A new version of the Story Quest podcast from UK children's radio station Fun Kids launches today, featuring interactive story ideas from young listeners.
Each episode features a story idea from a child anywhere in the world who has sent a submission to Fun Kids; the team turns the idea into a ‘special tale’, with an audio version on the podcast and video on its website and YouTube channel.
Story Quest is currently ranked at number nine in the category of top stories for kids in Great Britain on Apple Podcasts, and has been nominated for Network/Publisher of the Year at this year’s Audio Production Awards.
“We know kids have the best imaginations and we wanted to make sure they had a platform,” said content controller of Fun Kids Lloydie James Lloyd. “Most children’s stories come from the heads of adults, but with Story Quest we wanted to tap into the creative genius of our listeners before we created our stories.
“Each story will be written from their suggestions and then read out by a Fun Kids presenter, so the young person behind the story can hear their idea brought to life. It is a real creative challenge for our team to bring to life such innovative ideas. Each story is unique and a valuable chance to interact with our listeners.”
In addition to having their ideas featured, the children who submitted them speak afterwards to the presenter, Dan Simpson, about the origin of their idea.
Common Sense Media, a US-based non-profit organisation which provides expert entertainment and technology recommendations suitable for children and families, recently launched a podcast-dedicated rating and review site, in April 2022. The company says that podcasting can act as a great learning tool for children.
“It's very clear the podcast world is growing, but what's less obvious is how impactful and innovative kids and family podcasts are and will continue to be as they expand and evolve,” said Laura Ordoñez, head of podcast ratings and reviews for Common Sense Media.
