Fun family TV shows to watch with your kids
Family-friendly television programming has evolved over the years. Reflecting on our time and ever-changing cultural landscape, watching certain TV shows with your kids can help you have open conversations about emotions and current events, learn about other cultures, celebrate diversity, develop STEAM skills, and more. It’s a great way to learn. Sharing this pastime with kids is also a great way to enjoy time together, slow down, and take advantage of the streaming craze to share your favorite songs.
Below you’ll find some age-specific options for kids, including some “old-fashioned” favorites recommended by our mom team.
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Programs for young children
Sesame street
This is a classic that I hope never goes away. Watching Sesame Street with your kids is a great way to learn life lessons, traditions, different cultural lifestyles, current events, emotions, and of course the ABCs.
Where to watch: Hulu, Max, PBS Kids.
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
spin-off of mister rogers neighborhood, you and your kids will love seeing the world through the eyes of Daniel Tigers as he navigates his way through understanding the world as a 5-year-old. This includes topics about sharing, friendship, anger, and more.
Where to watch: PBS Kids, Amazon Prime.
Ada Science Twist
Perfect for kids ages 3 and up, this show follows an 8-year-old black scientist as he explores and discovers with his best friends. Recent episodes have included topics related to Earth Day, experiments, and more.
Where to watch: Netflix
PSST…Connect with moms and find your “people.”
dinosaur train
Enjoy this heartwarming show with mini dinosaur fans. Follow Buddy, the adopted Tyrannosaurus rex, as you and your child learn about dinosaurs.
Where to watch: PBS Kids and Amazon Prime.
Mira, royal detective
Children will love spending time with Mila, a commoner who is always on a new adventure. This includes exploring Indian culture and discovering Jalpur.
Where to watch: Disney+
Peppa pig
You and your child will fall in love with the sweet and loving adventures of Peppa Pig, her parents, and her little brother George. Children will learn mini-lessons about life, emotions, friendship, and more.
Where to watch: Netflix, Paramount
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Programs you can watch with your kids
story bot
You and your preschooler will enjoy this educational and entertaining show. The game features a character, aka a bot, who lives inside a computer and must answer “big” questions from children. Each week brings a new question, such as how music works, why the sky is blue, and what happens at night.
Where to watch: PBS Kids.
electric company
Running in the 1970s electric company Now brought back to modern times with a fun 2009 version. Join your child and watch them get smarter with reading, writing, letters, vocabulary, songs, animations, and decoding games.
Where to watch: PBS Kids.
mickey mouse clubhouse
This classic children’s show has been running since 2006, and kids and their parents watch as Mickey and his friends take them on a journey of play, song, and fun.
Executive Director Donna Duarte Rudd enjoys watching mickey mouse clubhouse With my 7 year old son with ASD. She added: “He loves Season 10 Episodes 7, 8 and 11.”
Where to watch: Disney+, Sling TV, Hulu, Apple TV
carmen sandiego
Parents who grew up in the ’90s will love this reimagined version. As Carmen embarks on her adventures, you’ll discover how she became the infamous Red Coat Thief. Associate Editor Janine Cintron said she and her 12-year-old daughter enjoy the show. She said, “I love shows that make me feel nostalgic from my childhood.”
Where to watch: Netflix
the floor is lava
The TV game show version, based on the popular game, features a different team in each episode, competing in “lava” scenarios that test their balance by hanging from chairs and hanging from curtains. It’s a bright and fun competition show, and Citron enjoyed watching it with her children when they were young.
Where to watch: Netflix
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Shows to watch with teenagers
The Who Was Show
The show only lasted one season, but I thought it was incredibly well done, serving as an entertaining mini-lesson of history told through sketch comedy for kids.
Where to watch: Netflix
a series of unfortunate events
Based on the popular book series lemon snicket, this three-season show is very entertaining. The film follows the story of her three orphans as they try to solve the mystery surrounding the death of their parents. You and your kids will have fun following the story as you hook up with your evil uncle Count Olaf, wickedly played by Neil Patrick Harris. The Baudelaire children do everything in their power to outwit Olaf and find the answer. However, some of the show’s themes are dark and perverted, making it suitable for ages 11 and up.
Where to watch: Netflix
wonder years
Both the 1980s and 2021 versions are special in their own right. We enjoyed this updated version of the suburban coming-of-age story, as well as the modern version seen through the lens of a black family in the 1960s.
Where to watch: Hulu
dark
This modern comedy depicts a modern black family through the lens of the Johnson family, as Dre Johnson questions his success and tries to teach his family about cultural identity.spin-off Mature The story continues through the story of Zoe Johnson attending college.meanwhile Looks like a mix It tells the story of Rainbow Johnson (her mother), who grew up as a mixed-race woman in the 1980s.
Where to watch: Disney+
El Deafo
fan of this book El Deafo Enjoy a new animated series that follows Cece and her journey from hearing loss to wearing large hearing aids to discovering superpowers. For those who have read the book with their children, it’s especially fun to see the faithful animation come to life.
Where to watch: Apple TV
nailed it
My kids and I (ages 16, 12, and 9) started out by participating in family-friendly reality shows like Nailed It, which is ridiculously fun. This was especially necessary during the coronavirus pandemic when it was fun to watch contestants take on challenges and try to recreate the master’s baked goods.I felt light And it’s fun.
Where to watch: Netflix
kids baking championship
Another popular cooking show involves a competition where kids (ages 9-13) try to masterfully create beautifully crafted desserts that I know I would never be able to do. Hosted by baker Duff Goldman and TV personality Valerie Bertinelli, this sweet show will keep parents and kids hooked (literally) as they watch passionate kids strive for their dreams. It will become. And there’s also a chance to win big prizes.
Where to watch: Hulu, Amazon Prime, Food Network, Max
masked singer
This fun show, based on South Korea’s popular singing competition, follows celebrities wearing elaborate full-body and facial costumes. Each celebrity will compete by singing a collection of popular songs, and the judges and audience members will vote to guess who is behind the mask. The reveals in each episode are always shocking and fun to watch.
Where to watch: Hulu,
dance with the stars
This is a new favorite that both my kids and I love. Each week, celebrities (many of whom you’ve never heard of) compete in a variety of stylized, choreographed dance moves. Enjoy with your kids as celebrities master new moves, evolve, and have fun.
Where to watch: Disney+
Wednesday
This fun spin-off, depicting the story of Wednesday Addams and her adventures at a creepy-cool new boarding school, was a big hit this year. Here, her family will learn more about her inner world as she solves her mysteries and makes her friends along the way.
Where to watch: Netflix
full house and fuller house
There’s something sweet and simple about this show about family values and the trials and tribulations of the Tanner family. It’s a favorite with kids who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, and the original and remake are fun to watch with kids.
Where to watch: Netflix
office
Follow the ridiculousness of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. Both you and older children will love this silly and clever humor and its colorful colleagues.
Place to see: Peacocks
parks and recreation
You and your kids will love following the world of Lesile Knope and her passion for the Indiana Parks Department. Colorful and cheerful characters make this light-hearted show fun and entertaining.
Place to see: Peacocks
young sheldon
spin-off of big bang theory, the show depicts the story of growing up through the eyes of Sheldon Cooper. Families can join him as he traces his childhood in the 1980s and his passion for math and science, all while living in a neighborhood where church and soccer were the norm.
Where to watch: Paramount Plus, Netflix
big bang theory
Enjoy non-stop laughter as you and your kids follow this incredibly clever method. Physicists and some of their challenges dealing with the fundamentals of life.
Where to watch: Max
Donna Duarte Ladd’s husband and their 14-year-old son watch every season of The Office, Young Sheldon, Parks and Recreation, and The Big Bang Theory. She said, “They’re hooked and watching these shows is a bonding experience.”
gilmore girls
This sweet multi-generational show follows Lorelai and her daughter Rory as they live their lives in the dreamy, eclectic town of Stars Hollow. Citron and his daughter have fun together on this show, which centers around family and friendship.
Where to watch: Netflix