By about six, kids start asking bigger questions about Thanksgiving. Who were the Pilgrims, really? What did the Wampanoag think of them? Why do we eat turkey, and why does the president pardon one every year? Kids’ podcasts have some great answers, and some very funny ones.
These are our favorite Thanksgiving episodes for big kids, from real history to turkey science and long episodes for the drive. Tap an episode’s title to listen right in your browser, or tap the show’s name to see everything else it makes. For younger kids, see our Thanksgiving episodes for little kids.
The real history of Thanksgiving
For the kid who asks why we celebrate in the first place.
Osamequin, Tisquantum, and the First Thanksgiving
The story of the first Thanksgiving told through two Wampanoag men who made it possible: Chief Osamequin, also known as Massasoit, and Tisquantum, the man many of us learned about as Squanto.
Bedtime History tells true stories in a calm voice made for the end of the day, and at fourteen minutes this is a good one for the night before Thanksgiving. It gives kids a fuller picture than most school worksheets do.
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Gobble Gobble! What’s the Real History of Thanksgiving?
Did the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag really sit down to dinner together? Why do we eat turkey? Hosts Joy and Asa dig into what actually happened in 1621 and how the traditions we know today grew from there.
Forever Ago is made by the team behind Brains On!, and it has the same mix of real history, funny sketches, and kids’ own questions. It’s a great one for the kid who’s starting to ask harder questions about the holiday, and it gives grown-ups some good answers too.
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The Real Story Behind Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving became a national holiday in 1863, in the middle of the Civil War, thanks to President Abraham Lincoln and a very determined writer named Sarah Josepha Hale, who also wrote Mary Had a Little Lamb. Most grown-ups don’t know this one either.
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Did They Eat Eels at the First Thanksgiving?
When did the first Thanksgiving take place, and how did the classic foods end up on our tables? The answer to the eel question is a fun one to bring to dinner.
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Will You Give Thanks to All the Lies You Hear About Pilgrims?
A kid contestant has to work out which of two adult experts is fibbing about the Pilgrims. Did they only wear black? Where were they supposed to land? Your family can play along and guess.
Play this episodeTurkey science and silly stories
Everything you never knew about the bird at the center of the table.
Turkey Love
Mindy and Guy Raz tune in to Fowling in Love, a pretend reality show about how turkeys find a match, and learn what scientists have discovered about turkey courtship along the way. Ridiculous and genuinely educational at the same time.
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Presidential Turkey Pardon
Every year the president pardons a turkey at the White House. Why? Eight minutes on one of the strangest traditions in American politics.
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How the Turkey Got Its Gobble
Circle Round teams up with Wow in the World and Terrestrials for a story-stuffed special, which they call a podcast turducken. There are smart chickens, mysterious duck quacks, and a folktale about how the turkey got its gobble.
Circle Round usually tells folktales from around the world with a full cast and music, and this crossover is a fun way to meet three great shows at once.
Play this episodeFor the drive
Longer episodes for a long car ride, so you’re not reaching for the phone every ten minutes.
DJ Squirm-a-Lot’s Thanksgiving Mixtape 2025
Story Pirates makes a new Thanksgiving mixtape every year, made specifically for holiday travel. In this one, DJ Squirm-a-Lot flies off for Thanksgiving on the beach, and along the way you get a mix of the show’s funniest sketches and songs, all based on stories written by real kids.
At 45 minutes it covers a good stretch of highway, and it’s one of the few kids’ shows grown-ups in the front seat will genuinely enjoy too. If you have a long drive, look for the mixtapes from past years on the show’s page as well.
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Thanksgiving Road Trip: Making a Difference
A 50-minute bundle of Tumble episodes about scientists who make a difference in their communities, from rethinking the wheel to figuring out what to do about trash. Curious kids and grown-ups will both get something out of it.
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Thanksgiving Trivia
Fifteen minutes of Thanksgiving trivia for the whole car. Keep score and crown the turkey expert of the family.
Play this episodeA moment of gratitude
Thanksgiving is a natural time to talk about being thankful. These make it fun rather than a lecture.
An Attitude of Gratitude
Mindy, Guy Raz, and the WOW crew try to turn Grandma G-Force’s attitude into gratitude, with help from the Coalition of Grandmas for Gratitude. Along the way kids learn what science says about being thankful.
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Thanksgiving Gratitude Meditation for Kids
A five-minute guided meditation where kids picture the people, places, and moments they’re thankful for. A nice reset before the guests arrive.
Play this episodeHappy Thanksgiving from all of us at Once Upon a Pod. If your family has a favorite Thanksgiving episode that isn’t here, you can suggest a show any time.
