Well, look no further! This article has got you covered.
If you want to give your kids the best start in life, then you should allow them to watch shows that will educate them, whilst keeping them entertained.
These are designed to teach children important skills such as reading, writing, math, science, art, music, and much more.
The best children’s shows are the ones that can be enjoyed by both parents and children alike because they have a lot of educational value, and contain lessons that apply to real life.
There is also a wide variety of these programs, so there is sure to be one that is right up your child’s street (and yours – after all, you will be watching them in the background!)
If you are a new parent, you may be wondering which shows are suitable for toddlers and preschoolers.
You may be wondering if any of the shows that you watched at that age are still being aired on television.
Some of them are! Others have been rebooted to capture the attention of the younger generations of the 2020s, while some of these shows may be completely new to you.
The good news is that all the shows on this list are appropriate for young children.
Some shows are even suitable for older children too, which is great news if you have children of different ages, and you’d like to keep them all occupied.
So, let’s get into it. Here are our top 7 picks for the best educational shows for toddlers and preschoolers.
Screen Time Guidelines For Preschoolers
How much screen time should you allow your children to have?
This question comes up a lot with parents. The truth is: There isn’t really a set amount of screen time that all children need or benefit from.
Some worry that too much television can be bad for a young, developing child, but others argue that it helps develop their social skills, imagination, creativity, and problem-solving abilities.
By watching television shows that are catered to children of a young age, they can learn about how to solve problems, how to respect other people, how to follow directions, and many other things.
There have been studies that show children who watch less than an hour per day of media are actually better able to concentrate, complete tasks, and respond to questions faster than those who spend hours glued to a TV screen.
However, other studies claim that watching television for a certain amount of time can actually improve a child’s cognitive development, reasoning ability, social skills, vocabulary, memory, language, and motor skills.
It is still a good idea to monitor how much television your child is watching, as well as what type of programming they are watching.
If you notice that they are not learning anything from the program they are watching, then perhaps consider taking it off the air, or finding something else on television that teaches them more useful information.
And remember, no matter how old your child gets, they should always continue to learn through experience.
Learning from watching shows can help a child learn certain skills, but you should also include interactive activities for them to participate in aside from using computers and tablets.
Best Educational Shows For Toddlers And Preschoolers
Whether you are settling the children down for the night, or you simply wish to distract them while you grab a moment for yourself, putting the television on can be a great way to entertain young children.
However, you will want to think about which shows are suitable for your little one, and which ones will teach them valuable lessons.
In this article, we share seven of our favorite shows which feature characters your kids can relate to and enjoy watching.
Each of these shows has something unique that sets it apart from the rest.
These are all great shows for teaching your toddler or preschooler important life lessons.
So, let’s get into it.
1. Sesame Street
We have no doubt that you will remember this show from your own childhood!
It was first broadcast in the late sixties, and it has been running ever since.
This means that, by presenting your own child to this show, you may be introducing them to characters that you, your parents, and even your grandparents grew up with.
Sesame Street was first broadcast in 1969, and since then it has become an institution.
The show teaches children about numbers, letters, colors, shapes, animals, food, family members, holidays, seasons, weather, and many other things.
It is currently available on PBS Kids Sprout, and is aimed at 2-6 year olds.
However, despite the storylines and lessons being aimed towards children of a younger age, the show can actually be very entertaining for older children (and us adults) too!
Sesame Street is filled with colorful characters that teach life lessons in a fun way.
It’s a great place to help your toddler learn about everything from counting money to making friends.
2. Sid The Science Kid
This is another favorite among parents who have children aged between two and six years old.
Like Sesame Street, Sid the Science Kid is a great place for children to learn about the world around them.
But instead of teaching them about numbers or letters, Sid teaches them about science.
He explains how the world works using simple experiments and everyday objects.
He helps his viewers understand why certain things happen, and he uses the scientific method to do so.
However, this show teaches science in a simple and easy-to-understand manner, ensuring that the kids watching will retain what they have learned.
Sid the Science Kid is a fantastic show for kids of all ages, but it is especially useful for toddlers and preschoolers.
It teaches them about the natural world, and encourages them to explore their surroundings.
They also develop critical thinking skills as they work out how things work.
3. Bubble Guppies
Bubble Guppies is one of the most popular shows on Nick Jr., and it is perfect for children aged three to five years old.
In this show, we follow the adventures of six preschoolers who live in the ocean, and are all part mer-person.
They go through lots of exciting adventures, teaching the viewer lessons in literacy, math, and science, and each episode ends with a moral lesson.
The storylines usually involve helping others, friendship, teamwork, and kindness.
The episodes are short, which makes them ideal for little ones.
And because there are six main characters – three girls and three boys – there will definitely be a character that your little one can relate to.
If your little one loves water and all things under the sea, then this is the perfect show for them.
It teaches them about different types of fish, coral reefs, and more.
Your little one will love learning about these topics, and they will enjoy seeing them come alive.
4. Doc McStuffins
Doc McStuffins is a cartoon series created by Disney Junior.
It follows the adventures of a young girl named Doc McStuffins, who aspires to be a doctor like her mother.
She often uses her own skills to help her toys and stuffed animals when they are in need of medical care.
Doc McStuffins and her crew of stuffed toys help her friends, or other fellow toys, when they are ill, or ‘make them feel better’, as she calls it.
To diagnose her patients’ illnesses (fictional illnesses found in each toy and stuffed animal) she uses her ‘Big Book of Booboos’ or her ‘Big Vet Book’ to find out what’s wrong with them.
She has many tools at her disposal, including an x-ray machine, stethoscope, microscope, thermometer, and even a dentist drill!
Each episode centers on Doc and her crew supporting a toy in need, leading to each toy receiving advice from Doc and her team regarding anything that has happened to them, or other circumstances, after each check-up.
The lessons taught in this show are to look after your friends, while mainly encouraging its viewers to live healthy lifestyles.
5. Ask The StoryBots
Ask The StoryBots is a very educational program for children aged four to nine years old.
This show is available on Netflix US, and it is definitely worth putting on for your children to watch.
The show focuses on a quintet of mini robots who are navigating the human world, asking and answering questions about our world that young children may be wondering about.
Some of these questions include ‘where does rain come from?’, ‘what is electricity?’ and ‘how do flowers grow?’
Each of these questions get answered by the end of the show, and are answered in simple, straightforward ways that will help the young viewers understand.
This show also gives kids a chance to ask their own questions throughout the program.
This way, parents have a chance to listen to their child’s thought process.
There may even be questions asked that you, the parent, may be unsure of: do you know how airplanes fly?
By watching this show with your children, you can also discover new facts that you were previously unaware of.
You’re never too old to learn!
6. Blue’s Clues & You
This is a show that most 90s kids will be familiar with, although they will be more familiar with the shorter title, ‘Blue’s Clues’.
This is a revival of the original, classic show, with a new host, new side characters, but the same old blue-colored puppy named Blue!
This show teaches your kid lots of useful life skills including patience, attention, focus, honesty, kindness, manners, responsibility, perseverance, self-esteem, and creativity.
As you may remember, Blue’s Clues focuses on solving mysteries by collecting clues, which Josh – Steve and Joe’s cousin from the original series – collects in his notepad.
The show uses built-in silences for the viewers to answer the show’s questions themselves, allowing them to get involved with the world of Blue’s Clues.
This show is a great way to get children involved, while getting their brains working to remember each clue, and how it may fit into the overall narrative.
It’s also a good introduction to learning letters and numbers through recognizing the shapes and colors of the objects around us.
It can really develop a love for reading and writing.
7. Peppa Pig
Last, but certainly not least, we end on a show that is immensely popular throughout the world.
Since its debut in 2004, Peppa Pig has captured the hearts of millions.
Peppa Pig is a cartoon series aimed at preschoolers, and features a young pig named Peppa, who lives with her mother, father, and baby brother, George.
If you want to introduce your toddler to another adorable character who is already an instant favorite among many little ones, then Peppa Pig should definitely be on your list.
In addition to being cute, this show teaches your child values such as friendship, loyalty, respect, honesty, curiosity, imagination, and tolerance.
These lessons can be learned even if your toddler isn’t interested in reading or listening to stories.
Your child just needs to watch this show instead.
Children who like to sing and dance will enjoy this show because it has lots of catchy songs and funny dances.
And finally, there’s a ton of educational value here since the main character talks about different topics such as health, nutrition, hygiene, safety, time management, money, math, and science.
The best part of all is that Peppa Pig is suitable for toddlers up to age 5.
So, don’t wait until your child reaches school age before introducing him/her to this wonderful show.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, these 7 shows have given you some ideas on what kinds of shows to choose to introduce your toddler to. Whether your child is interested in the ocean, superheroes, or animals, there is bound to be a show on this list that they will find entertaining and educational.
Once your child is ready for kindergarten or first grade, you can start looking at some other shows to consider. There are tons of options available online and on TV. For now, give these tot-friendly shows a go.
We hope that this guide helps you narrow down your choices.
Hi, my name is Helena Waters and I was a teacher for 40 years before retiring last year.
During my time as a teacher I dedicated the majority of it to making classrooms as fun as possible, with educational parties, fun activities, and low cost entertainment that made the children excited about learning.
I taught children of all ages, from preschoolers to high school students. Now, with the pandemic having uprooted everything that children once knew about school and learning, I think that the need for my ideas is bigger than ever.
That is why I created School Sparks, a place in which I can write down and share all of my ideas on how to get students excited about going to school again. I hope that you’ll find some useful within a school setting, even at home too!
