It's been couple months since the last time I looked at ranking podcasts for kids, and things continue to look positive for the world of kids' podcasting. (For those of you interested, here is August's list of top-ranked kids and family podcasts.)
If you're looking for a podcast for kids, you could -- and should! -- of course look at my list of podcasts for kids (now above 120!), but if that's a bit overwhelming, try the podcasts listed below. Popularity isn't always synonymous with quality, but you could do much worse than dipping into the shows ranked below to start out.
At 18 ranked shows, October is just shy of June's all-time high of 19 ranked shows. (That means 18 shows that appeared in the top 100 of both the iTunes and Stitcher "kids and family" charts when I checked it.) The total number of podcasts listed below is 38, however, up 2 from August and another new record. While only one podcast hit the overall iTunes Top 200 (down from 4 in July and August), and the Top 200 Kids & Family chart featured 40 shows, down from August's 45-show record, the Stitcher total of 27 was up 6 from August and matched its record.
There's lots of general excitement, too -- the arrival of Pinna, Panoply's "walled-garden" podcast app (and which has its own podcast which lets non-subscribers get a taste of the exclusive content), and of course the official Kids Listen app, featuring shows from Kids Listen members. There are also a couple of brand new shows below -- Circle Round and Mick Munter Monster Hunter.
As always: this is a blunt instrument, combining pure rankings from two fairly opaque charts, and for a variety of reasons has only marginal value as a measure of quality. (Results compiled from Top 100 podcasts on United States iTunes and Stitcher "kids and family" charts on Tuesday, October 24, 2017. Podcasts that appear on both charts are ranked below; remaining podcasts only appeared on one list. Of special note: Dream Big appeared on iTunes' overall Top 200 and is #1 on the Kids and Family chart, but not at all on Stitcher's family list, so for that podcast at least, this list certainly underplays its popularity.) Anyway: grain of salt noted.
Two other reminders:
1. If you're looking for a list that has most (or all) of these podcasts, check out my comprehensive list of podcasts for kids.
2. If you're interested in the future of podcasts for kids, you might be interested in Kids Listen, a grassroots organization of podcasters and folks like me interested in helping high-quality audio for children thrive. We're looking for other interested folks -- producers or otherwise -- to join in!
With that out of the way, let's get to the chart.
1. Wow in the World
2. (tie) Brains On!
2. (tie) Stories Podcast
4. Circle Round
5. Story Pirates
6. Storynory
7. The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel
8. Story Time
9. Tumble
10. The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian
11. Eleanor Amplified
12. The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd
13. Ear Snacks
14. Peace Out
15. Little Stories for Tiny People
16. What If World
17. Short and Curly
18. Mick Munter Monster Hunter
Others (listed alphabetically): 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales, Activated Stories, Bedtime History, Bedtime Stories Cozy Corner Podcast, Book Club for Kids, But Why, Children Stories and Joyful Podcast, The Cramazingly Incredifun Sugarcrash Kids, Disney Story Central, Dream Big, Family Folk Tales, Listen Out Loud with The Loud House, Molly and the Sugar Monster, Official Adventures in Odyssey, Pinna, Podcast Kid, Saturday Morning Theatre, Spare the Rock Spoil the Child, Sparkle Stories, The Story Home
