Best Kid Friendly and Family Road Trip Podcasts
Family road trips are my absolute favorite way to connect and talk with my children while on the way to family vacations throughout the year. While my children may not always be able to agree on new music, we can always agree on a perfect podcast! Podcasts are not just for older children or adults, there are so many family friendly storytelling podcast options for the whole family. If you are taking a long road trip in the near future, check out these best family podcasts to make the trip more enjoyable!
20 Best Kid Friendly and Family Road Trip Podcasts
National Geographic Kids Weird But True -
This podcast comes out every day and each episode is only 5-7 minutes making it perfect to keep the focus of little kids! With a variety of topics like food, birds, natural disasters, pets, planets, bugs and toys this is a great listen for a family.
Wow in the World
Host Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas this #1 science podcast is for kids and adults too! This weekly podcast dives into stories and news about science technology and innovation. This is a great podcast for STEAM lovers.
Smash Boom Best
Does your family like to debate? If so, this is a good podcast that the entire family will love. Kids will learn skills like listening and debating as they listen to celebrity guests talk through things like Pikachu vs. Mario, Cats vs. Dogs, Spiderman vs. Batman, Minecraft vs Lego. These debate style podcast recent episodes are a great way to encourage kids and family members to have their own debates in the car as well!
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
At 264 episodes and counting, this fairy tales inspired podcast is a hit for a long trip. Based on the bestselling series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, each episode explores the lives of women from the books, encouraging young listeners to ask questions and explore their interests.
National Geographic Kids Greeking Out
Each episode of Greeking Out has content hints at the start and in the description so you can pre-screen the episode for your family. In our travels through the ancient world, we encounter dangerous monsters, epic heroes, disastrous shipwrecks, the quest for immortality, sibling rivalries, gods behaving badly, ancient curses, and, of course, divine intervention. Nat Geo Kids Greeking Out is available wherever you get your podcasts and has a companion book that is perfect while you listen to travel tales as well.
Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel
The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel is a high-quality serial mystery story for middle graders, performed by actual kids. Think Goonies, meets Spy Kids, meets Stranger Things for 8-12 year-olds. Listen along as eleven-year-old Mars Patel and his pals JP, Toothpick, and Caddie set out on a audacious adventure in search of two missing friends. The mysterious tech billionaire Oliver Pruitt might have a thing-or-two to say about their quest, because as he likes to say, To the stars
Melon's House Party
Did you know that the objects in your house sing and speak all day long? They just do so in a key only dogs can hear. Enter, Melon, an eight-pound dog with a thousand-pound heart who is the key to a world that lives right under our noses! She lives in a world full of friends; an always singing record player, a soulless computer, her bookshelf therapist and many more. But her best friend in the world is Couch. No musical adventure is too big for Melon and Couch as long as they can figure out a way to do it together. As Melon learns about herself and the world around her, she shows us how to appreciate the little things in life and the importance of friendship and family.
PBS Kids Keyshawn Solves It
Created by Ed Jenkins, the Keyshawn Solves It podcast is an 8-episode serialized mystery about a 10-year-old African-American boy who inherits a set of keys that can unlock almost any door. With help from his friend Kiki, Keyshawn uses these keys to help solve the mystery of disappearing bikes in his North Minneapolis neighborhood, ensuring that his community’s Juneteenth bike parade can go on. Listeners will be introduced to Juneteenth and its origins, as well as to social-emotional “keys to success” such as resilience, self-worth, and responsibility. Geared to children 5-9
Rebel Girls Growing up Powerful
Revolutionize girlhood with the Growing Up Powerful Podcast from Rebel Girls! Join best friends Asha and Jestine as they try to figure out this wild thing called life. Jump in for game shows, mindfulness breaks, advice from experts, and more! A companion series to the new guidebook from Rebel Girls, Growing Up Powerful celebrates the messiness and milestones of growing up.
Earth Rangers
if you think that animals are amazing, this is the show for you! Join host Earth Ranger Emma as she travels the world to discover the wildest animal facts out there and solve nature’s biggest mysteries. With top ten countdowns, an animal guessing game, conservation conversations, and epic animal showdowns, this is a journey you won’t want to miss! There are 85 episodes so you can deep dive during the long hours of a drive.
Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian
The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian is one of the coolest serialized science fiction podcasts story for kids (start with Episode 1), told in 15- 20 minute episode lengths for parents to put on when driving around town, or to marathon on road trips, or to bond over before bed. The story centers on Finn Caspian, an 8-year-old boy aboard The Famous Marlowe 280 Interplanetary Exploratory Space Station. He and his friends Abigail, Elias and Vale are Explorers Troop 301, taking off from the Marlowe to explore uncharted planets, help the occasional alien, and solve a mystery that threatens to destroy the Marlowe. When pressed, we describe it as a "mystery gang" story, sort of like Scooby-Doo in space.
Sesame Street Podcast
Sesame Street is a hit podcast featuring the furry and loveable Muppets of Sesame Street. Sing songs with Elmo, Abby, Cookie Monster and Grover. Learn about friendship, patience and sharing with Bert and Ernie. Celebrate sunny days with all of your favorite Muppets with new episodes every Monday!
National Geographic Kids How We Explore
In this National Geographic Kids podcast, the hosts talk to eleven explorers who contribute to science and exploration through different fields. Learn about the challenges and inspirations they find along the way. From digging for ancient artifacts to gazing at the stars, these National Geographic Explorers have had adventures in the farthest-flung reaches of the world, and in their own backyards. They are scientists, explorers, and leaders who took risks and overcame problems to be explorers!
Curious Kids Podcast
Join Jacob and 8 year old Olivia as they learn fun and educational things. They take on different topics each episode with the goal of providing an educational and entertaining experience for listeners of all ages. New episodes every Sunday!
Story Pirates
Award-Winning Kids and Family Podcast Celebrating the Words and Ideas of Kids. Winner of the 2020 and 2022 iHeartRadio awards for Best Kids and Family Podcast, The Story Pirates Podcast is one of the top three kids and family podcasts in the world. Downloaded over 65 million times and featuring songs and sketches based on stories written by kids, special guests include top talent and celebrity interviews like Julie Andrews, Kristen Bell, Billy Eichner, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dax Shepard, Bowen Yang, Paul Scheer, Claire Danes, John Oliver, David Schwimmer, Lake Bell, Busy Philipps, and Cecily Strong.
Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd
Since November 7, 2004 - The first, and longest running, professionally produced audio drama podcast! This family friendly new twist on "old time radio" features the adventures and exploits of the World's Most Brilliant Scientist, Dr. Floyd! Join Dr. Floyd as he tries to thwart the plans of his evil arch nemesis, Dr. Steve, all the while learning about the people and events that shaped the history of the Earth. If satirist Stan Freberg and Jay Ward, creator of Rocky & Bullwinkle, had created Mystery Science Theater 3000 mixed in a little Time Bandits and gave it an educational spin, the result would have been...The Radio Adventures Of Dr. Floyd! The Podcast for Gifted Children and Adults!
Forever Ago
Brains On presents Forever Ago®, a history show for the whole family! Every episode looks into the surprising and fascinating history of things we think are ordinary, but they’re not -- like ice cream flavors, video games, baths and more. We make learning about the past fun while teaching listeners to think critically about history.
Brains On
You are doing to love this award-winning science podcast for kids and curious adults from American Public Media. With new podcasts and funny topics like whats inside a jellyfish and why are birthday parties so fun? Kids and adults will love this addictive podcast.
Julie's Library - Join beloved icon Julie Andrews for story time! Julie and her daughter, children’s author and educator Emma Walton Hamilton, invite you into their library to read their favorite children's books. Every story comes to life with sound, music and activities. Authors, kids and other special guests chime in, too! It’s a show that will inspire lively conversations and a lifelong love of reading. Produced by American Public Media.
Circle Round
Created and produced by parents of young children, WBUR's Circle Round adapts carefully-selected folktales from around the world into sound- and music-rich radio plays for kids ages 3-103. Each 10- to 20-minute episode explores important issues like kindness, persistence and generosity. And each episode ends with an activity that inspires a deeper conversation between children and grown-ups.
As your family hits the open road on your next road trip, tackle long drives with the new episodes from these family friendly podcasts. This list of the best podcasts includes 20 options that are perfect for younger kids and older listeners too! These podcasts are engaging, funny, and educational and a great alternative to screen time and sibling bickering in the car! Enjoy the coolest new stories on these top family podcasts.
