When people think of podcasts, they think of things to listen to themselves. But in recent years, podcasts for kids have become more and more common–and why shouldn’t they? Children, just like us, want to be entertained and want to learn (despite how they act sometimes). If anything, children are learning every moment in a way we aren’t, since so many of their experiences are “firsts.”
That being said, all of this is relatively new—it wasn’t until this May that NPR’s first podcast for kids, Wow in the World, debuted. 7-year-old James Kee from San Francisco told the New York Times that the podcast is so good, he’s listened to every episode three times, saying, “my brain works better.”
So, what other podcasts, other than the popular Wow in the World, should kids be listening to? Well, there’s these:
1. The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel
Created by production company, this podcast is mystery for kids ages 8-12 that is marketed as “Goonies meets Spy Kids meets Stranger Things.”
This is the podcast where a 7-year-old is your host on all things science. Nate Butkus, with help from his producer dad Eric, who works at the Journal of the American Medical Association, has interviewed experts like Yale ecologist Adam Rosenblatt, University of Michigan biologist Monica Dus, and Harvard Medical School geneticist Clifford Tabin, according to PBS.
3. The Ghost of Jessica Majors
Jessica Majors is 11, or a 152, but we won’t tell you why. In this paranormal show, you’re supposed to find out why she returned as a ghost in 2017 when she died in 1875. The show is debuting this year.
4. Tumble
Tumble is hosted by Lindsay Patterson, who is also the co-chair of Kids Listen. The podcast is all about science, from the solar system to sharks to invisibility cloaks (well, sort of). Marshall Escamilla, a teacher, is the co-host.
