Have you ever wished you could eliminate those countless hours of screen time on long road trips? What if you could give your kids a constructive activity that the whole family enjoys?
I know books are great, and we encourage our kids to read in the car as much as possible. It’s also important to use some car time to talk or play family games, but it’s nice to have other options as well.
One of the activities we enjoy on road trips and when traveling around town is listening to audio dramas: stories that come to life through the character’s voices and sound affects without the visual input.
Why should your kids listen to Christian audio dramas?
- Audio dramas are a fun and engaging way to pass the time, yet they help us limit “screen time” that we so desperately try to control.
- Listening to audio stories peaks our children’s interest, yet forces them to practice listening, a skill that isn’t practiced as much today! They must use their imaginations and picture what they are hearing, which in turn boosts their listening and reading comprehension skills- something as a speech therapist I appreciate!
- Christian audio dramas encourage our kids in their faith! The messages are positive and help our kids grow in their knowledge of God, develop a closer relationship with Him, and mature in godly character.
Here are some of my audio series favorites:
The following resources contain some Amazon affiliate links. If you click the link and buy anything through Amazon, my website will receive a small percentage at no additional cost to you.
Best for ages 6-13
This audio drama series created and produced by Jean Boonstra is great for young and middle-aged kids with lots of great life lessons pointing to God’s Word through it’s entertaining story lines. We have listened to several series on the way to school and back, and I love hearing the overarching message weaved into the stories that God has a plan and purpose when trials in life occur and to trust in Him for His perfect plan to be revealed. The stories can be listened to through their podcaset or straight from their website.
Adventures in Odyssey from Focus on the Family is an audio drama that has captured the hearts of children for the past thirty years with its make-believe town, characters, and entertaining plots. It is aired on the radio with more than 2,000 broadcast facilities and is available on CD and MP3 on their website and, of course, Amazon. Most of the broadcasts are geared for ages 8-12 and are filled with Christian lessons and Biblical principles. I have let my children listen to some of the audios at younger ages, and while they have enjoyed them, I do feel that it is more suited for the mid elementary/middle school age group. They have a wide variety of topics and specialty audios such as devotions for kids, life lessons on character, and candid conversations with Connie for tween girls. I have not listened to all of them, so I would recommend listening to them first if you want to make sure they are appropriate for your child.
The Brinkman Adventures is my daughter’s and my favorite audio series that we have listened to thus far. The drama is about a large family that embarks on crazy adventures and meets missionaries from around the world. They learn amazing stories of real missionaries and how God is using them to bring more people to Him! The stories are based on real happenings, and you can learn more about the true stories on their website. I love the godly character of the Brinkman family. It is a great model for my own children, and I love their heart and passion to share the Good News of Jesus with others. This is a great series to encourage your kids to want to live for God and His purposes on the earth.
Jonathan Parks is a great adventure series that equips kids in their faith by looking at evidence for creation and scripture through archeology. The original series was created for ages 7-13 and follows the boy, Jonathan Parks, whose dad is a Christian paleontologist. This is my son’s favorite series, and he loves the action-packed plots that include themes such as dinosaurs, caves, and catching bad guys. The new series was created for ages 10-16 and follows the now 16-year-old Jonathan Parks and his friends as they travel to the Middle East and discover archeological evidence that supports the Bible. They can be bought by CD’s, unlimited streaming, or digital downloads from their website.
Your Story Hour by Aunt Carole and Uncle Dan is an audio drama classic that has been airing on the radio since 1949! They now have a website where you can listen FOR FREE to a new story weekly! The kids and I checked these out over a meal a couple times, and we all really got into the dramatization of the story of Esther and another action-packed story filled with themes of God’s protection. These precious audio dramas include stories from the Bible, history, and other action-packed adventures that most children five and older would enjoy. You can also buy their CD’s from their website or Amazon (example link above) and podcasts through iTunes.
Lamplighters Theater is part of Lamplighter’s ministry that’s goal is to “build Christ-like character one story at a time.” They not only publish books but create audio dramas for children ages six and up that are aired on radio broadcasts around the world and sold on their website with many available on Amazon. My kids and I have listened to Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince, and the kids and I could not WAIT to get back in the car to listen to the next part of the story! One of the things I particularly loved, and I assume holds true for their other stories, is the richness in depth and quality of the story. Many of their stories are set back in the medieval time period in lands with kings and knights and fun accents. There is no “fluff” or “cheese” with these stories, and the way they weave in character lessons is phenomenal. We will definitely be buying more of these audio dramas in the future!
To find out more information about any of these series, check out my resource page: Audio Dramas.
Whether you are driving to school, out running errands, or going on a long road trip, I would encourage you to check out these entertaining audio dramas and enjoy listening to stories that encourage your kids to grow in their faith and godly character.
Have you heard of Discovery Mountain? That’s a Christian Audio Drama for Kids that even adults can enjoy!
Yes, excited to be highlighting Discovery Mountain in December and adding to my list of audio dramas! Thank you for sharing!
I am looking at getting audio books for my 5 year old granddaughter.
I want them to be predominantly Christian, but other stories are acceptable provided they meet Christian standards.
I would like to have an idea of the range and price of the Audio books you have available.
Thanks
Dave Courtney
0829014222
Benoni.
Hi David, I apologize for not seeing this post sooner- my website was not notifying me by email when I was receiving comments. The links in this website: https://growingkidsforthekingdom.com/best-christian-audio-dramas-for-kids/ will lead you to the websites where you can purchase these audio dramas. I do not sell them personally. I am, however going to be selling one that is perfect for 5 year olds in about a month from now, so check back to growingkidsforthekingdom.com in December to see when it becomes available. It teaches kids about having a heart like Jesus with a Bible verse set to a tune for each lesson. I will also be sharing another great free resources/podcast: Discovery Mountain in December. I believe 5 would be the youngest for this audio drama series, but you could check them out and see if it peaks her interest. Also, yourstoryhour.org provides Christian/Bible stories of the day on their website that may be more geared towards her age. Hope this helps, and I apologize for not getting back to you sooner!
some of my favs are Adventures in Odyssey, Paws & Tales, Focus on the Family Radio Theaters, and Your Story Hour
Thanks for sharing, Rebecca! Can you tell me more about Paws and Tales?