There’s something for your ears – podcasts for children

The radio used to be the first choice for listening to favorite shows or radio plays.
Today, it is mobile devices that make a huge selection of podcasts available.
Children are also avid listeners.
Whether exciting and funny stories, child-friendly news or music programs – there is something for every taste.
We give you a few recommendations for podcasts for children.

What is a podcast?

Podcasts are audio or video files that you can listen to or subscribe to on the Internet and sometimes save so that you can listen to or watch them again and again.
They are usually audio recordings.
New episodes are published regularly.
Most podcasts have an overarching theme such as sport, culture or news.
These are often series that are continued and not complete stories.
For example, there are true crime podcasts in which real criminal cases are retold.

Where can I find the right podcast for my child?

Children love stories. If parents don’t have time to read aloud, audio plays and audio books are a good alternative.
The older children get, the more interesting podcast formats become.
There is a huge range of podcasts online, aimed at different age groups from around the age of 3.
Podcasts are available on various websites and via apps such as music streaming services or podcast portals.

Our recommendations for children

• Ohrka: The podcast explains politics in a child-friendly way for children aged 8 and over.
  Children and politicians as well as experts from all over Germany provide input.
• Ohrenbär (RBB and NDR): Tells stories for children between the ages of 4 and 8, read by well-known actors.
  The stories are divided into 7 episodes – or available as a complete listening experience of around one hour.
• Wunderwigwam (Hessischer Rundfunk): A new episode about exciting discoveries and experiences, for example what it’s like to grow up in Bangladesh, appears every two weeks.
  Presented by a fox and a snake.
• Open your ears and go! (Hessischer Rundfunk): For anyone interested in music.
  All questions about music and sounds are answered in 16 episodes.
• GEOlino: Every two weeks, presenter Ivy takes her listeners on a voyage of discovery through our world in her knowledge podcast.
  She dives into the deep sea, travels to ancient Rome and searches for mammals.
• Schlaulicht: A knowledge podcast for children that explains how the world works in a playful way.
  Topics include nature, technology and science.
• MausZoom (WDR): A news podcast for children aged 8 and over.
  The mouse takes a topic and slowly zooms in.
  The more he zooms in, the more details come to light.
• Sweet or dinosaur (Museum für Naturkunde Berlin): Whether dinosaurs, hamsters or wild animals in Berlin: the podcast brings nature and science into children’s rooms.
• Waldfunk (Mach-mit-Berlin): This family podcast explores nature right on your doorstep, deep into the forest.
• FINNgehört: The children’s reporters from fragFINN talk about news. One of them is always made up.
• Kidspods: The portal of Cologne storyteller Klaus Adam offers a clear selection of child-friendly audio and video podcasts, also produced by schoolchildren.

You can find more good podcasts on platforms such as Spotify, Spotify Kids, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music. There you can display podcasts filtered by category.

What should parents pay attention to?

Pay attention to existing age recommendations when making your selection. To date, there is no mandatory age rating as there is for videos or games. Podcasts can be published by virtually anyone. Please read the descriptions carefully to decide whether the podcast is suitable for your child. Listen to an episode before your child listens in. In principle, you should always listen to the first episodes of a new podcast series together and talk about them afterwards. Ask your child whether it was fun, whether they understood everything or what new things they learned – and, above all, whether they were frightened by anything. Is your child older? We also have Podcast recommendations for young people compiled.

Or try your hand at making your own podcast. This can a great project for the whole family be.