Plot to Podcast
Turn your child's stories into professional podcasts
How breakfast time turned into a podcast
This activity was discovered spontaneously. They were having breakfast before school and desperately wanted to watch the iPad. I was over screen time in the morning and I had just heard about Notebook LM’s audio overview feature. I hadn’t used it, but some people at work were raving about how it took complex articles and turned them into exploratory podcasts that they could listen to on-the-go. So, I wondered what it would do with a shorter story—from my kids. I asked them to tell me one while I typed it up.
What I expected: Nothing. I had zero expectations since I had never used the tool before.
What actually happened: They told me about Terry the dinosaur who wanted to befriend a puppy. I typed as they narrated. When Notebook LM turned their very short story (I’m talking 3 paragraphs) into a 10-minute podcast with two earnest hosts analyzing themes of friendship and belonging, Jackson looked at me confused: "Are those real people?" We missed the bus. After school, they didn't ask for screen—they wanted to record their own podcast about the story. We ended up with three versions on a Yoto card:
The main learning moment"
Are those real people talking about my story?"
Jackson couldn't believe two podcast hosts were discussing the deeper meaning behind Terry the dinosaur's friendship quest. This was my chance to explain what AI actually is, again. The voices weren't from real people, but created by a computer. A tool that can sound human but isn't. That's exactly what I want kids to understand early: AI is technology that can seem real, but it's not magic and it's not human. Once he understood that, he didn't want to just listen to the AI version. He wanted to create his own podcast, with his real voice, saying what he actually meant about his story.
Why this demonstrates Idea → AI → Play™
IDEA (kids lead)
The whole story was crafted by my kids. There was no prompting from me, or AI as to what the story should be about. I simply acted as their transcriptionist, capturing Terry's adventure as they narrated it. The creativity happened before any technology was involved.
AI (tool in the middle)
Notebook LM transforms their typed story into a professional-sounding podcast. It finds themes and meaning they didn't consciously put there. That's perfect. They learn AI interprets and analyzes in ways they didn't expect.
PLAY (bring it to life)
The podcast wasn't the end goal. At first, we talked about the themes and the meaning it found in their story. That led to a cool conversation. Then it led to something else. They immediately wanted to create their own podcast, record themselves reading the story, and become the hosts. AI became the springboard back to hands-on creativity.
The teaching moments
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When Jackson asked if the podcast hosts were real people, it opened the door to explaining what AI-generated voices are. They sound human, but they're not. This is a crucial distinction kids need to understand early. Not everything that sounds real is real. It's a gentle introduction to questioning what they hear and understanding how technology can create convincing content.
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The AI hosts analyzed themes of belonging, courage, and friendship in their dinosaur story. My kids just wanted to tell a tale about Terry and a puppy. But discovering that their spontaneous story had deeper meaning helped them understand something bigger: all stories carry themes, even ones you make up at breakfast. This is how English teachers read books. This is how humans find meaning in narratives. Their story mattered in ways they didn't plan, but now think about as their story telling skills evolve and get more sophisticated
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They didn't want to just listen to a podcast about their story—they wanted to be the podcasters. This is the shift I'm always looking for: AI as inspiration to create more, not as a replacement for their own voice.
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We missed the bus. Worth it. This showed them that creative work doesn't only happen during designated "activity time." Stories can happen over breakfast. Ideas can interrupt routines. And sometimes the best learning happens when you're slightly late.
The activity run-down
What you'll need
Free Notebook LM account (notebooklm.google.com)
Device to type on: phone, tablet, laptop
Optional: Yoto cards and Yoto box for recording and playback
How to facilitate the activity
① Story development
Start with: "What should we make a story about today?" or catch them mid-tale and say, "Wait, let me write this down!"
Then let them talk. Type or handwrite as they narrate. Don't edit or direct—capture their exact words, tangents included.
② Generate the podcast
Go to notebooklm.google.com. Create a new notebook. Paste their story as a source. Click "Audio Overview" and let it generate—that's it. No prompt needed.
④ Discover the themes you didn’t know were there
The hosts started analyzing Terry's motivation for wanting friendship, discussing themes of belonging and courage. My kids just wanted to tell a story about a dinosaur and a puppy. But the AI found deeper meaning in their spontaneous tale—the same way English teachers find themes in every book. Suddenly they understood: all stories carry meaning, even the ones you make up at breakfast. They discovered their story had layers they didn't consciously create.
③ Listen together
Play the podcast start to finish. Watch their faces when they hear "professional" hosts discussing their characters.
⑤ Make your own podcast
Once they've heard AI's take, they'll want to create their own version. Let them record themselves reading the story aloud, hosting their own podcast about it, or creating a completely different format. We ended up with three audio pieces: the Notebook LM analysis, the boys reading their story, and their own podcast discussion. We loaded all three onto a Yoto card so they could listen whenever they wanted.
Skills that will be developed (Outside of AI)
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Creating narratives with characters, conflict, and resolution. Learning story structure through doing, not studying.
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Articulating ideas clearly enough for someone else to transcribe. Later, recording their own voices and learning to speak for an audience.
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Hearing their work played back and evaluating what was captured versus what they intended. Understanding interpretation.
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Distinguishing between AI-generated content and human-created content. Understanding that convincing voices aren't always real people.
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Discovering that stories contain themes and meaning beyond their surface plot. Understanding why teachers ask "what does this represent?"
Why this activity will help them in the future
AI is going to analyze and interpret their work—whether it's school essays, creative projects, or professional presentations. What matters is that they don't accept those interpretations as the final word. When the Notebook LM hosts found themes in their dinosaur story that they didn't consciously create, my kids learned something valuable: AI can spot patterns, but only they know what they actually meant. That understanding—that AI is one perspective, not the truth—will serve them far better than any technical skill. And when they immediately wanted to record their own podcast in response? That's the instinct I want them to carry forward. Don't just consume what AI creates. Talk back. Make your own version. Say what you actually mean in your own voice.