Stories
- What If World
- Peace Out
Hopefully, this list will give you some ideas for introducing your children to podcasts if you haven’t already. It is a nice break from Kids Bop and the Frozen soundtrack (which I do not allow to be played in my presence). If I am missing any, or if you have suggestions or feedback, comment on my Instagram (@jaimelync).
Happy listening!
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