History podcasts for kids have everything.
Disastrous kings. Escaping prisoners. Volcanoes. Spies. Ancient monsters. Shipwrecks. Revolutions. Great inventions. Terrible ideas.
The best shows can turn a car journey, breakfast or bedtime into an adventure through the past without adding another screen to the day.
We've picked 10 history podcasts for kids and families that do exactly that. Some use stories, some use comedy, some solve mysteries and others dig into the strange history hiding behind everyday things.
This isn't a ranking. Different shows suit different ages and different kinds of curious minds.
Dexplorers
Best for: History adventures and mysteries for ages 7–11
What if you didn't just learn about history, you could actually hear it?
Dexplorers follows Dex and his junior explorers as they use the mysterious Time Talker to investigate stories from the past. Episodes combine adventure, real historical facts, sound design, clues and voices from history, with the occasional problem involving time travel going very wrong.
Stories have taken listeners into Tudor England, the Great Fire of London, Roman London, the Great Plague and even beyond Earth.
Episodes are deliberately short enough for younger listeners while still having a complete story, making the series particularly useful for car journeys and screen-free downtime.
The show won Silver for Best History Podcast at the British Podcast Awards 2026 and continues to release new adventures.
Start with: Escape from Tudor Times, which drops the Dexplorers into England exactly 500 years ago and involves a troublesome message from Henry VIII.
Best age: Around 7–11
Typical episode: 10–15 minutes
You'll like it if: Your child enjoys mysteries, adventure stories and asking “but did that really happen?”
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCarrot
Forever Ago
Best for: Finding the surprising history behind everyday things
Why do we have ice cream flavours? Who invented video games? Why do we take baths?
Forever Ago, from the team behind Brains On, takes ordinary things children already know and discovers the extraordinary history hiding behind them.
Hosted by comedian Joy Dolo, each episode mixes storytelling, games, guests and plenty of opportunities for children to think about how historians actually know things about the past.
It is particularly good for children who don't automatically think of themselves as “history kids”, because episodes often begin with something extremely familiar rather than a king, battle or date.
The show remains active in 2026, with recent subjects including the history of chocolate and mystery sounds from the past.
Start with: What's the History of Chocolate? It begins with something most children already have an opinion about and traces chocolate back through centuries of history.
Best age: Roughly 6–12
Typical episode: 25–40 minutes
You'll like it if: Your child asks how everyday things came to exist.
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCarrot
The Past and the Curious
Best for: Strange true stories and forgotten people
The Past and the Curious has a knack for finding the part of history that makes you say: “Hang on... What?”
Host Mick Sullivan digs into unusual people, overlooked stories, spies, inventions, food, adventures and historical oddities, usually with music and humour woven into the storytelling.
It's been running since 2016 and has built a substantial archive, while continuing to produce new episodes in 2026.
One of its strengths is that it doesn't talk down to younger listeners. The history can be quirky and funny while still containing proper detail.
Start with: Hidden and Lost, which explores the missing Amber Room before moving into secret codes, Alan Turing, the Enigma machine and Navajo Code Talkers.
Best age: Around 7–12
Typical episode: 25–35 minutes
You'll like it if: Your child prefers weird stories and fascinating people to memorising timelines.
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Website
Greeking Out
Best for: Myths, monsters and badly behaved Gods
If history needs more monsters, curses and divine arguments, Greeking Out is an excellent place to start.
Created by National Geographic Kids, the podcast retells stories from Greek mythology — and occasionally mythology from further afield with narrator Kenny Curtis and the Oracle of Wifi interrupting with facts, context and jokes.
Expect heroes, gods, monsters, doomed quests, disastrous family relationships and enough questionable behaviour from Zeus to fill several podcasts.
National Geographic provides content information for episodes so parents can check stories beforehand, which is useful given that ancient mythology wasn't always written with modern children's broadcasting standards in mind.
Start with: choose a myth your child has already encountered. Zeus, Hercules, Medusa and the Trojan War all make easy entry points.
Best age: Around 7–12
Typical episode: Around 20–30 minutes
You'll like it if: Percy Jackson has already created a household mythology expert.
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCarrot
Who, When, Wow!
Best for: Children who like solving historical mysteries
Who, When, Wow! turns history into detective work.
Carly Q works for the brilliantly named Bureau of Universal Time Travel Historical Exploration Department and travels through time investigating mysteries ranging from Amelia Earhart and Atlantis to historical myths and unexplained events.
The current Mystery Edition encourages children to look at evidence, separate fact from legend and ask what we really know.
It is recommended for children from around six upwards, and the series had reached more than 140 episodes by 2026.
There's also a strong classroom element: Tinkercast provides activities encouraging children to follow facts, summarise evidence and conduct investigations of their own.
Start with: One of Carly Q's time-travel guides like Ancient Egypt and Medieval Europe which are particularly accessible periods for younger listeners.
Best age: Around 6–11
Typical episode: Around 20–25 minutes
You'll like it if: Your child prefers questions and mysteries to straightforward lessons.
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music
History Snacks
Best for: Short bursts of big history
Sometimes a 45-minute history podcast is simply not happening.
History Snacks takes the opposite approach, serving up relatively short stories covering subjects such as Ancient Rome, medieval heists, the Byzantine Empire, lost explorers and strange historical objects.
Hosted by Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes, the show launched recently but had already built around 40 episodes by autumn 2026.
That shorter format makes it particularly useful when you've got 20 minutes left in the car or want something educational without making it feel like a lesson.
Start with: Qin Shi Huang Wants to Live Forever, about China's first emperor, assassination attempts, the Terracotta Warriors and some distinctly questionable attempts to achieve immortality.
Best age: Around 7–12
Typical episode: Around 15–20 minutes, with some even shorter history bites
You'll like it if: Attention spans are limited but curiosity isn't.
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Website
Homeschool History
Best for: Funny introductions to school-history topics
Historian and Horrible Histories alumnus Greg Jenner knows rather a lot about making history entertaining.
Created for BBC Radio 4 when children were learning from home during the pandemic, Homeschool History consists of compact history lessons packed with jokes, sound effects and facts.
Topics include the Romans, Mary Seacole, the Space Race, Charles Dickens and Ancient Egypt, with many aligning naturally with subjects children encounter at school.
The series is no longer producing new episodes, but its 21-episode archive remains extremely useful.
Start with: Life in Roman Pompeii, a 13-minute trip into what archaeologists have learned from the Roman city preserved by the eruption of Vesuvius.
Best age: Roughly 7–11
Typical episode: Around 15 minutes
You'll like it if: Your child enjoys Horrible Histories or needs school history to feel considerably less like school.
Listen: BBC Sounds | Apple Podcasts
Bedtime History
Best for: Calmer history listening
Not every history podcast needs people shouting about exploding castles.
Bedtime History takes a gentler approach, telling relaxing educational stories about historical figures, discoveries, engineering, exploration and major events.
Subjects stretch well beyond conventional kings-and-battles history, including people such as Neil Armstrong and Maya Angelou alongside technology, exploration and natural wonders.
The show remains active and releases episodes regularly.
It's particularly useful for children who enjoy learning but prefer a calmer delivery or parents attempting to gradually reduce the household volume towards bedtime.
Start with: browse for a person, invention or place your child already knows. Familiarity makes the slower storytelling style an easy introduction.
Best age: Around 6–12
Typical episode: Approximately 10–20 minutes
You'll like it if: Your child likes facts but doesn't need every educational experience accompanied by a klaxon.
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Website | Yoto
The Little Historians' Club
Best for: UK primary-school history
One of the newest shows on this list, The Little Historians' Club comes from the team behind The Little Historians magazine.
It is explicitly designed with the English National Curriculum in mind, making it particularly useful for parents who want a podcast connected to what children may already be studying at school.
The format combines accessible historical explanation with quizzes and discussion.
It only launched in October 2026, so its catalogue is still tiny but that also makes it one worth watching.
Start with: The Battle of Hastings for Kids, which covers the death of Edward the Confessor, rival claims to the throne and the events leading to the Norman Conquest.
Best age: Primary-school age
Typical episode: Around 20 minutes
You'll like it if: Your child is studying British history and you'd like something that complements the classroom.
Listen: Apple Podcasts | YouTube
History Storytime
Best for: Hearing history told by children
History Storytime has an unusual advantage: much of the history is told by children themselves.
Sophie and Ellie joined their dad to tell stories covering Romans, Tudors, explorers, scientists, wars, revolutions and significant women from history.
The series was designed to support KS1 and KS2 learning and won Silver at the British Podcast Awards. Its main archive is no longer being regularly updated, but there is a substantial catalogue to explore.
Hearing young voices involved in the storytelling gives it a very different feel from an adult presenting a history lesson to children.
Start with: Pick a period your child is already covering at school. There are stories spanning the Romans, Tudors and major moments of British and world history.
Best age: Around 5–11
Typical episode: Varies by story
You'll like it if: Your child responds better to other children sharing discoveries than to traditional presenting.
Listen: Audible | Spotify
Which history podcast is best for your child?
Audio asks children to imagine the people, places and events they're hearing rather than giving them every image on a screen. Good history podcasts for kids also do something textbooks don't always manage: it turns historical facts back into stories about people making choices. Happy listening!