So we are three months on from our initial CoVid19 lockdown. With an 8 year daughter and a 10 year old son – locked in with us. We were left in charge of home learning – it wasn’t long before we realised that we most definitely were not cut out to be teachers and lacked any teaching ability.
So we had to get creative. The children were already spending a large quantity of time in front of the screen and we had to find ways to engage the children where we fell short. In no time at all, listening to podcasts became a huge part of our family life during this lockdown. We have loved being able listen! Sometimes we play the podcasts in the background while we are doing some creative art work during the day, and other times its when we are all snuggled up together at bedtime.
Some of these podcast have been around a long time and some are new additions since lockdown began.
All 10 of these we really enjoyed and, I highly and genuinely recommend:
Short and Curly
This is a great podcast that poses questions to really get children thinking and talking. It has an ethical theme. Podcasts titles include: Is it ever okay to lie? How to make the best kind of friends, Was Robin Hood right? And Are you really free?
But Why
The questions this podcast covers are sent in directly by children. Our children haven’t submitted a question, but its easy to do online if you wish. The most recent episodes we listened too covered: Why ladybugs have spots and Why do earthquakes happen. The topics covered are wide and varied. You can even find out if unicorns are indeed real.
David Walliams Marvellous Musical Podcast
Just like his books, David Walliams podcasts allured the children instantly. There are 10 episodes in total that shed light on the lives of some of the most famous composers in history including Mozart, Beethoven and Liszt. Of all the podcasts we listen too, the children often ask to re-listen to these again they are THAT entertaining.
Brains On
My 10 year old son enjoys this science themed podcast immensely. Incidentally, we stumbled across it while doing a search for podcasts about emotions. The episode entitled “Injustice and Anger: Understanding our emotions” was the perfect listen when the George Floyd protests were taking place around the world. The topics we have enjoyed listening about include: How do airplanes fly? How ants and spiders walk on walls, Why do we smell and How do pianos work.
Home School History
Greg Jenner of Horrible History fame is doing this weekly podcast during lockdown that is covering a range of historical topics. The very first one we listened too was on Florence Nightingale. Since then we have listened about Charles Dickens, Mary Queen of Scots and the latest was on Cleopatra. Much like horrible histories, the pitch to get the children learning history in a fun way is perfect in this podcast series.
Vintage Alpha
We are a Christian family and our children have reached an age where they rightly asking many very difficult questions. Recalling that Nicky Gumble’s Alpha course was hugely instrumental in cementing my faith 25 years ago, I was pleased to discover that the Alpha talks were available in Podcast form, and is currently a weekly bedtime feature. Absolutely fantastic if you have children who are questioning – during lockdown when church fellowship is inaccessible.
The Week Junior Show
This one is my daughters favourite. So much so she knows the weekly episodes come out on a Friday, and we are making our way through pre-lockdown episodes we haven’t heard. The podcast is hosted by lady called Bex (from Fun Kids) and she is joined by staff from the magazine, to discuss their favourite stories from the past week. This podcast is perfect at presenting current affairs to children. Much like the actual magazine. My daughter loves the 1 minute debates and ‘real or rubbish” reports.
The Good Stuff
Based on our listening choices, this podcast came up recommended for us recently. This is a podcast by a mum (Deborah James) and her two children (Eloise and Hugo) who set out to find facts answers to questions covering topics like kindness, how can we look after our mental health and how dance and music and boosts our mood.
Smash Boom Best
Seeing how much our children enjoyed listening to the debates on The Week Junior Show podcast, we soon subscribed to this podcast dedicated to child friendly debates on things they will enjoy. Cats v Dogs, Aliens v Robots and Venom v Claws. The only draw back is that these podcasts can be a bit on the long side compared to others – which can extend your bedtime if you are not careful!
Good Night Rebel Girls
This is my favourite podcast. What a gem it has been. It is also very much not just for girls as my children first thought. The podcasts, much like the books, feature inspiring short stories of real woman who are role models to children. We have enjoyed hearing the stories of Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Greta Thunberg and Corrie Ten Boom to name a few.
Podcasts are easy to download. You can download a podcast app for free on your smartphone. Do a search for any of the podcasts listed and listen for free.
If you have any podcast for children recommendations – leave a comment and let me know.
Blog life 