7 news podcasts for kids, from preschool to high school

In our Out Tech Your Kids group on Facebook, a parent recently asked for recommendations for great news podcasts for kids. Our readers replied with some really good suggestions, so we wanted to round them up for you…and add a few more we discovered too.

These are great for the drive to school, during morning time in your homeschool routine, or just for curious kids to listen to in their free time. So add these to your subscribe list wherever you listen to podcasts, and enjoy discussing current events with your kids!

One tip: if you don’t want your kids to have a phone in their rooms, but that’s where they’re going to want to listen to podcasts, get them an Echo for kids. They can listen to audio books and podcasts there, without the distraction of a screen.

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Photo by Julius Drost on Unsplash

The ABC KIDS News Time podcast is geared toward very young children (like, preschool age). It’s all very light and upbeat, of course, while still addressing important current issues. Lots of these 10- to 12-minute news stories are about animals, but not all. A recent episode about “helpers” in the pandemic and a ban on plastic will appeal to our justice-conscious kids.

In around 20 minutes, elementary and middle school age kids get a roundup of the past week’s news in The Week Junior (also a print magazine). They have recently covered topics from the roman colosseum to premiere league soccer’s social media boycott, to the discovery of a new type of sea sponge. A team of commentators talk through the topics, keeping it fast-moving and interesting for kids.

The Ten News, which runs from around 12 minutes to as long as 18, covers political topics like President Biden’s first 100 days, social issues like children’s mental health awareness day, and fun topics like the Mars Rover. It’s geared towards kids ages 8-12.

There’s a fun, upbeat vibe to the KidNuz daily podcast. In just 7 minutes each day, they cover the big stories: everything from human interest stories to big news (like China’s space junk crashing to earth) to pop culture events like Elon Musk hosting SNL or Broadway opening back up. If you’re looking for one to add to your daily routine, this is it.

If your kids are mostly interested in science and tech, then the Wow in the World! podcast with Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas will be up their alley. It’s very fun and entertaining, and it feels more like an educational podcast than a news broadcast. But, they say it’s all about the latest science and tech news in their description, so I wanted included it, especially since it’s one of my kids’ favorite podcasts.

For a true “nightly news” vibe, but for kids, try NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt: Kids Edition. Episodes are 16-25 minutes and are published pretty close to weekly, but not necessarily exactly. You get Lester Holt’s same gravitas, but geared toward kids. They’ve recently covered topics like Pfizer vaccine for kids, new baby camel in Europe, and origins of Mother’s Day.

If you’re hoping to talk current events with your teens, then try CNN10. This one is made with older kids in mind, so it doesn’t have that “Kid’s news! Kid’s news!” vibe. Plus, it has a video version you can watch in your homeschool morning time too (or recommend it to your kids’ teachers). Each episode is packed with info in just 10 minutes.