Podcasts for the Whole Family

I recently got into podcasts. I have always been a fan of audiobooks, but when M was born I didn’t have enough time to listen to a whole book before it was due back at the library (I will talk more about this in an upcoming post).

I was dying for a way to fill my time and for something to listen to while I was doing the dishes, laundry, or other chores around the house. But they couldn’t be so long that I would have to pause them in the middle if M needed something.

A friend of mine who works for one of the local breweries in my area as garden master shared that she had been listening to podcasts and she thought I would love them. I was skeptical at first but she assured me that they had podcasts on all kinds of things from true crime to comedy shows.

So I decided to look into it. And it turns out, I am in love! A few weeks ago on my Instagram, I asked for some podcast recommendations and there were quite a few responses. But one person summed up my previous thoughts on podcasts so well, I wanted to share. our_abundant_life said “I have only just discovered podcasts! I thought it was just a useless app on my phone!!!!!!! How wrong was I?”

So, in case you are late to the podcast bandwagon like I was, I want to share a few podcasts that I love. I am going to share a few of my favorite podcasts for everyone in the family (kid, moms, and dads). I would love to hear what your favorite podcasts are too because I am always looking for new ones!

Podcasts for Kids:

I found out about children’s podcasts from Everyday Reading’s instastories. She shared how she had just found the podcast Circle Round and how much she and her children loved it. So when M was only a few months I subscribed to the podcast and I’ve loved it ever since. Now I know M is only 9 months old, but it is so nice to have the podcast playing while we are in the car or walking. He loves to listen to music but we like to listen to stories too. And if you have a reluctant reader, these story podcasts can also get them into reading without too much force.

Here is a list of my favorite children’s podcasts. (Some are a little too old for M yet, but I am so excited for him to listen when he gets to the right age.)

Circle Round

Suggested Age Range: 3 to 10 years old (these are just suggested age range if you want to listen to this podcast with your 9-month-old, or 2 years old, do it!

Circle Round is a storytelling podcast. I love this podcast because they tell folktales from around the world. They usually choose folktales that focus on inclusivity, kindness, persistence, and generosity. Each story usually lasts between 10 to 20 minutes.

Story Pirates

Suggested Age Range: 3 to 10 years old (these are just suggested age range if you want to listen to this podcast with your 9-month-old, or 2 years old, do it!

Story Pirates is a super funny podcast.  Kids write stories and send them into the story pirates, but that isn’t what ends up on the show. What ends up on the show is a hilarious/dramatic adaptation of their stories. Each episode features 2 original stories, the Pirates’ adaptation, and a phone call with the child author as they talk about the original and the adaptation of the story. This podcast is so funny and super creative. M is still a little young but once he is old enough to write his own stories we are totally sending them to Story Pirates. I love this podcast.

What If World 

Suggested Age Range: 3 to 10 years old (these are just suggested age range if you want to listen to this podcast with your 9-month-old, or 2 years old, do it!

This is slightly similar to the Story Pirates because it is a storytelling podcast where children ask “what if questions” and What If World turns them into new silly stories. The children ask all kinds of questions like “what if I was raised by dragons?”, “what if giants could turn into fairies?”, or “what if puppies had laser eyes and could fly?” It is super cute and it helps with all those what if questions you get as parents.

These next three are for slightly older kids, but I am putting them here to share with you and to remind myself when M is a little older and I’m looking for new podcasts. 

But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids

Suggested Ages: 7 to 10ish

As a parent, your child asks tons of “but why” questions. Why is the sky blue? Why is the sea salty? Why do we need to sleep? The But Why podcast answers these questions. Children send in their questions and the But Why cast answers them. They tackle any topic that children have about the world around them. I’ve listened to a few episodes and I love that they actually ask experts to make sure they are giving the kids all the correct info. This will be a fun one if you have a naturally curious little one.

Tumble

Suggested Age: 5 to 10ish 

Science can be a turn off for a lot of kids, but Tumble is a fun science centered podcast for kids. Lindsay and Marshall (the hosts) tell stories about scientific discoveries using experts and scientists to help. I love that the goal of Tumble is to get kids to understand how science works and that science is an amazing journey to solve problems and answer questions.

The Past & The Curious

Suggested Age: 7 to 12ish

I love history and I find myself listening to this podcast and really enjoying it. Every episode features people telling interesting, little-known stories in history about all kinds of things like spies, funny food, music, presidents, etc. They also share a silly song and have a quiz at the end to make sure you’re learning too. It’s so fun.

Podcasts for Moms

The Read-Aloud Revival

If you’ve followed me for a little while you know that reading is a HUGE passion of mine. I was watching some instastories and Everyday Reading said in a post “I do whatever the Read-Aloud Revival tells me to do.” And I thought to myself, I need to find out what this is about, and I’ve loved pretty much every episode.

Sarah Mackenzie’s whole podcast is all about giving you inspiration and resources to read aloud to your children. Sarah does a phenomenal job of getting you motivated and encouraged to build a culture around books in your home. Her podcasts range from inspiring and informative interviews to book lists with the purpose of helping to make reading and reading aloud a central part of the family life.

3 in 30 Takeaways for Moms

I love this podcast because each episode is 30 minutes and Rachel Nielson gives you 3 doable takeaways to make your family life a little better each week. This is a newer podcast, Rachel started October 11, 2017, but she has such great takeaways each week. She has had great interviews with people on topics ranging from getting unmotivated kids to help all the way to three keys to a happier marriage.

Better Than Happy

Jody Moore, the host of Better Than Happy, says she is coaching with LDS values. While I am not with the LDS church, I find her coaching to just be really wholesome, sweet, and she holds values that I think most people should possess. I enjoy listening to the podcast because she provides practical tools, advice, and experiences for the real world. The description for Better Than Happy is “Because living an exceptional life doesn’t come from ease and comfort. There’s something better than happy available. It’s the life you were meant to live.” Jody tackles topics like How to Help Your Troubled Child, Equal Partners in Marriage, Appreciation, Gratitude, Abundance, and Desire.

Awesome With Alison

This is one of my go-to podcasts for blogging, business, and creativity! I feel so inspired when I listen to this podcast. Alison’s number one goal with her podcast is to “help you feel more awesome each time you listen.” Which I totally find to be true because I’ve had a few blogging epiphanies while listening. She shares real-world examples to help inspire and empower you.

What Should I Read Next

You know I love reading, but it can be so hard to find a good book sometimes. Anne Bogel of the Modern Mrs. Darcy blog interviews different guests every week. They talk about books they’ve loved, books they’ve hated, and what they’re reading now. Plus, Anne makes recommendations at the end of what to read next. I love the purpose of this podcast to help you find out what book you want to read next. Here are a few episodes to give you an idea of what kinds of books she talks about (hint: all kinds). Ep 123 Books that will totally make you cry (with laughter), Ep. 95 Really weird stories you should totally read and Sarah Mackenzie from the Read-aloud Revival was just on Ep. 124 The challenge of making your reading life your own.

Here is a list of podcasts that have been suggested to me, that I haven’t been able to check out yet, but they are on my list.

• The Purpose Show
• The Jillian Michaels Show
• BulletProof Podcast
• The Harshe Podcast
• Forever35
• Talk to me Tayla
• The Goal Digger Podcast
• The Smart Passive Income
• AskPat 2.0
• Ear Biscuits
• True Crime Garage
• Criminal
• Every Little Thing

Podcasts for Dads

My husband doesn’t listen to much. He has a tuning out problem, where he will start listening to an audiobook or podcast and after a few minutes start thinking about something else then bam the episode is over. But he does have a few go-to podcasts he likes to listen to.

The Fatherly Podcast

This is a great podcast! Joshua David Stein, the host of the Fatherly podcast, interviews all kinds of people (actors, athletes, writers, documentarians, etc) about the challenges and the joys of being a dad. It is a nice podcast to listen to because it gives you food for thought with your own parenting, but it also helps you see that celebrities are just like us. Joshua has had all kinds of people on his podcast like John Legend, Laird Hamilton (legendary surfer), Glenn Beck, etc.

The Modern Dads Podcast

My husband and I have noticed that fatherhood has dramatically changed over the last 50 years. It is nice to see dads be more involved. The Modern Dads Podcast posts about the life and fatherhood of modern dads. Talking about their experiences, decisions, joys, and difficulties associated with parenting and fatherhood. They use real-life stories to help dads learn about what other dads go through and how those experiences can help others.

These are just a few podcasts we are loving in our house right now. But as any addict will tell you, it isn’t enough! If you have a podcast that you love that I didn’t mention please leave a comment and let me know. I need more!