Audiobooks and podcasts are often overlooked when parents and teachers want to improve children’s literacy. Whilst listening to books must be mixed with reading them, audiobooks can be a great way of squeezing more literacy into your day or encouraging reluctant readers to get into a story.
With the rise in podcast popularity, more and more podcasts are being created for kids, and even by kids. We’ve compiled a list of the best ones for over 8’s to engage and inspire your child.
Anansi Storytime is named after Anansi Kweku – the mythical West African god that just happens to be a spider – but it actually contains stories from all over the world. Each episode of the podcast tells a short story from a different culture and part of the world – from Japan to Native America. Existing episodes range from 4 to 18 minutes, which is perfect for you to pop on in the car while travelling to and from school.
Although this podcast is now defunct, its back catalogue contains interviews with an impressive range of children’s authors, including Jacqueline Wilson (pictured). With interviews conducted by young readers, this podcast is perfect for avid readers that would like to hear more about their favourite writers and books.
The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd are what you’d get if you crossed The Archers with Horrible Histories. This “audio drama podcast” has been running for an impressive 13 years and follows Dr. Floyd as he battles his arch nemesis and travels through time, learning about history. The podcast aims itself at “gifted kids and adults” so this may be one for sci-fi-loving parents to listen to with their children.
While many are familiar with the story of Alice in Wonderland, few have actually read Lewis Carroll’s classic book. This Storynory podcast from 2008 reads through Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland before going onto its oft-forgotten sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass. Each podcast episode is a different chapter of the book so reluctant readers could alternate between reading a chapter in the book and listening to a chapter on the podcast.
If you’re looking for something to inspire the writer in your child, this podcast may just do the trick. The 500 Words competition is an annual BBC Radio 2 short story competition for children. The accompanying podcast contains a back catalogue of finalists’ stories being professionally read by the Radio Drama Company.
We were extremely proud when one of Kamilah’s creative writing pupils was a finalist in this competition a few years ago; with a little inspiration, maybe your child could be entering soon too?
Another Loyal Books podcast and a favourite with 11+ examiners, The Wind in the Willows is a classic story that will appeal to both young boys and girls. The story follows the adventures of Mole, Rat, Mr. Toad and Mr. Badger in Edwardian England and will include a variety of challenging vocabulary for your child to get to grips with.
