8 Toddler-Friendly TV Shows You Must See

8 Toddler-Friendly TV Shows You Must See

22 Jun 2015 | 10 min Read

Nandini Aravind

Author | 50 Articles

 

One of the biggest dilemmas a Mom faces is how to minimise the screen TV time? Or what shows are child friendly. At times it’s not just about choosing something entertaining and age-appropriate but also needs to be educational as well. Finding a show that can balance these aspects is a task.

Anything with violence is a complete “No-No” at our house. It did take me some quality time and patience to filter what my daughter watches. And I’m finally happy, but I sit with her while she watches these shows. So that I’m aware of what’s being screened and provide her with any interpretation or explanation if needed.

I would urge parents to not use the TV as a nanny or something to keep the child engrossed while you finish up with work; it is tempting but must be avoided. These shows should be a part of their entertainment with education and not keeping them preoccupied during chores.

After a few discussions with fellow Mommies and my personal experience, I came up with the best TV shows for toddlers. I hope you find this list exciting and educational like I have.

 

List Of Best T.V Shows For Toddlers

1. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Channel: Disney Channel

Age: 2 to 5 yrs

Day: Monday to Friday

Timings: 11.59 to 12.48

Duration: 50 mins

Education factor: problem solving, math, colours etc

What’s About?

Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Daisy and Donald all hang out at the Clubhouse. Mickey leads viewers through stories with play-along and singalong segments. Learning early math skills and identifying shapes, patterns, and numbers by problem-solving tasks are all part of Mickey’s lessons. Mickey and his pals also play with handy gizmos and gear, including the Mousekedoer, Mouseketools and a transportable device called Toodles, which helps them in their tasks.

Mommy’s Verdict: We all have watched Mickey Mouse cartoons, but this isn’t the version we are used to. The show makes it as child-friendly and educational as possible while keeping the fun element on. Through their tasks and play along with scenarios, children learn various aspects from maths to being a good sport during competition tasks. Overall this show is a thumbs up!


 

2. Dora the Explorer

Channel: Nick Jr.

Age: 2.5 to 5 yrs

Day: Monday to Friday

Timings: 8.00 am to 9.00 pm, 5.00 pm to 6.00 pm

Duration: 60 mins

Educative factor: exploration, problem-solving, learning a new language

What’s About?

“Dora the Explorer” features the adventures of young Dora, her monkey Boots, Backpack and other animated friends. In each episode, viewers join Dora on an adventure in an animated world set inside a computer. The character seeks viewers’ help in solving a puzzle or mystery she faces in each episode.

Mommy’s Verdict: This is a huge hit with the girls, the character Dora inspires girls to get up and get moving. She keeps the viewer/child involved with solving challenges that they come across during their exploring and adventures. Viewers/ children learn different aspects from problem-solving, colors, counting to learning basic Spanish as well. This is a good show for kids to watch.

 

 

3. Walter & Dude

Channel: Baby TV

Age: 2 to 4 yrs

Sundays

Timings: 12.00 to 12.30 pm

Duration: 30 mins

Education factor: guessing game, learning functions of objects

What’s About?

Walter the Mouse and Dude the Dog need help to find an item Dude has misplaced it and is not able to recall the name of it. Listen as the pair describe the physical and functional features of the missing object and see if you can help guess what it is! This program encourages toddlers to identify objects based on their physical and functional characteristics.

Mommy’s Verdict: This show is one of the best shows for babies. The show is all about how Dude the dog has misplaced or wants something but doesn’t remember its name. Walter the mouse, brings items depending on the hints Walter gives him but isn’t able to get the correct item. Hence Dude later draws the item on a paper which later helps Walter guess what it is. The show helps viewers/children guess what the item Walter is talking about. It’s an excellent show that shows a cute friendship between the two characters.

 

 

4. Max & Ruby

Channel: Nick Jr.

Age: 2.5 to 5 yrs

Timings: 9.00 am to 9.30 am, 11.00 am to 12.00 pm

Duration: 60 mins

Education factor: sharing, mannerisms, problem-solving, relationships

What’s About?

Siblings Max & Ruby share just about everything. These two bunnies go through life together and share love, friendship and playtime. As the older sister, Ruby is always watching out for Max and getting him out of trouble. Grandma and many friends and neighbors are all bunnies living in a friendly world.

Mommy’s Verdict: This is a cute show about the relationship between an older sister and a younger brother and is one of the best TV shows for toddlers. Max, like any toddler, is always shown to be mischievous and up to something, while Ruby-like any good sister tries to guide Max towards doing something she feels is a better option. In the end, they solve their problems at hand with a mix of both their wits together. The relation between these siblings is very real, like any human sibling relationship. Here kids learn about sharing, good manners, problem-solving and also at times how to deal with sibling rivalry.

 

5. Mister Maker

Channel: Discovery Kids

Age: 3 to 6 yrs

Day: Monday to Friday

Timings: 4.00 pm to 4.58 pm

Duration: 60 mins

Education factor: art and craft, shapes, colors

What’s About?

Mister Maker is a preschool series that revolves around the character “Mister Maker” who is creative at art and craft and is always making something fun and easy that kids at home can try with the help of a parent.

Mister Maker does something interesting, which gives him an idea of what to make. He collects the required things from the Doodle drawers or an art and craft shop and makes it. Then he wakes up the shapes and they do a song and dance, followed by a randomly selected shape (circle, triangle, square or rectangle) to form a picture or to find how many (particular shapes) are there. He also challenges making something within a minute and has always completed it to date.

Mommy’s Verdict: This show is a hit with the older kids, too, it focuses on imagining and creating fun art and craft that a child can easily follow at home. But one will need to note down the supplies needed to create that special craftwork and write down the steps and make it later on.

Kids also learn about shapes and colors during the show, and this is a definite watch on weekends and vacations.

 

 

6. Big Bugs Band

Channel: Baby TV

Age: 1.5 to 3 yrs

Timings: check Baby Tv for schedule

Duration: 20mins

Education factor: awareness of various musical instruments, learning to sing and hum to tunes

What’s About?

A spectacular 3D animation in which a group of bugs performs a variety of unique musical pieces to an audience of fellow animals in the woods. Each bug plays a different instrument and the group improvises and dances as they create beautiful melodies and introduce diverse musical styles. (Ex HipHop, Samba, Bagpipes, Jazz and more).

Mommy’s Verdict: Such a cute concept of little bugs forming a band and playing beautiful tunes and singing melodies. This series introduces a variety of unique musical sounds and musical styles. The more varied a child’s musical experience in their first years, the broader their abilities to appreciate and comprehend music will be. In addition, the musical improvisation included in the series aims to encourage young children to experiment with their vocal abilities.

 

7. Team Umizoomi

Channel: Nick Jr

Age: 2.5 to 7yrs

Timings: 1.30 pm to 2.00 pm

Duration: 30 mins

Education factor: learning shapes, colors, problem-solving, learning series of patterns

What’s About?

“Team Umizoomi” consists of 6-year-old Milli, her brother Geo, who’s 8, and their friendly robot named Bot. These mighty math superheroes introduce young viewers to the concepts of counting, measurement, shapes and patterns. Milli and Geo help other kids in Umi City with their problems, which are sent to them via the Umi Alarm.

Mommy’s Verdict: Milli, Geo and Bot refer to the child viewer as their Umifriend and encourage him or her to develop their “Mighty Math Powers!” The action generally takes place in and around Umi City, a colorful city where the streets are paved with origami-inspired patterns. A nice concept to educate kids with numbers, patterns and shapes in a creative fun way.

 

8. Charlie And The Numbers

Channel: Baby TV

Age: 1 to 2.5 yrs

Timings: please check your Tv schedule for more details

Duration: 20 mins

Education factor: learning numbers

What’s About?

Numbers and counting turn into a fun adventure when Charlie visits the Numbers Kingdom, a magical world in which numbers reign. Join Charlie as he befriends a new number in each episode and join the counting, singing and dancing along the way. A charming series that brings to life the concept of numeracy and counting.

It is important for future Math learning that a child’s first encounter with numbers and counting be friendly and fun. In this series, counting and numbers turns into a fun adventure as Charlie and his friends -The Numbers – introduce basic numeracy skills like recognizing and naming the number shapes, counting to 10, counting by number, and more.

Mommy’s Verdict: A good way for younger kids to learn numbers. The numbers introduce themselves and each is a character on their own with different personalities. But since the numbers are only till 10 it can get boring once kids learn numbers beyond 10.

 

How To Encourage Active Viewing In Children

  • You can encourage your child to watch high-quality children’s programming and online content.

  • The easiest approach to find out what your child is watching on the internet is to sit and watch and play with them. Co-viewing and interacting in high-quality content with your kids is a good learning and development experience for your child.

  • Discuss what your kid is viewing or doing online with them. Be interested. Ask questions, and discuss the topics of their favorite show, video, or game.

  • Let them know that they can always come to you if they need assistance online or encounter something frightening or unsettling.

Which toddler show is your favourite? Let us know in the comments. 

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Top Hacks For Toddlers: Here are a few hacks for toddlers that you should know right away. Check them out now! 

A Must-Read Book For Toddlers: Here we bring you a must-read book for toddlers before starting their school. Check it out.

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