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These audio stories are a great substitute for screens

By Madeleine Burry

Podcasts for Preschoolers

Story Time: This bi-monthly podcast features simple but engaging 20-minute original stories, read by a rotating cast of narrators (many with British accents). While the easy-to-follow tales are a natural fit for bedtime, there’s no reason not to listen in the morning, after lunch, or during a long car ride (bedtime.fm; ages 2-13).

Quentin and Alfie’s ABC Adventures: Each of the 26 episodes covers a letter of the alphabet— which is a fun way to introduce kids to letters and sounds. The story follows the adventures of Alfie and his babysitter, Quentin, everywhere from amusement parks to the zoo (pinna.fm; ages 3-5).

Story Pirates: This podcast is billed as “by kids, for kids.” Here’s how it works: Kids submit stories and the cast (actors, comedians, and musicians) turns them into hilarious sketch comedies and songs. It’s an upbeat, hilarious show—one episode features a song about trash-loving raccoons (gimletmedia.com; ages 3 and older).

Podcasts for Big Kids

Wow in the World: This podcast for kids is co-hosted by Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas and aims to leave kids (and parents) saying “wow” at the end of each science-themed episode. Explanations to intriguing questions like “why do zebras have stripes?” and “how do onions make us cry?” are paired with zippy background music (wondery.com; ages 4-10).

Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest: Best-selling author Adam Gidwitz uses dramatic twists and flourishes to share fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm with a group of kids (who interject with feedback and opinions). Before each story, Gidwitz provides a content warning (in one episode he warned about name-calling), and assigns a rating of grimm, grimmer, or grimmest to denote just how weird and scary the episode will be (pinna.fm; ages 6-13).

Saturday Morning Cereal Box: This 2-hour podcast bills itself as “a weekly music show for the whole family,” but (luckily) the songs avoid cheesy lyrics, high-pitched voices, and poor production. Instead, the genre-spanning, genuinely interesting music provides a perfect backdrop for hanging with the kids (saturdaycerealbowl. podbean.com; all ages).

Podcasts for Teens

Stuff You Should Know: This show explores topics as diverse as Ironman triathlons, paternity testing, scurvy, and how highways work. While it’s aimed at adults, curious teens will delight in finding out fascinating back stories they might not have thought about before (stuffyoushouldknow.com; ages 13 and older).

The NPR Politics Podcast: It’s important for teens (who will soon be voting) to understand the issues and know what’s going on. This non-partisan show digs into the news on a daily basis—drop into a current episode or tune in on Thursdays for a roundup of the week’s news (npr.org/podcasts; ages 13 and older).

Dear Hank & John: John Green—the chart-topping YA author of books such as The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska—and his musician brother, Hank, answer questions, share advice (which they admit is “dubious”), and delve into pop culture. (complexly.com; ages 15 and older).

Madeleine Burry is a freelance writer and editor who has held staff positions at Parents. com, Scholastic, and About.com. Burry lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, with her husband and their cat. You can follow her on Twitter @lovelanewest.