I had the opportunity to share a little about our favorite TV shows for the blog Life As Mama. See if your show is on our list and let me know if I missed one!
My 3-year-old daughter Channing is finally getting old enough where we can watch TV regularly. Adults are seeing some of the best scripted programming in years and kids shows are no exception. With so many great options on TV and online, how do parents choose what to let their kids watch? It’s purely down to preference in parenting. My daughter is transitioning from more simple shows like Baby Einstein and Baby TV to programs with plots, characters, and musical numbers. Navigating the world of kids TV can be daunting. Lucky for you we love TV in our house. So I scoured the channel guide, and toiled away on the internet to find fun, age-appropriate and engaging shows for preschool-aged kids. Some are new shows, and others are classics. But they’re all approved by me and my picky preschooler. So the next time I need a potty break I won’t feel bad about leaving her for a few minutes in front of the TV. And you shouldn’t either! Is there one I missed? What’s your favorite show to watch with your preschooler?
1. Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
How much do you love this little Tiger? Isn’t he great? Right away when I started watching it, I was struck by how warm it felt, helpful but not pushy, engaging but not demanding. My daughter loved it immediately so consequently we own almost all the Daniel Tiger books too. When I found out it was inspired by the legacy of Fred Rogers, it all made sense. Mr. Rogers loved helping and teaching children. His show Mister Rogers Neighborhood definitely made an impact on me at a young age and I’m so glad to see the producers at PBS are continuing his legacy. The Executive Producers say the show was developed specifically for preschoolers and the kinds of situations they face and I think they’ve definitely hit their mark. Plus the potty song has personally saved me from many a potty accident. If I could hug Daniel Tiger I would.
2. Peppa Pig
This Pig has a contagious laugh. It’s hard not to watch and want to be silly with her. Peppa Pig is a British animated series featuring episodes that are 5 minutes each. Here in American, Nick Jr mashes a bunch of them together and we get a full half hour of Peppa. Hurray! For me, the most appealing part of Peppa Pig is that the lead character is a girl. In a world full of boys action toons, it’s nice to see a sweet girl who loves helping mummy and daddy, but still enjoys jumping in muddy puddles. Even though they haven’t made a new episode since 2012, my daughter is a big fan and watches them all on repeat. And truthfully, my heart melts with she calls me “mummy pig.”
3. The Fresh Beat Band
I wish I could bottle up these kids and carry their energy with me all day. The Fresh Beat Band is a live action show that takes you behind the scenes with 4 friends, who also happen to be in a rock band. These kids sing, act, dance and learn valuable lessons about friendship in every episode. Although it’s no longer in production for new episodes, you can still watch full episodes on Nick Jr. The music is truly a gift for the parents too. It’s more like top 40 pop songs rather than repetitive silly, or syrupy kids songs. And the animated version, The Fresh Beat Band of Spies is just as much fun, only in a cartoon version. They make every adventure a musical journey of self discovery. No wonder my 3-year old wants to get up and dance when it comes on.
4. Super Why
The opening line explains it all, “You’ve got the power, the power to read!” This show is all about inspiring kids to find the answers they seek to life’s problems in a book. Any book. The more books the better. These 4 storybook characters team up to solve problems. They do that by spelling out words, changing a sentence, and looking in a book to learn. The characters also get kids involved by speaking directly to the camera and asking them to help. Researchers say this type of engagement in television is the most beneficial for kids to help with learn to communicate rather than a narrative show. That’s why Super Why gets a spot on our Super list!
5. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
I wasn’t a fan of this show when I first watched it. I longed for the classic animated Mickey Mouse of my youth. Once I accepted that those days are long gone, I settled in to watch what would become my daughters favorite show on Disney Jr. The characters in MMC-Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto and Goofy-all talk directly to the viewer to help solve a problem. That’s a big plus. They also use “Toodles” as a toolkit of items to help the crew navigate through the story. Minnie Mouse is a big deal in our house so whenever she’s on she gets Channing’s full attention. And thankfully, the things she has to say are helpful in learning about shapes, counting, colors and problem solving. All perfect lessons for the 2-4 set.
6. Dinosaur Train
As the ad says, “What kid doesn’t love dinosaurs and trains?” My guess is not many. The concept for this show on PBS initially struck me as odd, like when Dancing With The Stars first premiered. These two things don’t go together? Oh yes they do! Now it’s grown on me and is a big hit in our family. The creators say their goal was to embrace preschoolers fascination with dinosaurs and trains, and teach them about life science, natural history and paleontology. I love this concept! It’s not just letters and numbers, they’re getting hints about specialty science areas. Plus trains are just awesome.
7. Thomas and Friends
You know I had to put Thomas and Friends on this list. This British animated series which airs on PBS was also weird for me to watch at first. Their faces are so life-like…but they’re trains. The star of the show and in real life, is Thomas the Tank Engine. He goes on adventures with his fellow locomotives on the Island of Sodor. He is always striving to be a very useful engine. I get the impression this resonates with kids at this age because they want to be helpful. My daughter is so great about helping pick up her playroom, wanting to learn to cook, get her own snacks, etc. It’s because she wants to be independent and useful. So what I’m getting at is, we feel ya Thomas. And you’re doing a great job.
8. The Lion Guard
This show first aired in the fall of 2015 on Disney Jr and was a big hit. It’s a continuation of the story of The Lion King. Simba has children, and his son Kion is gifted the honor of leading the Lion Guard, a team that protects the Pride Lands and defends the Circle of Life. Pretty big responsibility for a little lion! The show takes us on the adventure with Kion and his friends. Some of the scenes with the bad guys might be a little intense for sensitive kids so definitely watch with them. But for the most part is fun antics with some interesting animals found only in the African Pride Lands. Sneaking in some education there aye Disney Jr? Well, thanks!
9. PJ Masks
My daughter loves to assign the characters of this show to us because she likes to act out the action in our living room. PJ Masks was just released in the fall of 2015 and it features 3 kids who are friends by day, and turn into crime-fighting superhero’s at night when they put on their pajamas. Um, awesome! Superhero’s are all the rage right now so it’s only fitting that Disney Jr did something for the little ones. The kids-turned-superhero are Catboy, Owlette, and Gekko. Channing assigns herself as Owlette and sometimes Gekko. Dad and I get whoever she doesn’t want to be at that moment. The great thing about this show is it seems to get her moving. She wants to jump around and do the actions she’s seeing the PJ Masks do. They don’t actually harm anyone or do real violence. And it’s fun to watch them work together to “save the day!” and see my girl get so fired up about superheros. I predict there will be some pretty cool TV and movies in her future as she grows and develops her taste for TV.
