5 of My Favorite History Podcasts for Kids, Teens, and Families

My soon-to-be second-grader and I have gotten into podcasts this summer, which is what led me to start a list of the best history podcasts for kids, teens, and families. It all started when we were cleaning and organizing her room. She was bored. I was frustrated. And vice versa. (Drop me a supportive comment if you’ve been there!)

Finally, I grabbed my phone, scrolled through a few choices and said, “Guess what? Here’s an episode about cheese. I bet listening will make the work go faster.” (She loves cheese.)

And it did. Keep reading to learn more about the podcast that got us started and to find a great new listen for your family.

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3 Reasons to Listen to History Podcasts for Kids, Teens, and Families

1. Win the Screen Time Wars

I’m not completely anti-screen, but there are limits. At least, I try to set limits. But if you’ve tried parenting in the 21st century, you know it’s hard, and summer days are long. I find that podcasts can be a tricky mom hack for “screen time lite.” The kids are using the device, but they aren’t staring at the device, and I’ll take that win. (My daughter did ask the other day why there are no pictures with podcasts, though! I told her it’s basically an old-timey radio show.)

2. Practice Listening Ears

We live in a very visually based culture, so our brains tend to get a lot of practice processing visual information. This has been a process ever since we started spreading the news through the printed word, and it’s accelerated since television took over from radio and especially as we all started carrying tiny screens around with us.

But it’s likely that folks from the middle ages, while they might not have beaten us in life expectancy, would absolutely smoke us on aural processing. Most of their information went into their brains through their ears. They didn’t look at a clock: they listened for church bells. They didn’t read a newspaper: they heard the news by word of mouth. They didn’t read stories; they listened to them.

We still need to process information aurally, though. Kids need to practice listening skills for school and life, and podcasts are a great opportunity to do that.

3. Fight Boredom as a Family

Kids get bored. It happens. Grown-ups also get bored. I’m going to confess something: I get so bored with playing. Solution: Turn on a podcast that interests everyone! Great for those times when you’re pushing the swing for the third time that day. Also great for long car trips.

History podcasts are especially good for family listening because they often have the ability to appeal to a wide range of ages. The list below is organized by youngest to oldest in terms of audience appeal.

|Related: History Activities at Home: 5 Simple, Fun, and Cheap Ideas

5 of My Favorite History Podcasts for Kids, Teens, and Families

1. Bedtime History: Inspirational Stories for Kids and Families

Who knew history could be relaxing? Put Bedtime History on whenever you have a few minutes to chill. It doesn’t have to be at bedtime, but for those times when a child or a grown-up needs just a little more wind-down time before turning off the lights, Bedtime History is there.

Creator: Breck LeSueur, a dad from Arizona

Audience Appeal: Ages 4+. Bedtime History is aimed at the elementary grades, but it has broad appeal. Many episodes will appeal to even very young children, their grown-ups, and everyone in between, so this is a great choice when you have a wide range of ages all together.

Average Episode Length: 10 minutes

Recommended Episode: “Unicorns” (July 11, 2022). Because they are too real.

|Related: Can the Golden Age of Detective Fiction Help Us Get Better Sleep?

2. The Past and the Curious: A History Podcast for Kids and Families

Full marks for a clever title go to this podcast, and the quirky cleverness doesn’t end there. The Past and the Curious offers many smiles and chuckles along with solidly researched history.

Creator: Mick Sullivan, a writer, musician, audio creator, and museum educator and curator in Kentucky

Audience Appeal: The Past and the Curious is designed for a middle grade audience, which usually means roughly 3rd-8th, but it has broad appeal. If you like a little humor with your history, this is the place to get it.

Average Episode Length: 15-30 minutes

Recommended Episodes: “The Underwear Chronicles” Series (Starts November 14, 2021). You can start with any of the Underwear Chronicles episodes. At the time of this writing, there are nine. If you like them, you can get a book I predict especially primary students will love, called I See Lincoln’s Underpants: The Surprising Times Underwear (and the People Wearing Them) Made History.

Teachers and librarians know that (Presidents + Underwear = Kindergarten to 3rd Grade Love).

3. The Food That Built America

This is the podcast that started it all for us. Based on the History Channel’s documentary series of the same name, The Food That Built America delves into the history of America’s iconic food brands.

Creator: The History Channel

Audience Appeal: This is a great choice for families. It’s produced for a general audience, and who doesn’t love snacks? If you want to be the super-fun grown-up, you can provide matching snacks to go with the episode. (I have not yet done this, but it sounds like something I should do.)

If you’re not a foodie, that’s okay, because it turns out food gets you into a lot of different areas, including business and branding. This will keep the teens and grown-ups entertained, while still being accessible to the kids, especially since they’ll recognize many of the brand names. (McDonald’s, Orville Redenbacher, Wrigley’s, Little Debbie, Hershey, and so on for dozens of episodes.)

Average Episode Length: 30 minutes

Recommended Episode: “The Big Cheese” (Kraft), April 13, 2022

4. Throughline

Now we’re getting into content for the older crowd. Throughline is directed at an adult audience, but like most historical content written for a general adult audience, it’s accessible for high schoolers and advanced or interested middle schoolers.

The thing I find really valuable about Throughline is that (as the title suggests), it takes issues from the headlines and gives them the historical treatment, following the issues and themes we’re dealing with today through history.

Audience Appeal: Upper middle school through adults

Creator: NPR

Average Episode Length: 50 minutes

Recommended Episode: “A Story of Us?” (February 3, 2022)

5. Hope, Through History

I’ve always said that history ultimately gives me hope, and I’m not alone in that. As hopeless as so many things seem today, this has become a must-listen for me. I especially recommend it for those young people in your life who may be feeling hopeless. I remember how much I despaired at the state of the world in high school, and I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a teenager now. They need all the hope and strength and examples of how we’ve come through tough times before that we can find.

Hope, Through History takes difficult moments from American history (plus one about Winston Churchhill) and shows how the nation came through them and got back on track. In tough times, I find it essential to take the long view, and this podcast helps me do that.

Audience Appeal: Upper middle school through adults

Creators: C13 Originals, with the History Channel, hosted by historian Jon Meacham

Average Episode Length: 35-45 minutes

Recommended Episodes: I’m literally just listening to every single one in order to fill myself up on hope. Season 1, Episode 1 is “FDR and The Great Depression,” but there are stories from many eras.

Listen and Learn

I hope you’ve found a history podcast for kids, teens, and families here that your family will love! Whether you’re looking for ways to fill a long car trip or interested in learning about something specific, podcasts are a great resource.

I hate getting ready in the morning and getting ready for bed because it seems like such a waste of time and it’s so boring, but unfortunately it’s necessary, so I’ve started listening to the grown-up podcasts during that time. My daughter and I especially like to listen together while cleaning or doing other boring tasks. My top tip for engaging kids and teens with history podcasts is finding a subject you know they’re interested in anyway and just turning it on. Before you know it, they’ll be listening.

Which of these podcasts will you check out first? When would be a great time for your family to listen in?

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