When it comes to sharing media with their children, many parents are left weighing up two imperfect options: screen time or reading.

Screen time is convenient, but continues to be linked to developmental concerns when overdone. Reading remains the gold standard, but for many families, finding the time and energy to sit down and read aloud can be difficult.

Increasingly a third option is finding its place in everyday family life: listening to podcasts together.

Emerging research suggests more families are turning to podcasts because they fit naturally into the in-between moments of daily life: in the car, while cooking, or while winding down for bed – where hands are busy, but attention can still be shared.

The benefits of audio for children’s imaginations are becoming clearer too, with what they hear often extending beyond the episode into play, drawing, questions, and everyday interactions.

Parents who listen to podcasts with children can foster family connection, creating opportunities for conversation and closeness.

With children’s podcasts now a fast-growing part of the audio industry, families have more choice than ever. Here are five that work particularly well for shared listening.

Short and Curly

ABC

Now entering its tenth year, Short and Curly takes big, often tricky philosophical questions and turns them into a lively mix of storytelling, conversation and humour.

Hosts Molly Daniels, Carl Smith and philosopher Eleanor Gordon-Smith ask: “is it okay to scare kids into being good?”, or, “when is excluding someone mean, and when is it OK?”. They pause, circle the idea, and bring in different perspectives, letting kids have the final word.

It’s easy to imagine these conversations spilling beyond the episode, resurfacing in the car or mid-task. For children, it nurtures curiosity and opens up new ways of thinking; for adults, it’s a reminder of just how clever and creative children can be.

Stuff You Should Know

iHeartRadio

Originally made for adults, Stuff You Should Know is a great early learning tool for kids.

In the early days of the podcast’s launch, Josh Clark and Charles W. Bryant realised they had a younger audience, even noting in interviews that they avoid swearing for that reason. In 2023, they released a spin-off book, Stuff Kids Should Know for their child audience.

The appeal for kids is pretty straightforward: there’s an episode on almost anything: dinosaurs, sushi, fire trucks, porcupines, jellyfish.

If a child has an interest, there’s probably an episode for it.

What makes the show work is its curiosity-driven approach. As Bryant puts it, the aim is not to be the final word, but a springboard, giving listeners ‘just enough’ to want to learn more.

Best suited to kids around 10 and up, though its wide range of topics means some episodes lean more towards older listeners.

Cereal

RTÉjr

Winner of Best Children’s Program at the New York Festivals Radio Awards 2023, Cereal is an Irish fictional “true crime” podcast aimed at primary school-aged listeners. It follows Aoife and Katie as they investigate a mystery that unfolds episode by episode, becoming a classic “whodunnit” parents can solve with their kids.

Set in small towns across the Irish midlands, it is filled with refreshingly local, green settings and charming Irish vernacular, with whimsical sayings like “murkier than a bog at midnight” and “fishier than a barrel of kippers on a Sunday evening!”.

Irish production company RTÉjr also offers a range of other quality podcasts for children worth checking out, including Our Sustainable Village on climate change and Time Tablet on ancient Egypt.

Squiz Kids

Squiz

Moving from petrol prices to major global events, Squiz Kids covers the news in a way that feels digestible for children aged five and up. For parents, it’s an easy way to stay informed alongside their child. For children, it provides the language and context to make sense of what’s happening around them.

Every Friday, the podcast also features a Parents vs Kids Weekly News S'quiz - a family-friendly, audio take on the kind of weekly news quiz many adults already know, with five questions for kids and five for grown-ups.

Hosted by Bryce Corbett, Amafa Bower and Christie Kijuina, new episodes drop daily, with more than 1,000 already available, alongside bonus brain teasers during school holidays.

Wait, They Did What?!

ABC

This podcast is a recap of the “olden days” for primary school kids, backed by real archival audio from the ABC.

Rewinding to times when “kids were hit at school” or when “wearing real fur was normal”, the podcast teaches kids that the past wasn’t just different, it was often downright wrong.

If that alone doesn’t hook parents and children, host Tilly Oddy-Black probably will. Known for her hilarious social media skits, she brings an energy and silliness that could put even the crankiest person in a good mood.

The result is a funny, fast-paced history lesson that shows children – and reminds adults – just how much the world has changed.

Corey Martin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.