How to Choose Good TV Shows for Children

Let’s all be honest here, kids have the attention span of a, well, kid. Making them watch documentaries and educational programs won’t do anything- they will get bored super soon. They must watch shows that keep them entertained but also educate them in some way. TV can influence the way your kid behaves, acts, their identity, their habits and their school performance. So to help you choose the best shows for your kids, follow these guidelines.

Shows with shorter episodes

While TV is good for your kids, you also want to ensure that they have a screen time limit and are not spending all their time watching television. Moreover, let’s not forget the short attention spans. Kids can focus at most for 15 minutes and no matter how visually stimulating the show is, your kid will grow bored. Going for shows with shorter episodes also allows you to turn off the TV faster when your kid wants just “one more episode”!

Shows like Creative Galaxy and Peppa pig are good for these kinds of viewings. They have short and fun episodes, often infused with lots of learning and a good amount of comedy. They feature creative problem solving as well as behaviour regulation while simultaneously teaching them compassion and empathy.

Keep the time of the day in mind

When choosing shows for your kids, it’s important to keep the time of the day in mind. Watching shows that make them sleepy in the morning is not a good idea as it will lead to a sleepy and grumpy kid. On the other hand, if your kid watches a show that fills them with energy at night, bedtime would be a nightmare. For example, watching a calm show like a charming cartoon kipper before bed is a good way to get your child in the mindset of sleeping soon. Daytime shows like Bubble Guppies are good morning shows as they involve learning and bright colours.

By ensuring the good tv shows for children that you are choosing are appropriate for the time of the day, you prevent unwarranted tantrums or confused feelings from your kid.

Choose shows that provide some learning

This does not mean making your child watch documentaries and shows that they are not interested in. With so many shows out there, choosing a good tv show for children that also promotes learning is not that difficult anymore. Go for shows that teach compassion, empathy, problem-solving or promote curiosity and exploration.

Classic shows like Tom and Jerry or Dora the Explorer promote problem-solving as well as compassion and friendship. You can watch these classics for free on your tv aerial. To get one installed by professionals, click here. Other recent shows like Unlikely Animal Friends and Peppa Pig are known for not only being super fun to watch but also for teaching empathy, critical thinking and the importance of love and honesty.

Shows that teach self-regulation

Good tv shows can often teach self-regulation to children. These little humans don’t know how to deal with overwhelming emotions and often end up throwing a tantrum when they don’t understand how to regulate their feelings. Shows that promote and teach self-regulation are important when it comes to choosing good tv shows for children. Kids can learn a lot by watching how their favourite character reacts when they are frustrated, angry or sad. Shows like Daniel Tiger’s neighbourhood teach your kid to be kind and compassionate and shows how to regulate anger by “stomping three times’ ‘.

Broaden their view

Choosing good Tv shows for children also involves shows that broaden their perspective and educate and empower them. Promoting diversity by including shows that show strong characters from different countries can help with making your kid stay away from racism and bullying. Explaining to them different cultures and ethnicities allows them to be more inclusive and gives them a more immersive and educating experience. Shows like Maya and Miguel teach your kids about diversity as well as introduce them to the beauty of new languages. Other shows like Doc McStuffins and Handy Mandy are other examples of diverse shows with strong male and female characters.

Choose programs with the least screen shifts

When choosing good tv shows, keep in mind that they do not have multiple screen shifts. Screen shifts simply refer to how many times a screen changes in each period. Slower shows like Mr Rogers Neighbourhood have fewer screen shifts as compared to coco melon which has multiple fast-paced screen shifts.

If your kid is watching shows with fast screen shifts, it can impact their attention span a lot. They will have a shorter attention span, causing them to not do very well in school or otherwise. Research has also shown that shows like coco melon and SpongeBob can become almost addictive because of the fast screen shifts.