The best podcasts for Kids Who Love Stories

Stories for Wonderful Children is a true gem. Host Dan Wendelin softly tells some of the most imaginative and thoughtful adventure stories we've ever heard. The ongoing tales of Winella are beautiful, and soulful, and have great messages about seeking answers, working together, and learning new things about our world and each other in a way that's exciting yet not too scary. I am very excited to be showcasing one of my kid’s “absolute most favorite podcasts, ever!” Stories for Wonderful Children is filled with fun, sweet characters going on adventures that are never too scary, but also always have enough at stake to be very engaging and clever. The stories feature characters that model kindness, empathy, and problem-solving. And, we love hearing Dan’s children, to whom he is telling these stories at bedtime, pipe up with questions and comments throughout the stories.

A thrilling and unique space epic about a brave and sweet alien girl with beautiful music. This show is so beautifully produced that it doesn't really need to also be so brilliant, but it is. Mary Farfisa is an eight-year-old space girl who travels the Galaxies on her space-horse, Briscoe. She goes from planet to planet, searching for “songs and sounds and music and noise” to share with the rest of the Universe. Mary catches the songs and sounds and music and noise in her “audio lasso.” Then she brings them to the Listener’s Library — an intergalactic collection of sounds, curated by music-loving super-beings called the “Listeners.” From the beautiful, sweet songs and fun characters; to the exciting stories and poetry and wordplay, this show has something for every listener. My 7-year-old adventure enthusiast is absolutely hooked, and we parent people like that it sounds just wonderful. I find myself tapping my fingers and toes while driving and listening, and I take my own delight in the sweet, silly, and optimistic fun the characters have. Mary Farfisa’s Outer Space Radio Theater is great for road trips, longer travel, screen time avoidance, and bedtime entertainment. The comics, coloring pages, and art are fantastic, too!

What happens when a team of indie creators devoted to fostering a sense of belonging through storytelling gathers together around a talented, rising voiceover star? The Dorktales Storytime Podcast does! Jonathan Cormur — who believes stories have the power to help kids discover their creativity, curiosity, and what makes them remarkable — gives voice to characters like a clever hedgehog sidekick and tells lively, scripted stories that put a new, acceptance-focused spin on old classics. Come for the heartwarming stories and learning about great historical figures that have contributed to the betterment of our world, then stay for the good-natured humor and excellent writing and audio production quality.

Jonathan Joy writes this collection of thrilling, short sci-fi stories (often with the help of his son) for the Ashland Beacon newspaper in Eastern Kentucky. The show revolves around a mysterious West Virginia town that is home to kid superheroes, kid astronauts, time-traveling teens, kids that can quantum leap into video games, and much more bizarre activity. Mostly for younger listeners from all over the country (age 5–12), the show is popular for families that like to listen together. It’s a fantastic resource for your screentime-avoiding toolkits, and elementary school teachers share the podcast with their students as well.

My family and I love this episodic show so much that we spring for the very reasonably priced tickets to watch it live over Zoom, performed by a professional actress with some help from her family. The characters are well-developed, the dialogue is hilarious and sweet, and the story is so good that you should be hooked within a few minutes. It's so wonderful to have as a podcast feed, too, because it is very bingeable. We hope there will be more seasons for many years to come!