15 of the greatest kids TV shows
I believe in teaching moderation, and TV shows are no exception.
In our family we enjoy watching some TV show’s together, so today I thought I would share our favorite kid and parent friendly television shows for kiddos so you can discover some new ones.
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My criteria for a great kids TV show
I’m pretty picky when it comes to children’s programming. Any TV show my daughter watches has to be:
Educational in some way - I look for shows that have some sort of educational value. I want my daughter to step away from the TV with some new form of knowledge or itch to go and find more information on a topic discussed on the show.
Diversity - It must show diversity and inclusiveness with their characters.
Emotional development - The TV show must show a variety of emotions that characters experience, both in the internal and external environment.
I have to be able to sit and watch it. I like hanging out with my daughter, hearing her thoughts on something and generally enjoying being with her as much as possible. Therefore, the TV shows that we watch have to be entertaining and not want me to stab myself in the eye. I’ve come across many shows that make me want to do just that. Maybe that’s a separate blog post.
Our top 15 favorite TV shows!
Dinosaur Train - Always entertaining and I think both my daughter and myself have learned a huge amount about dinosaurs since we started watching this show. I love that Buddy is a T-Rex who was adopted by a Pteranodon family. The kids (Shiny, Tiny, Don and Buddy) travel around the 3 time periods exploring (Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous) comparing and contrasting dinosaurs, making friends and exploring their surroundings as they go. You can catch Dinosaur Train on PBS kids!
Blue’s Clues - A true classic, we enjoy Blue’s Clues on Noggin (on our apple TV). Who couldn’t love this little blue dog and the adventures he goes on?
Super Why - Super Why is about a team of fairytale kids that try and solve problems by exploring books. They solve everyday situations that kids would probably face in reality which I love. Throughout their quest to find an answer to their problem they have to solve puzzles (literacy mainly) as they go. Great for introducing kids to reading and writing! We access Super Why through the PBS app on our apple tv.
Chloe’s Closet - My daughter has loved Chloe’s Closet since the first time she set her eyes on it. Chloe is an only child and has friends visit her at home to play and explore imagination. Each of her friends is from a different background which is incredibly important to us. Chloe and her friends use their imagination at dress up time to explore whatever problem they were facing at the beginning of the episode. This show teaches diversity, kindness, inclusiveness, imaginative play and problem solving. We access Chloe’s Closet on Amazon Prime.
Doc McStuffins - Doc McStuffins is a favorite of both myself and my daughter. If you haven’t already “met” Doc she is a toy doctor and a very good one at that! Doc begins the season in her own outdoor playhouse helping fix broken toys that come alive with her magic stethoscope. I won’t spoil the rest of the series for you, but let’s just say the adventures Doc and her stuffed friends go on in their quest to help fix broken toys is amazing. This show’s got everything in my opinion! Diversity, emotional development and always something educational in each episode. We access Doc McStuffins on Disney+.
Bluey - Probably our favorite TV show at the moment comes out of Australia and is the funniest children’s television show my Husband and I have ever seen. Bluey is the story of a family of dogs with the main character being a blue heeler dog named Bluey. Bluey is joined by her sister Bingo, father Bandit and mother Chilli and together they have some wonderful imaginative adventures! Each Bluey episode tackles a real life problem (patience, kindness, inclusiveness) all through games, play and conversations. The relationship between all characters is inspiring for families. We watch Bluey through Disney+, and I’m awaiting the release of season 2 through that platform! If you want a taste of Bluey watch “Grannies” on youtube.
The Cat in the Hat Know a Lot About That! - Based on the ever popular Dr. Seuss books “The Cat in the Hat”, this television series takes it up a notch with Nick and Sally exploring concepts and the world around them with the Cat in the Hat (voiced by Martin Short). The TV series supports diversity and different backgrounds as the main characters which I love, fantastic educational entertainment and overall a 10/10. Great TV show with additional movies that you can check out! We watch on PBS kids.
Team Umizoomi - Team Umizoomi is a very cute math based cartoon. The small but mighty team is made up of Milli, Geo, Bot their amazing robot and Umicar. The 5th member of the team is the viewer and the animators do a great job of including the children watching the show into the episode itself. In this cartoon the team helps friends in need and along the way solves mathematical challenges (involving sequencing, measurements, shapes etc). Always with an emphasis on diversity, helping, kindness and math, Team Umizoomi is a must see. We watch this on Amazon Prime.
Handy Manny - Handy Manny and his talking tools rate pretty high for us in the TV shows we enjoy watching! Always willing to help a neighbor, Manny and his tools are ready and willing to help when the call arises! We watch Handy Manny on Disney+
Pete the Cat - We fell in love with Pete the Cat when my daughter was just a wee baby and my Mother in Law read “White shoes” to her. We instantly fell in love with this groovy, easygoing and kind character along with his friends! The TV show of Pete the Cat does NOT disappoint! Full of adventure, kindness and problem solving, this show is a must see. We watch Pete on Amazon Prime.
Tumble Leaf - The animation alone in Tumble Leaf is enough for me to suggest you check this show out. Each episode Fig (a small blue fox) discovers something new in his 'finding place’ (something washed up in the Ocean and then flung into his treasure chest by a red crab). Whatever object he finds will undoubtedly be used to solve a problem during the course of the episode. Fantastic plotlines, characters, emotions and problem solving, this show is a great addition to my list. We watch Tumble Leaf on Amazon Prime.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - Based on the super popular book series, If you Give a Mouse a Cookie is a staple in children’s television programming. The characters are all loveable and they have some amazing seasonal hits like “if You Give a Mouse a Christmas Cookie” and “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Valentines Special” are great especially if you’re doing units in homeschool. We watch the adventure on Amazon Prime.
Peep and the Big Wide World - I stumbled randomly upon Peep and the Big Wide World about a year ago and fell in love with the characters AND the voice over actors who I recognized from back in the day. For a taste of this TV Show check out “Peep Deep in the Big Muddy” it will for sure make you laugh! The characters are charming and solve problems each episode by working together and trying to find solutions. We catch this show on Amazon Prime.
Dino Dana - Dino Dana was actually filmed around my old stomping grounds of Toronto and Mississauga Ontario. My daughter loves Dana and the adventures she goes on each episode to learn more about dinosaurs. The animation in this show is incredible and will definitely leave you and your kiddos wanting to learn more about dinosaurs! We watch the action on Amazon Prime.
Creative Galaxy - Creative Galaxy is a great TV show, although you will spend about 15 minutes trying to decide if the main character, Arty, is the same voice over actor of Daniel Tiger (He is, along with several other characters from that TV show). The Creative Galaxy is great because it encourages just what it says, creativity! Kiddos will come away from this show itching to create their next masterpiece! We watch Arty and the crew on Amazon Prime.
As always, use your own judgement as a parent to your child to see if a TV show is right for your family! I’m just some lady on the internet telling you my thoughts and what we enjoy.
Happy viewing!
