6 Outstanding TV Shows & Cartoons For Kids to Watch Now
In our day and age, television is an unavoidable part of everyday life. Regardless of how much TV time your children get, they’ll be exposed to TV out in the world, at school, or at a friend’s house eventually.
We learn a lot from television, especially when we’re young, and it’s a great way to keep up with current events, too. However, not all television shows are beneficial, especially for children.
We’ll list the best few TV shows and cartoons for kids and toddlers in this guide in no particular order. That way, you can be more proactive about choosing the media they consume when they do get their TV time.
Contents
1. Sesame Street
Sesame Street is a classic educational children’s show that’s been running for years. In fact, you likely watched Sesame Street yourself sometimes when you were young. The show is full of lovable, inclusive characters, and every episode tackles something new for your child to learn.
While Sesame Street is a bit harder to access nowadays since new episodes debut on HBO, it’s still an excellent choice. However, if you don’t have access to HBO, PBS Kids still regularly airs the show on live TV. Just keep in mind that new episodes don’t make their way to PBS Kids until nine months after their first HBO premieres.
One of the best parts about Sesame Street is that it’s appropriate for children of all ages. The lovable, fluffy characters are appealing to toddlers, and the educational lessons are great for older children.
2. Peppa Pig
Peppa Pig is another classic, long-running children’s show that has been running since 2004. The show centers around Peppa and her family as she learns various life lessons. Famously, Peppa Pig is a British production, so viewers in the US will notice that Peppa, her family, and her friends often speak with a British accent. This can be especially interesting for kids in the midst of learning about language and culture.
Peppa Pig airs on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. in the USA, and it’s intended for children around preschool age – children older than toddlers who are starting to learn about the world around them. Peppa Pig is known for teaching children lessons through Peppa’s adventures, such as the importance of watching where you’re going and wearing a helmet when riding a bike.
3. PAW Patrol
PAW Patrol is a somewhat new children’s show that hails from Canada. The show first ran in 2013, and it’s still in production in 2020. PAW Patrol also airs on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. The show centers around the main character, Ryder, who is a 10-year-old boy who leads the PAW patrol.
In the show, he calls together a team of lovable dog sidekicks to make up the PAW Patrol. Each pup specializes in a different area. For example, the bulldog, named Rubble, serves in construction, and the Dalmatian, named Marshall, serves as a paramedic and firefighter.
In the show, the pups and their friend Ryder save various other friends, many of whom are animals. The show emphasizes important lessons like cooperation, being a good listener, respecting others, and practicing everyday safety.
4. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is arguably one of the most critically acclaimed cartoons of our generation, if not of all time. As such, it’s not only popular with children, but with adults, too. This is because it tackles many complicated topics, such as character development, personal growth, interpersonal relationships, and trust.
More so than that, the show has a lot of great humor in it, too. However, as you might expect, all of these things make it appropriate for older children only – young children and toddlers might appreciate the animation, but they’ll miss the finer nuances and lessons hidden in the show.
One of the best aspects of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is its familiar characters. We all know Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and virtually all kids can get sucked into the fascinating world of Star Wars. You can watch the show on-demand on Disney+.
5. Shaun the Sheep
For those who loved Wallace and Gromit’s style when they were young, Shaun the Sheep presents a return to that same format. It’s a stop-motion cartoon with incredibly lovable characters and an appealing animation style that both kids and adults enjoy.
Like Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep hails from the UK. However, because Shaun does not speak in the show – he just bleats like a normal sheep – you might not realize this. The show centers around his adventures on his farm, where he gets into various kinds of mischief.
Throughout the show, Shaun and his herd try their best to stay away from the watchful eyes of both the Farmer and his sheepdog Bitzer. The series focuses on values like teamwork and trust, and it’s also quite humorous. Additionally, it’s appropriate for children and toddlers of all ages because of the show’s dialogue-free nature.
6. Crikey! It’s the Irwins
All of us remember the legacy of Steve Irwin and the things he did for animal conservation during his lifetime. Fortunately, his legacy has continued with his children with Crikey! It’s the Irwins. This is not a cartoon but an educational TV show for children in which they learn lessons about animals, animal conservation, and the importance of respecting the environment.
The show itself is relatively new, and it premiered in 2018. While the show is appropriate for children of all ages, some parents may want to exercise discretion with young children, as some episodes deal with complex topics such as animal birth.
That being said, the show is incredibly educational for older children and younger kids who have a passion for animals. The show is incredibly valuable because of its emphasis on treating animals properly and exercising safe behavior around animals of all kinds.
Final Thoughts
Different shows are appropriate for children of different ages, but the most critical part of finding a good TV show for your children to watch is two-fold: finding a show that they enjoy and finding a show that will teach them while they watch. Fortunately, all of the series on this list do both of those things, so they provide a great place to start for any parent.
