Smart Kidz Radio~ Enjoyable Family-Friendly Entertainment {Product Review}

Do you ever get disheartened with the music that is geared for kids these days? It can be very hard to find something for your children to listen to that is actually age appropriate, positive, full of strong morals, and encouraging…especially something available in a streaming style with a Christian based message. Enter my review of Smart Kidz Radio from Smart Kidz Media.

About Smart Kidz Radio

Smart Kidz Radio is the newest venture by Smart Kidz Media to offer family friendly and enjoyable entertainment to even the youngest of listeners. Smart Kidz Radio was designed to help children learn valuable life skills and empower them with positive self-esteem, something seriously lacking in modern entertainment. The station also seeks to promote strong moral values and encouraging positive character traits in the young listeners. It is unusual for internet radio in that it features hundreds of original songs and stories all promoting values!

Unlike many streaming music programs, Smart Kidz Media is offering access to Smart Kidz Radio for FREE! You simply signup, login, and join the LIVE streaming. You can download the APP to your device and take the streaming with you everywhere for anytime!

The program also offers an option of an upgrade to On-Demand Programming for families who would like to select from several radio programs on an on-demand basis . Unlike the free 24/7 live streaming option, the upgrade requires a small monthly fee to access hundreds of songs and stories on-demand, instead of having to rely on whatever is playing at that particular time.  You are able to access the song and story content whenever you want and wherever you want! To get an idea of WHAT is included, I encourage you to visit the Smart Kidz Radio FAQ and click the label "What Do I Get With an Upgraded On-Demand Membership Plan?" because it lays out all the extras you get in the programming. You can also read more about the cost of the upgraded option in the Smart Kidz Radio FAQ.

Streaming Smart Kidz Radio is available for desktop and laptop computers, tablets, smart phones, and any other mobile devices that have a Wi-Fi connection.

Our Thoughts on Smart Kidz Radio

The program is easy enough to join. Nothing fancy--simply create a log-in, and then log in! Once there, you just need to click the Join the LIVE Stream. If you have it downloaded, you can just open the app. Because it is a LIVE streaming, you may be starting in the middle of a song just like any other LIVE streaming. It is 24/7 so it's always there for you to listen to.

screen on my laptop

The songs are very much related to LIFE and life experiences. The songs teach about things like enjoying and celebrating the differences of being male and female, standing up to bullies, being friends, understanding your emotions, being thankful for your freedoms and rights, appreciating being uniquely you, ect. The songs tunes are catchy and fun and very child oriented.

If you are wanting something else, there is also the option to listen to podcasts. The podcasts contain 15 fairytales and other classic tales--each about 20 minutes long. They include stories like Little Red Ridinghood, The Three Little Pigs, Robin Hood, Alice in Wonderland, and more. Obviously these won't be the full length in some cases, but they are still enjoyable to listen to!

example of podcast screen

So what kind of songs are there? Well the songs seem to be grouped around a theme. While we were listening one day, there was a block of songs all related to celebrating the differences of boys and girls. There were words like "celebrate the differences of being male and female...You are either one, and can never be two, it's already been decided for you. You are not limited in the things you want to do as male or female. You can pursue whatever interests you want. Whether you are a boy or girl you can follow your dreams and be whatever you want." Another song in that grouping included lyrics like "your mom might be a football coach, or lawyer...your dad might enjoy needlepoint or dancing...your brother might like sewing or knitting or ballet, playing on the football team or sculpting in clay. Your sister might save baseballs..." and then reminds that they can still be a boy or girl and do or like those things.

Another unit begins with the statement "Everyone no matter their sex, religion, or race deserve respect" and then it continues with songs on kindness, respect, and manners.

One of the songs I actually enjoyed the most included the chorus, "His rights stop at the end of our nose. He can call us friend or call us foe, but his rights stop at the end of our nose.“ It was about how someone may be in a bad mood or having a bad day, but they do not have the right to treat your badly because of it. With two boys that take out their attitudes on each other, it was a good reminder for both the offender and the one being attacked. And then after the song they remind "You should always appreciate and respect your rights. It’s the part of being free.”

As you can see, all the topics are definitely life skills and relationships with others. These are topics that just aren't taught to children enough. It's not surprising that Smart Kidz Radio calls their program "edutainment".

An extra bonus that my boys liked was the map and weather links they could click on. They are obsessed with knowing the weather.

One of my boys enjoyed the music more than the other. Both liked the podcasts and stories.We use the laptop a lot, so we didn't download the app to our device (you scan a QR code to add it), although I may do so before we take our 4 hour road trip this weekend.

So overall opinion? I appreciate the messages of the songs. Very much. It's missing from modern entertainment and education these days. It was beneficial for my boys to hear. I loved the fairytales podcasts! I also liked that being LIVE streaming we never heard any repeats at any time in our listening over the last couple weeks. 

BUT
I honestly don't see us listening to this OUTSIDE of school time. I think it is a good choice for us when we want music in the background while working on school stuff, but we just didn't like it enough to listen to all the time. My oldest (age 12 1/2) also found it a bit juvenile for him.

I also wish there were song names on the desktop streaming version. I can't find names of songs anywhere. I wonder if that is an added benefit to the ON demand version.

BUT
the content and quality was excellent. It just wasn't something I see us incorporating on a regular basis. BUT it's free. And because it's free, we will add it to our school day during the free create time we add every day.

I think that because it's free it's definitely not going to hurt for you to check it out. It is family friendly and enjoyable and yes, "edutainment". 

Want to Know More About Smart Kidz Radio

For the last few weeks, we have been reviewing the Smart Kidz Radio from Smart Kidz Media. You have seen our thoughts on the program, but what did other crew members think about it?

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I think this program IS good idea and I love that it's FREE for anyone to enjoy. If you have kids or grandkids in the house, I think it would be a lovely resource for you--so go sign up for a membership and start enjoying it! And remember you can always check out their FAQ sections for more information!