Alright, Rachel, this one is for you! In class, I was asked the question what are my favorite TV shows for kids. I had a chance to think about it a bit more and here are my favorites, broken up by age (as any good child development scholar would do!) Hopefully, this list will be useful for you in the future, as I think it provides some good recommendations for kids of a variety of ages. Plus, you might enjoy the nostalgia of some of these! :)
INFANT
Haha, tricked you - according to the AAP we should avoid media at this age (as you all now know)! :) Though I must admit, in truly desperate moments, I would throw on a Baby Einstein, but only when my kids were older than about 18 months.
TODDLER
Little Einsteins - combines art, music, and so much more to teach good life lessons
Blue's Clues - Classic
Curious George - George is so stinkin' cute and really creative. I also love the relationship between him and the man with the Yellow Hat. Plus, my son Aidan, just loves it so much, it's hard not to love it too! In the mornings, we usually snuggle together on the couch on watch "Georgio" (as he calls it) while he drinks his milk.
Wonder Pets - 3 pets that save the day...in Opera Style!
PRESCHOOL (there are really a TON aimed at this age!)
Super Why!: We already discussed this in class, but it helps kids to read...and they are superheroes to boot!
The Backyardigans - group of 5 animals who get together and engage in pretend play. There are a lot of really good themes in this one.
Ni hao Kialan - Little Chinese girl - SUPER good life lessons here!
Octonauts - This is a new one for us - it's a group of animals that live underwater and rescue hurt sea animals. If I weren't a professor I would probably be a marine biologist (or a doctor....yeah, I changed my major a lot). So I really like this purely on educational value.
Doc McStuffins - another new one. Doc is a little girl who wants to be a doctor when she grows up so she helps her stuffed animals when they get sick.
Strawberry Shortcake - So many good messages about friendship. Though I despise how they made her look more "cute" in recent years
SCHOOL AGE
Magic School Bus - love, love, love! So educational, so interesting, love that Miss Frizz!
Phineas and Ferb - a little dumb at times, but I love how inventive and creative the boys are. Plus Perry the platypus is stinkin' funny
Cyberchase - fantastic show that highlights problem solving skills
WordGirl - another superhero one, aimed at a bit older age, where she uses vocab skills throughout the show
Rugrats - Okay, this isn't super educational or anything, but those babies are so cute! And Tommy is such a defender (you know I love defenders!), already, at age 1!
Hey Arnold! - One I grew up with. Arnold is a great character of just a normal, but great kid, with some really good qualities
Doug - I can't find this on anymore but this was one of my favorite ones growing up. Again, just a great kid and role model. Plus, he turns into Quailman. Doesn't get much better than that!
VeggieTales - this is what I let my kids watch on Sundays. Some really fantastic themes here, plus it always ends with the phrase "Remember, God thinks you're special - and He loves you very much!" And did I mention they are Veggies?
TEENS
We aren't there yet! I'll let you know in a few years!
I'd love to hear any additional recommendations you have! I'm sure my kids would thank you! :)
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I think that Arthur is a great show for school aged kids! Another show that I think helped me foster a love of books was Wishbone. I love that it shows how we can apply what we learn from stories into our lives.
ReplyDeleteDoug, Hey Arnold, Rugrats... my middle school years there!
ReplyDeletei'll need to keep this in mind for when we have kids, if these tv shows are still ongoing. I loved Arthur and CyberChase as a kid! I did watch a little too much pokemon, but i blame that on my japanese heritage.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this! I will definitely have to refer to this once I have children. Magic School Bus was always one of my favorites! I also loved the Reading Rainbow especially with it's catchy theme song.
ReplyDeleteMy all time favorite is Magic School Bus. It doesn't get better than that (or more educational really).
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