My 4-year-old’s favorite podcasts

In honor of International Podcast Day, I want to celebrate how kids podcasts directly affect my life through the ears of our 4-year-old son, Izzy. Podcasts are part of his travel, his processing time, his childhood. He’s been listening to the podcast we make since he was one, and since then he’s explored a number of the shows created by our Kids Listen colleagues. Three notes on the list below:

1. These are his *current* favorite kids podcasts. It excludes some awesome shows he used to be obsessed with (e.g. Tumble, Little Stories for Tiny People, and Peace Out) as well as shows he’s not quite ready for either reading- or -drama-wise (Mars Patel, Book for Kids, Short & Curly, Shabam! etc.)
2. I ordered them from Most Fictional to Most Non-Fictional.
3. I ranked each show based on it’s energy level as perceived subjectively by our family: 1 = meditative/sleepy, 2 = pleasant/calm, 3 = mid-tempo, 4 = bouncy, 5 = manic/dramatic! We’ve found this factor (rather than subject matter or even age-appropriateness) to be the most important factor in deciding which podcast to play at any given time. Most shows listed below use a range of energy levels that vary episode to episode or even within episodes, but hopefully these rankings will be useful for parents considering how to take the plunge into the world of kids podcasts — the water’s warm, come on in!

What If World (short fiction, energy level: 2–4)

Improv comdey for the preschool set? Mr. Eric is requested regularly on walks home from school or batth time. Surreal, whacky yarns spew forth with a constantly re-incorporated cast of characters integrating “what if” questions from the audience as plot direction (we’ve called in a few times, donate to their Patreon campaign if your kid is dying to hear their question on the show). Mr. Eric’s experience working with young kids shines through with emotionally tender messages sandwiched by magic and goofiness in myriad vocal shapes and sizes. It can lean a bit too zany for bedtime but is excellent for Izzy’s current level of imagination and attention span without being too high-stakes or too long. Awesome theme song.

The Alien Adventures Finn Caspian (serial fiction, energy level 3–5)

Perfect for plane rides and road trips, this serial drama centers around a troop of young interplanetary explorers and their literature-programmed companion robots. Gen-Z Kids and Kids Listen helmer Jonathan Messigner puts his own meta spin on sciences fiction and children’s literature, goofilly battles wits with his own intro-robot (a pitch-shifted version of himself), and concludes each episode with a clifhanger to be examined by his editor/son. Energy-wise it can move pretty fast, briskly narrated and layered with quirky sound effects and super-fun 8-bit scoring. There are mysteries, chases, battles, and dangerous situations — but the bad guys are never too terrifying and the wisecracks and inspiring physical descriptions balance out most tension that would give a preschooler pause. Audiences have great incentives to interact with the series (sending in homemade sound effects for Griffin’s Sound Club, drawing pictures of their favorite moments and characters to satisfy Beebop’s voracious appetite for artwork), but the linear nature of the content made us want to enjoy it from the start — so we’re two years behind any possible interaction with the show as it’s being created. Still, this is one of the most inventive and wide-ranging interpersonal and interplanetary adventures I could imagine a four-year-old loving. And it’s replete with wit and refernces for grown-ups, too.

Circle Round (short fiction, energy level 2–3)

We’ve only recently discovered this program out of Boston’s WBUR, and it’s readily become both our most-used and most-recommended kids podcast. Circle Round features a diverse cast of stage and screen actors retelling classic folk tales from around the world. Each tale has a modern family-friendly moral, a gentle storytelling pace, and simple acoustic musical accompaniment. The energy is very comfortable, though some may be a little exciting for calm-down time. Izzy could listen to these all day in a variety of settings, most recently while rope-swinging in the backyard.

Aaron’s World (narrative fiction with lots of science, energy level 3–5)

This show is an artifact to be excavated and treasured by any kid who loves immersive imagination and a little drama with their dinosaur science. No longer producing new episode (Aaron has since grown out of this project,) Aaron’s World features a multi-year journey of a 6-year-old’s interest in describing and imagining dinosaurs transformed into a time-travel adventure series. You can learn a lot about evolution, geologic epochs, zoology, and of course paleontology. Our son’s face mirrors the delight, awe, and excitement Aaron’s voice conveys as he “observes” dinosaurs in their natural habititat and solves prehistoric mysteries with his sentient wristwatch, I-KNOW. Villains and chases occur sporadically, but even when it reached pulse-pounding levels we never crossed the line into distress. If you feel like your dinosaur education has major gaps since the 1980’s, give this Jurassic radio play a listen and I guarantee you’ll learn something.

Ear Snacks (non-fiction with skits, energy level 1–4)

Full disclaimer, we make this show. But it’s still a functional part of our son’s media diet, and pieces of the songs, kid interviews, and skits remain particularly relevant and developmentally appropriate for four-year-olds. Almost everything they’ve spent time exploring and discovering at his preschool — how the mail works, how seeds grow, what it means to play “bad guys” — connects back to an Ear Snacks episode. Polly and I are heavily invested in creating these little thought-tools we can call back on when Izzy engages with something really hard or really new, and we’re amazed and grateful other parents we know can use our podcast the same way. Ear Snacks does vary widely in energy from episode to episode (even segment to segment), but hopefully in the same way Sesame Street or the Electric Company played with elements of pace in their vignettes. We hope to inject silliness and excitement when appropriate, while always giving kids enough space for their own thoughts and feelings as they listen.

Wow in the World (non-fiction with skits, energy level 4–5)

Wow. What -hasn’t- this show covered? Since it’s launch two years ago, NPR’s Wow in the World (featuring podcaster extraordinaire Guy Raz and indefatigable radio host Mindy Thomas) has remained atop to Kids & Family podcast charts with stellar amounts of science and ear-grabbing writing. The energy level never dips below bouncy and often reaches Gaussian proportions (music and sound design are omnipresent), but Izzy needs a change of pace while we’re out and about, Wow can always put a pep in his step and a giggle on his face — did I mention it’s REALLY FUNNY? If your 4-year-old is as loopy as mine, why can’t their wide-eyed bonker brains get some science while they’re at it?

Bedtime History (non-fiction in story form, 1–3)

One historical figure per episode + one calm narrator = one transfixed four-year-old. Bedtime History delivers exactly what it promises, a simple story that happens to be about a notable character from the past. They do a great job of framing each person’s path from childhood to significant accomplishment, sort of generating superhero origin stories that are accessible for young kids. While a little heavy-handed with moral messaging and very clearly independent in production value, the show is consistent in its gentle (if not dry) tone and fidelity to telling diverse, accurate accounts of the past and relating them to the children of today.

Cool Facts About Animals (non-fiction, energy level 2)

This show is beautiful. Lo-fi, heartfelt, and to the point, Cool Facts About Animals is just that. With what seems like hardly a lick of editing, Ali Wilkinson talks with her three kids and their stuffed animals about one animal per episode in the supportive, funny, intimate way the best parents explore ideas with their kids. It’s less showy and probably less addictive than any show listed above, but once you enter the verite world of a conversation about Mako Sharks or Giraffes, it’s a really lovely place to be. Audiences are encouraged to play the three question “Creature Quiz” to win stickers, and Izzy absolutely will remember what you say if stickers are involved. Have you met 4-year-olds? Apparently Ali Wilkson has!