The Best Spotify Playlists & Podcasts For Kids & Parents In 2023 (Updated)
*Parents: click here to read a quick message from JoMo
When it comes to the everyday digital tool kits of modern parents - Spotify is one of the most underutilized in their arsenal!
Whenever my nephew comes over, he’s always looking for screen time. In an effort to help balance it, I always try putting on music, audio stories, or a children's Podcast. Usually within minutes, we completely forget about screen time and get wrapped up in the audio version of a children's story.
It can be hard to find great kid-friendly music and podcast content, so here are my top 10 Spotify choices for parents to use as an alternative to screen time:
CoComelon Story Time is an ongoing Spotify Original podcast with stories that teach positive life lessons and provide kids with playful and educational content that they can enjoy with anyone. Perfect for ages 2-5!
Steven Universe is a TV show (10+) that is chock-full of AMAZING and kid-friendly music for almost all ages. Each song tells a story and has great voice acting, lyrics and vocals. My nephew and I listen to this playlist all the time.
Brains On! The Science Podcast For Kids is an amazing and well-produced podcast perfect for parents and children of all ages to enjoy. They always have relevant and easy-to-understand information suitable for kids. Just be prepared for some lively discussions with your little one(s)!
Raffi is a Canadian singer-lyricist and author best known for his unforgettable children's music. As an adult who grew up listening to Raffi’s music, I can’t tell you how much of a positive influence it had on my childhood and still does today. His Christmas album is my favorite and I listen to it every year!
Lingokids is probably for a slightly younger audience (ages 2-4). The mission with their podcast is to help boost imaginative thinking, listening skills and language development. Perfect for parents with children just learning how to talk!
Sesame Street definitely needs no introduction and they have an amazing collection of music on Spotify. I usually zip right to the “Best of Sesame Street” playlist and it never fails to disappoint!
The Story Store podcast (from CBC Podcasts) takes ideas from kids that call in and turns their suggestions into hilarious, fun-filled adventures! Every episode features a group of performers bringing original stories to life. This is an AMAZING podcast for all ages!
Dr. Seuss has a surprising amount of great content on Spotify. If you’re like me and grew up reading their books, you’ll love the option of putting on a story for the little one(s). There are both storybooks and music to listen to, all great alternatives to screen time!
Mister Rogers has a fantastic collection of music in collaboration with all sorts of phenomenal artists. Some of the most beautiful and positive lyrics for children in my opinion… you can never go wrong shuffling this playlist when children are around.
If you love all of these suggestions, you should check out both JoMo Kids playlists split into one curated album for kid-friendly music and one for podcasts. Full of great music, and all sorts of podcasts for children of all ages. They combine a selection of all the aforementioned content, and I’m always updating them with new stuff as I discover it. You can click the buttons below to follow them both on Spotify.
This list could easily double in size, and I hope to add to it in the future as I come to discover more content. Although audio entertainment will never be able to replace the excitement of video games and cartoons, it can be a powerful tool for parents to use as an alternative to screen time. Given the opportunity, children are easily able to tap into their imagination without needing a screen and listening to curated audio stories, podcasts and music can be a healthy way of encouraging that.
Thank you for reading, and if you know any parents that could benefit from this article please pass it along! I’d also welcome anyone to comment below if they think something could be added to this list.
