82: Podcasts for Kids of All Ages




Sarah Miller-Snyder from Podcastliving.com is our guest to share with us her knowledge about podcasts for kids and teens. I met Sarah in my Facebook group, Homeschooling College-bound Teens. You are welcome to join us there too! And visit show sponsor FundaFunda Academy to see if any of their classes are good fits for your children. Many of them use podcasts occasionally in assignments!

Why should kids listen to podcasts?

Here are 5 reasons kids should listen to podcasts:

* Fun and entertaining mode of obtaining educational content

* Super convenient and accessible- any time, any place

* A simple way to build optimal habits of using technology in a beneficial manner

* Huge variety of topics- truly a podcast about anything and everything

* Free- what do you have to lose?

How do you get your kids to listen to podcasts?

Here are 5 ways to get your kids to listen to podcasts:

* Play them in the car (both for long car trips and just short trips to extracurricular activities)

* Play them on your Alexa or Google Home device

* Be creative about things to do while listening- coloring books, legos, unloading dishwasher, having a snack, doing a puzzle, taking dog for a walk, before bedtime, or even brushing teeth (more on that later)

* Play them at bedtime- our favorite is Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls and Bedtime History

* Pay them (not joking)- have you heard of people paying their teens to read self development books? I actually started paying my teens to listen to podcasts related to personal development and I have a separate blog post with my recommendations (https://podcastliving.com/teenpersonaldevelopmentpodcasts/)

How do you find what to listen to when there are over 1,000,000 shows out there?

3 ways to find podcasts:

* https://www.listennotes.com and do a keyword search

* Check out Sarah's weekly blog post with 7 educational podcast recommendations for elementary, and one for tweens and teens- try one a day and if you find a show you like, subscribe!

* You can also become a member of Sarah's private Facebook group where she provides a Podcast Pick of the Day for kids and one for adults.

Ideas for podcasts to try with your kids

Podcasts for Elementary-age kids

* Family Road Trip Trivia Podcast

* Kidnuz (5 minute daily news update for kids- I recommend playing each morning)

* Chompers (twice a day stories while the littles brush their teeth)

* Smash Boom Best (debate style fun topics like pizza vs tacos)

* Tumble Science or Brains On Science

* Best Day Yet - Positive Thinking for Kids

* Eat More Spanish

* Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls Podcast
* Magic Seed

Podcasts for Tweens and Teens

* Planet Money - fun topics like The Cost of Donuts, The Power of Billboards

* How I Built This With Guy Raz- how did things like Otterbox, Panera, Stitch-Fix develop?

* Teen Life Coach