14 podcasts to teach kids about history, identity, and current events: Easy ways to add to the education they’re getting in the classroom

Illustration of back of a person's head, with headphones on, with a curly cable running off to the left side

As your child heads back to school, you may be looking for appropriate ways to bolster the education they’re getting in the classroom. But how do you determine what’s suitable for their grade level while remaining inclusive and entertaining enough that they won’t be bored to tears? Answer: Try podcasts.

There are many child-friendly podcasts out there that explore topics that aren’t often included in traditional curricula. You can listen to them in the car on the way to school or sports practices, and they can spark questions around difficult topics like racism or identity — in an age-appropriate way.

Podcasts are not just about technology or fiction, as there is a lot of educational content too. We, as parents, should not be trying to mould our kids into miniature versions of ourselves. They are a generation younger than many of us, and times have changed. It is important that they get a variety of perspectives and get to make up their own minds. For example, I was a computer programmer (amongst other things), but my daughter is more creative by nature, and programming is just not her thing. She needs to explore options I don’t necessarily understand myself.

Podcasts of course are also great in that they can be listened to whilst moving around or doing other things. They can often fill usually non-productive times.

See https://mashable.com/article/educational-podcasts-children-back-to-school