The Best Music Podcasts for Kids
Holiday Series: The holidays can be a demanding season to keep your children busy. But good news to parents, lockdown or not, there’s always a great podcast away to keep children musically engaged and away from screens.
Holiday Series: The holidays can be a demanding season to keep your children busy. But good news to parents, lockdown or not, there’s always a great podcast away to keep children musically engaged and away from screens.
Podcasts, we’re focusing particularly on musical ones, offer a dynamic, attention-grabbing learning opportunity that by their very nature, incite a theater in the minds of little listeners. These audio gems have the potential to teach and delight. And importantly, that it’s never too late to begin your child’s journey to music aficionado.
Noodle Loaf
Dan Saks is definitely our echo king. This interactive podcast lets young children (6 & under) engage in the “Noodle Loaf Choir” that provides both learning and fine rhythmic practice. The singalongs are incorporated into episodes lasting about ten minutes each – in other words, perfect low-time span for pre-schooler. It also introduces kids to science. Though not the most mature content, kids would love a silly song or two. With over seventy episodes in the back catalogue, this podcast would work well for car trips.
David Walliams’ Marvellous Musical Podcast
This ten-part program can pack a roomful of jokes into every beat without really exiting the musical sphere. David Walliams could well be your December choice. The English comedian, children’s author, and television personality is perfectly suited to host this utterly silly yet somehow meticulous romp through classical music history. Ingeniously educational, Walliams engages his audience with historical adventures, telling stories of the piano, Franz Liszt, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart depicting exaggerated cartoonish scenes and funny re-enactments from across the eras of musical antiquity. This children’s program is a unique model of humor that tickles kids and adults alike.
Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child
An every-Sunday special, tap into an indie music hour that just so happens to be made for kids; one with age-appropriate subjects, lyrics, and guest musicians. Each weekly episode is organised into “sets” and has well-curated tunes to help introduce your child to cool bands. Just over last week, the band They Might Be Giants performed an educational program focusing on the environment titled ‘Turtle Songs of North America’. While The Be Good Tanyas kept us all engaged with a summer rendition of ‘The Littlest Birds’. Their long-time jingle ‘Don’t Spare the Rock’ is a quick reminder of how scrumptious music for kids can stay on the air for two hours. This radio show is a total family affair and its music guarantee every member of the family engaged, perhaps even dancing at times.
The Sesame Street Podcast with Foley & Friends
Foley is Sesame Street’s resident podcaster, which means that her guests include Elmo, Cookie Monster, Grover, and other characters your kids know and love. Together, they cover educational songs, jokes, and games. The only bad part of this podcast is that it’s just 15 episodes long. For similar podcasting effects, Sesame Street’s YouTube channel offers incredible programming as well. This is a total classic in children programming in the English medium. To celebrate ‘Neighbour Day’, Sesame Street released a See Us Coming Together Special that celebrates the diversity of Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Introducing an all-star cast, featuring Simu Liu, Jim Lee, and new neighbours from Korea, Philippines, India, Japan, and more. Watch the program here. #seeuscomingtogether
The Music Podcast for Kids!
In this music education podcast, your hosts, Mr. Henry and Mr. Fite, explain a different musical topic every episode. It explores the history, mechanics, and application of every musical topic tackling folk, rock, jazz, and also instruments like the trumpet and electric guitar. With a joke of the day submitted by young listeners and silly antics between the hosts, this show is equally informative and entertaining. Keeping kids participating and learning at all levels, the program includes interviews with musicians, bands, composers, and songwriters. Joining its Secret Music Club requires a donation to its Patreon account.
Kids Q the Music
On this show, the mother-daughter duo Rebecca and Zara Lane ask musical performers, composers, conductors, and young musicians all the right questions about classical music learning and performance. Whether they’re asking the conductor Andrés González what he’s actually doing when he waves his arms around in front of the orchestra, or the composer Iman Habibi how he can tell if his work will sound good before it has ever been played, their interviews are always mixed with the unique fun and curiosity of a program made for and by kids. Its latest show asks children the musical term ‘Nocturne’ explaining why and how it is used to describe a specific type of music written in dedication to night time. Informal and fun!
Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl
Here are two full hours of kids’ music that’s smart, funny, and much less grating to your adult ears. So no, it isn’t at all bad, but yes, it’s still goofy kids’ music. Featuring new music, it is also a bonus when the names of the bands are worth a laugh— The Banana Band and Caspar Babypants come to mind. Additionally, the song names are also worth mentioning. Last week, it played ‘Taco Spaghetti’ by Parry Gripp; ‘A Successful Career As a Dog’ by The Relative Minors and ‘Sleepyhead’ by Bears and Lions. The Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl provides two hours of “kindie music” from all musical genres once a week out of Chattanooga State Community College in Tennessee.
Radio Active Kids
Radio Active Kids is a once-a-week program for kids. But not just for kids–for EVERYONE! It plays intelligent kids’ music for the young and the young at heart. It’s an awesome program, hosted by Sagan and the gang in an interactive show, explores all things, kids. Shows feature cool kid-friendly tunes, storytelling, comedy, and weirdness!
Their latest podcast released this November featured songs by Kid Pan Alley, Will’s Jams, Danny Weinkauf – Red Pants Band, THE ZAMBONIS, Sharon Lois and Bram, Snooknuk, mömandpöp, Mr. Pete’s Playhouse, Mo Phillips, Kyle James Riley, Tom Knight Puppets, David Polansky, Ashley Mills Monaghan, #HouseElfTavernChoir (Dream Quaffle)/Chasitherin/Potterwatch/The Faithful Sidekicks on a comp by Totally Knuts), Triple Rainbow, Mr. Nature’s Music Garden & #FluffyMcCustard.
Ear Snacks
Add some fun to your day with refreshing meditations on topics such as pickles, tickets and teeth. Experts young and old know that even the little things are “more than” – more funny, more meaningful and more connecting. Join award-winning music makers Andrew & Polly as they explore the absurdity and wonder of everyday life. Their seriously catchy earworms and inventive re-imaginings of classic favorites have earned the duo two Parents’ Choice Awards and the ASCAP Foundation Joe Raposo Children’s Music Award. This program is worth a family get-together. Their latest podcast talks about sources of illumination, human-made and natural. Lori from PJ Library shares her Hanukkah story, candlelights and winter celebrations.
