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I’m sure this is the same for a lot of parents, but what with lockdown and the general stress of everything recently, screen time has gradually crept through the roof! Don’t get me wrong, some screen time is no bad thing, and in fact it can be extremely beneficial. One great way I find of allaying the guilt of lots of time in front of screens, is to encourage the twigs to watch educational shows as much as possible. So I thought I’d put together a little list of some of my favourite educational shows for kids.
There are lots of platforms and channels on which you can access educational shows for kids. From Netflix to Amazon to CBeebies to YouTube. In this list I’ve tried to include programmes from a variety of different sources. (Some you can find in different places anyway!) So hopefully there will be something for everyone, depending on what you have access to! 🙂
I’ve also grouped the shows by age of audience. Obviously this is just approximate as there is a lot of crossover. The twigs are almost 6 but still enjoy watching some shows which are more aimed at preschoolers.
Table of Contents
Educational shows for preschool kids
Numberblocks, CBeebies
The twigs are huge fans of Numberblocks and it has taught them so much! With catchy songs and simple memorable characters, it’s great for teaching children all about numbers.
Get Well Soon, CBeebies
Get Well Soon features Dr Ranj and helps to teach kids facts about health and hospitals.
Something Special, CBeebies
Whether you love or loathe Mr Tumble, Something Special is a lovely inclusive show in which children learn how to communicate and develop language skills using Makaton sign language.
Sesame Street, YouTube
Sesame Street is such a classic educational show – I used to watch it when I was little! With fun songs and characters, this show from the creator of the Muppets is pretty timeless.
Creative Galaxy, Amazon Video
Creative Galaxy is a US children’s TV show featuring the character Arty, who travels around the galaxy with his sidekick, solving creative problems using art.
Messy Goes To OKIDO, CBeebies
Messy Goes To OKIDO is an animated comedy adventure TV series for kids. It features an inquisitive monster called Messy, who has magical adventures and finds out fun and interesting science-related things.
Bitz & Bob, CBeebies
Bitz and Bob is a fab show on CBeebies – we love it. The main character, Bitz, is an 8-year-old budding inventor, who along with her little brother Bob, solves problems using engineering. They bring their stories and ideas to life with their toys and their imaginations.
Ask The Storybots, Netflix
Ask The Storybots is an American Netflix series, in which five inquisitive little creatures track down the answers to kids’ big questions.
Educational shows for KS1 kids (5-7)
Alphablocks, CBeebies
Alphablocks is the letter version of Numberblocks. In the show the letters of the alphabet tell stories and make words using phonics. It’s organised into colour-coded stages, so children can watch at the right level for their phonic knowledge.
Nina And The Neurons, CBeebies
Nina And The Neurons is a CBeebies show that helps 4-6 year olds develop a basic understanding of Science. Neuroscientist Nina enlists the help of five Neurons in her brain to answer scientific questions.
Numberjacks, YouTube
Being totally honest here, I personally find NumberJacks a wee bit creepy! However, the twigs absolutely love it. It’s an animated series featuring ten small superhero numbers who fly out to solve problems.
Maddie’s Do You Know? CBeebies
Big fans of Maddie here – she’s awesome! Maddie’s Do You Know? is a great show in which Maddie finds out how all sorts of things work or are made, from dishwashers to wax crayons.
Octonauts, CBeebies
Octonauts is another firm favourite for the twiglets and has been for a long time! Captain Barnacles and his crew have animated underwater adventures in which they help out all sorts of aquatic creatures in need of assistance.
Tiger And Tim, YouTube
We love Tiger And Tim! It’s a fun and engaging part-animated show featuring a man and his tiger friend, who have great adventures together. The show aims to close the ever-growing literacy gap around the world.
You can read our full review of Tiger And Tim here 🙂
Educational shows for KS2 kids (7+)
Newsround, CBBC
Newsround is excellent for keeping older kids up to date with current affairs, in a safe and child-friendly way.
Horrible Science, Amazon Prime
Horrible Science is a TV series based on the books of the same name, originally for CITV but now available on Amazon Prime. The scientific-themed show is about a lovable family of characters (Mark the host, Lucy the producer, Bob the Robot and Professor McTaggart – a brain in a jar) trying in each episode to put on a spectacular science show. Unfortunately for them, it doesn’t always go to plan!
Horrible Histories, CBBC
Horrible Histories explores the side of history they don’t teach you in school! It really appeals to older kids as it covers the funniest, yuckiest and most gruesome bits of history.
Blue Planet II, BBC iPlayer and Netflix
Blue Planet II is a wildlife documentary series presented by David Attenborough, exploring the world’s oceans. Nature and animal-loving kids will love it.
Brainchild, Netflix
From germs and emotions to social media and more, Brainchild explains the science of our world in a way that’s refreshingly relatable.
Thanks so much for reading! What educational shows do your kids enjoy watching?
Til next time,
Hannah xx
You might like to check out these posts too:
- Fun family games
- WILD picture book review
- Chalkola chalk markers
- Wooden board games from Jaques of London
- Wonderbly personalised books
And check out this post by a fellow blogger for some fab TV shows for adults!
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20 Comments
Great list! And so true about a bit of screen time not being a bad thing. I’ve relied on it a lot in the past year to get work and house work done. What a juggle! Thanks for taking part in #KCACOLS
Love this list. Penny is currently so obsessed with horrible histories! #MischiefAndMemories
I don’t recognise many of these programs from my childhood but I do have memories of watching Newsround and learning so much form it. #MMBC
Great list.It changes all the time…#FortheloveofBLOG
Good range of shows listed. To like myself watching horrible histories x #kcacols
That’s a really useful list. When I had my first child, Mr Tumble really grated me. However my second child had a speech delay and Mr Tumble was amazing at helping him develop and communicate and I will forever be grateful to Justin Fletcher. Thanks for linking up to #forhteloveofblog
We LOVE all these. And it amazing how much children pick up by osmosis just watching. My lirttle girl adores Octonauts and has really remembered a lot of the facts about sea creatures. Numberblocks is my favourite. And I can’t wait ofr her to be old enough for Horrible Histories and Newsround (which was around when I was her age! #KCACOLS
I’m loving this list! My 4yr old enjoys Something Special and my 8yr old loves Horrible Histories xx #MischiefAndMemories
Popping back from #fortheloveofblog
Popping back from #KCACOLS
My kids love all of these especially Something Special and Horrible Histories! xx #MischiefAndMemories
I only know a couple of these and my kids are a little older now. TV has changed so much but there are such amazing shows on for kids nowadays x #KCACOLS
There are so many wonderful educational shows for little ones now. I miss the good old days of Get Well Soon 🙂 Mine is very much into Horrible Histories. Thank you for joining us for #mischiefandmemories xx
and #KCACOLS
Numberblocks ans Alphablocks are both brilliant and we use them in the school I work in. I also liked Something Special as I think sign language is a great skill. Thanks for linking up with #MischiefAndMemories
My girls are still so obsessed with numberblocks even at aged 6. They love it and it has taught them loads of things that they are now using in school. The boys also love Horrible Histories sooooo much! #MischiefandMemories
A brilliant compilation, thanks so much for sharing! #fortheloveofblog
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I absolutely love Cbeebies because pretty much everything on it is educational – I’d pay my TV Licence just for that! Violet quite literally comes alive when Teletubbies & Twirlywoos come on – I don’t know how they talk to a one year old but they do! Thanks so much for linking up with #fortheloveofblog – hope to see you back next time x
Thank you for the comprehensive list of TV shows that are both educational and entertaining for kids. They are providing great entertainment for kids while educating them too. Thanks for the information.