As a homeschooling and traveling mama I spend A LOT of time with my kiddo. And when I say a lot I mean pretty much all day, just about every day. School year or summer, it’s all the same. She is my little sidekick. Generally, I love this and see it as a gift that I get to make this choice. But some days, some days are just hard and I need a bit of a break. Enter audiobooks and podcasts. Now I am not talking about you putting your earbuds in and tuning out your kiddo for a bit – although no judgment I do that too – I am talking audiobooks and podcasts for your kids.
I introduced my daughter to audiobooks/podcasts when she was around three and now she asks to listen to something at least once daily, usually more. They are our go-to over screen time because it doesn’t seem to have the same negative effect on her behavior and she seems to love listening to a story while she is doing something else, like crafting or building Legos. She can zone out while listening to a story and being creative and I get a bit of a break. Or we can listen to them together and they initiate some great conversations. Audiobooks and podcasts are also awesome for long car rides, and we do a lot of those. Sometimes on our car rides, we will enjoy listening to something together. And sometimes kiddo gets to put on her little purple headphones to listen to something she wants to and my husband and I can listen to whatever we want, or actually just talk to each other without interruption.
So now that we are mid-summer mamas… when you get back from a morning out in the sun put on something for your kiddos to listen to, and give yourself a little break – or just go make lunch without twenty-five interruptions.
It was difficult to pick but, here are some of our favorites:
Audiobooks
The Little House Series.
Written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and narrated by Cherry Jones.
My daughter started listening to Little House in the Big Woods on repeat last summer. Since then we have listened to the entire series a few times over. If you didn’t read these books during your childhood or catch the television show that Jennifer talked about earlier this year, the autobiographical series follows Laura Ingalls Wilder during her childhood in the mid/late 1800s as she and her family make multiple moves throughout the country and she comes into adulthood. My daughter loves the music often involved in the narration and the glimpse it provides into the past. These stories have opened up lots of discussion from things like the fact that golden hair is actually not prettier than brown hair and how we don’t judge people by what’s on the outside to discussion about how Native Americans are portrayed. Bonus: If you are on a road trip check to see if there are any Laura Ingalls Wilder history sites or museums near you. We visited the Little House in the Big Woods last summer in Pepin, Wisconsin and it was fun to tie the book into a real-life experience.
The Magic Tree House Series
Written and narrated by Mary Pope Osborn.
If you aren’t an older mama like me you may remember this one from your childhood. This series follows a brother and sister, Jack and Annie, who find a Magic Treehouse in the woods near their home. The treehouse takes them on different adventures back in time (and occasionally into the future or Camelot.) My kiddo is all about adventure and travel so this ticks a lot of boxes for her. I love it because the author takes the kids back to important events, places or people marrying nonfiction with fiction. My daughter just soaks it up and share things with me that she learned by listening to these stories. There are so many of these stories and you can grab some of them in a collection for the best value. Some of my daughter’s favorite ones are Dinosaurs Before Dark, Ghost Town At Sundown, and Earthquake In The Early Morning. If your kiddos fall in love with Jack and Annie like mine you can continue with their adventures in the Merlin Missions series.
Charlotte’s Web
Written and narrated by E.B. White
We all know Charlotte’s Web, right? It’s a classic. We love the audiobook version read by E.B. White. This is one of the first audiobooks my daughter listened to and we still return to it now and then. It’s a fun story about friendship, but, if you remember, also has some emotional parts. Initially, this one brought on the tears for my sensitive little but now it’s in heavy rotation.
Note: We get many of our audiobooks on Audible (especially because my kiddo tends to listen to them on repeat) but don’t forget to check your local library for either CD versions (yes CDs still exist) or electronic versions via the Libby or Overdrive apps.
Podcasts
But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids
This podcast is kid sourced. Kids can submit questions that are answered on the podcast. They talk about anything from, “Why Do People Get Cancer?” To “Why Do We Poop And Fart?” My curious kiddo asks A LOT of questions and I have actually used some of these episodes to answer them and then discuss. Episodes are less than thirty minutes. There is a lot of variety in topic on this one and something really for every kiddo’s (and adult’s) interest.
Molly of Denali
We just discovered this new podcast and whizzed through all the episodes that are out so far. And I just learned that there is also an animated show we have yet to dive into. The episodes follow Molly who is a native Alaskan and her friend as they experience life in Alaska – from a mystery of a missing birthday cake to her family taking over the general store. It’s a playful show and the episodes are only about 15 minutes long. Perfect for if you just need to attempt the use the bathroom without interruption. Heads up the little tune at the beginning and end is catchy so listening could result in your child singing it over, and over, and over again.
The Big Life Kids Podcast
This podcast is from the creators of the Big Life Journal. It uses storytelling to teach kids about growth mindset. Each episode Leo and Zara travel to meet other kids to share real stories of resilience, self-esteem and confidence. I will admit the characters voices are a bit annoying but it’s completely worth it for the message. My daughter is almost five and is always asking if a new episode is out yet but it may feel a bit cheesy for older kiddos.
The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian
Do you have a little sci-fi lover? This podcast is for them. Sci-fi is not really my thing but my husband is a fan which led me to check this one out for our little. She adores it and will sit at the table and just zone out listening to find out what’s going to happen next. This podcast is actually written and performed by a dad and his son serves as an editor and pops in to give his input and critique. It follows the adventures of Finn Caspian and his friends as they adventure around space and is described as “a “mystery gang” story, sort of like Scooby-Doo meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in space,” which seems pretty accurate to me. The sixth season of Finn Caspian came out earlier this year so these can keep your little busy for a while.
Do your kids listen to audiobooks or podcasts? Share your recommendations with us. We would love to hear them.
