The holidays are here, which means you’ll probably be spending lots of time in the car or with your family, or in the car with your family—packed into a confined space with energetic kids, elderly grandparents, and everyone in between. Luckily, podcasts can make that trip to Aunt Cindy’s house a little more bearable (“Lauren,” people say to me, “podcasts are your solution to everything.” Because they are!)
Turn on one of these 12 podcasts, any one of which will delight and inform children and adults alike. Kids will love hearing about expired professions, being told classic tales, and playing wacky games, and you’ll have so much fun listening, you might just add a few of them to your own private queue.
Dr. Gameshow
On Dr. Gameshow, Jo Firestone and Manolo Moreno bring in callers from all over the world—and of all ages—to play original listener-created games “Lights, Camera, Action Figure,” “I Carrot Believe My Ears,” “I Am the Tenth Dentist,” “Rated D for Dolly Parton,” and “Dr. Themesong,” all of which are just as nutty as they sound. The rules don’t always make sense, but the show is honestly better when they don’t. Kid callers tend to be the ones who come up with some of the wackiest scenarios, and they are even passed the mic to play along with Jo and Manolo. You’ll start listening with your kids, but you’ll end up listening to every episode on your own, when they’re in bed.
The Ten News
Families who want to stay connected with what’s going on in the world can download The Ten News to get the latest on politics, sports, science, gaming, pop culture, entertainment, and other stuff you and your kids want to know about, told in a way that’s entertaining for everyone. Hosted by Ryan Willard, the show is pumped full of fun energy, and topics are distilled so kids can grasp them, but adults will learn things, too. With fun guests like LEGO Masters Judge Amy Corbett, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Sarah Natochenny (the voice of Pokémon’s Ash Ketchum), and many more, each episode will launch you into a smart family conversation about news and the world. Topics are always fresh and relevant, so yours will be the only kids on the playground with opinions on everything from the protests in Iran to nose-picking primates.
Adventure in Atacama
When kids find something they like, whether it be a book, song or movie, they usually want to experience it on repeat. (How many times did you have to watch Frozen?) Every so often we find media that brings magic and entertainment to kids that’s smart enough that adults will become equally obsessed—like Adventure in Atacama, a choose your own podcast adventure where the listener decides what happens to our heroes. It’s energetic and silly, with plenty of kid-friendly jokes that nod to the adults listening, too. You won’t mind when they say “play it again!” because with 12 different possible endings, there are endless ways to make your way through the story. It’s available in English and Spanish, making for a fun way for kids to learn about language (and for you to brush up on everything you forgot about Spanish in high school) as you make your way through the jungle with a flight attendant, a retired pilot, and a luchador. En Azafata en Atacama, Tú tomarás las decisiones de lo que harán sus personajes al final de cada episodio.¡Empieza el juego Azafata en Atacama!
Ooh You’re In Trouble
You probably love RISK!, The Moth, and Mortified, but did you know there’s a version just for tweens? Ooh You’re in Trouble hands young people (9-13) the mic to confess a moment they broke the rules growing up. It’s often these moments of defiance that define us, and the stories here, from sneaking out of the house past curfew, to organizing a protest, will take adults back to their childhoods and entertain the heck out of their kids. The show is on hiatus, and at least 90% of the Apple Podcasts reviews are demands to MAKE MORE EPISODES! You’ll be joining the chorus yourself once you blow through the whole archive.
Here Lies Me
Here Lies Me is author and award-winning podcaster (The Longest Shortest Time) Hillary Frank’s fictional drama capturing the teenage experience with humor, cringey relatable teen awkwardness, and a relatable point-of-view about being a kid (whether you’re 9 or 90). Its beautiful soundscape will welcome you into its world, which feels both cinematic and incredibly realistic. Tiny details like the squeaking of grocery cart wheels bring the story to life, It’s an audio YA thrill for fans of PEN15, Big Mouth, and Stranger Things. A fantastic cast—Michael Chernus (Orange is the New Black), June Diane Raphael (Grace and Frankie), W. Kamau Bell (United Shades of America),Rob Huebel (The Descendants)—only sweetens the deal.
This Job Is History
This Job Is History is a comedy-packed history lesson about some of the weirdest extinct jobs in world history. Chris Parnell (Saturday Night Live, Rick and Morty) interviews a funeral clown from 82 CE, a garden hermit, and a VHS clerk from the past (all voiced by famous improv stars) to brush us up on what these jobs were and what context they can offer to help us understand the past. It’s the perfect mash-up of history and comedy: educational and actually hilarious. It will teach kids about what the world used to be like, and maybe even give you some appreciation for your own daily grind. You think your job sucks? Learn about what it was like to be a sin-eater, and then try to complain about your mandatory attendance at next year’s conference in Vegas.
LeVar Burton Reads
Listening to LeVar Burton’s voice has a calming effect on anyone with nostalgia for Roots, Reading Rainbow, or Star Trek. He was there for you when you were young, but on LeVar Burton Reads, he’s returned with the antidote to a stressful day in the form of great stories that everyone in the family can enjoy. He picks up tales written by Neil Gaiman, Haruki Murakami, Octavia Butler, Ray Bradbury, and more, and reads them against a backdrop of gorgeous soundscapes. Take a break from bedtime reading and let Lavar put both you and your kid to sleep with a comforting (or, occasionally, challenging) tale told by the man who sparked your love for reading in the first place.
Forever Ago
Who invented air conditioning? Why did men once regularly wear wigs? How did we track time before clocks? Kids love to pepper their adults with great questions that you might not have the best answers to. Instead of telling them to Google it, ask their mom, or making something up, tune into Forever Ago. Joy Dolo brings joyful history lessons to kids and their entire families with a show that delves into the surprising and fascinating history of things we now think are ordinary, but were once extraordinary—like ice cream flavors, video games, baths, and more.
Flyest Fables
Flyest Fables is an interconnected fiction anthology of hopepunk fables for the 21st century. You must start in season one, episode one, to meet Antoine, a young boy bullied in school. When he finds a magical book that transports him into the world of Princess Keisha, he joins her in saving her mother and the entire Kingdom of Orleans. Whether your family is into fantasy or just good storytelling, you’ll find yourself transported to the world of Antonie, who will become your kid’s curious and funny friend, learning lessons about bullying and fitting in (without being beaten over the head with stuffy morals.)
It’s a Clue
Want some family-friendly true crime? Turn to It’s a Clue, where Kelly and Karen re-investigate all your favorite teen detective mysteries like Nancy Drew, The Baby-Sitter’s Club, The Hardy Boys, and more. They take these faux-crimes of your childhood with the seriousness of real detectives. Relive the books you read underneath the covers as a kid alongside sisters and cohosts Kelly and Karen, who breathe a modern energy into dated tales via clue-hunting, asking questions, mystery solving, and a true appreciation for Nancy and her fictional crime-solving colleagues.
Nice to Meet You
Nice to Meet You takes you on a trip to Professor Burkhead’s private space station high above earth, where each week he conducts innovative social experiments in his “Unifier,” facilitating a conversation between two creatures that seem to have nothing in common—an accountant and a giant squid, say, or a beaver and an ice cream man. They get to know each other and talk about their unique life experiences to find out what they have in common, how they’re different, and what they can learn from one another. It’s as funny as it is weird, punched up with jokes and surprising lessons about reveling in our differences. Also, the theme song rules.
Play On!
Is there a budding theater nerd in your family? Play On! features epic audio reimaginings of Shakespeare’s timeless tales, told in a way that older kids will actually understand and adults will love. Featuring original music compositions and the voices of award-winning actors, episodes explore plays from Macbeth to A Midsummer Night’s Dream via productions created specifically for the podcast form by some of America’s most exciting playwrights, directors, and composers, and performed by the stage and screen’s best. Your kids will gain an appreciation for the Bard, and you’ll experience his oeuvre like never before.