The best summer reading programs for NYC kids

The goofball science podcast Wow in the World is jam-packed with comedy and information. Hosted by Mindy, a klutz with a time machine, and Guy, her uptight foil, ‘Wow in the World’ takes on serious scientific inquiries and makes learning fun – even for parents. After all, the podcast is from NPR, a standard-bearer in excellence. The expanding cast of silly characters, led by Reggie, the carrier pigeon, keeps the episodes fresh, and it won't take more than a few listens for your kiddo to dream of being a Wowzer too.

Perfect for the budding feminists in your life, ‘Girl Tales’ is a long-running podcast that reimagines fairytales – popular, obscure, and made-up for the show – through an empowering lens. Don't expect any helpless damsels in distress in this likeable series, which is all written by female, non-binary and trans authors.

Perfect for curious kids who aren't afraid to turn off their nightlight, ‘Unspookable’ offers a family-friendly take on popular urban legends, scary stories and myths (think clowns, vampires and other topics that'll give 'em the heebiejeebies). Whether your littles are camp-bound or in the Halloween spirit 24/7/365, this is the perfect podcast for budding horror fans.

A debate show for kids and families from the makers of Brains On!, ‘Smash Boom Best’ takes two ideas, smashes them together and lets you decide which one is best. It teaches critical thinking, as well as how to take oppositional viewpoints. It also is a lot of fun. Past topics include Aliens vs Robots, Pizza vs Tacos and Invisibilty vs Flying.

Indoctrinate your tykes with this lo-fi weekly playlist of ‘indie music for indie kids’. Not only will children enjoy starting the day listening to music made for kids, but parents will be delighted to discover that age-appropriate tracks from some of their favourite bands routinely make the cut. Why not off start the day (dancing) on the right foot? (NB; it certainly helps if you have a healthy appreciation of They Might Be Giants, who invariably feature heavily).

If you have a budding scientist on your hands, then ‘Tumble’ is an absolute must. Experts in various fields stop by to discuss their work and ask questions guaranteed to inspire curious minds. With a stated mission to explain the process of science rather than simply working through a series of well-worn, long-proven theories, the ‘Tumble’ podcast aims to make your kids fall in love with science.

‘Five Minutes with Dad’ is not unlike the conversations that might happen in your family. Listeners will enjoy how this father and his two kids tackle everyday issues, from staying positive in school to losing a tooth to showing appreciation for your relatives. Host Nick Pavlidis (the dad) and his school-age co-hosts Pavlos and Angela are as charming as they are relatable. Despite the moniker, the episodes are more like 20 minutes long.

Here is how ‘Story Pirates’ works: kids supply the ideas and the characters, and then they’re polished – but not too much – into performable form. While the stories are excellent and silly, the performances are the real fun. The tales tend to be read by comics, but some of the celebrity guests are truly memorable, including megastars like Julie Andrews and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Do your kiddies have a burning question about the world that you personally don’t have a clue how to answer? Perfect! Send 'em in to ‘Brains On!’, a show that each week finds a different expert to address the wildly esoteric sense of curiosity that kids possess. Anything from the existence of the multiverse to whether dogs know that they are dogs has been covered! There are no boundaries here.

Take a sci-fi trip with Finn Caspian, his friends and their pet robots as their hurl through space aboard the Famous Marlowe 280 Interplanetary Exploratory Space Station. Kids will delight in the crew’s misadventures as they explore strange planets, meet aliens and gather feedback from listeners on where their intergalactic journey should take them next.