Best Kids' TV Shows for Entertainment and Education: Disney+, PBS, Amazon Prime, and Netflix

"Ugh, Mom, I'm booooooored!" Can you believe it? Your kids are convinced that your sole purpose in life is to entertain them. When school's out and the little munchkins are running wild, you try your best to get them out of the house, whether it's dragging them to the playground or forcing them on a nature hike. But what happens when it's pouring rain outside, or there's a heatwave that could melt an ice cream truck, or your kids (just like mine) find nature to be a chaotic and overstimulating? Believe it or not, a simple hike in the woods can be overwhelming for a sensory avoidant child. With dirt and pebbles finding their way into shoes, bugs buzzing around like they own the place, unfamiliar smells and sounds assaulting their senses, and the unpredictable factors of heat and rain, who can blame these kids for wanting to hole up in the cozy confines of their home and never venture out?

Well, fear not, fellow parental warriors! In this series, I'll share my kids' favorite ways to keep themselves entertained when we're stuck at home, by choice or otherwise. I'll be honest, screentime is a necessary evil in our household. It's the magical key that gives us parents a chance to get things done or just take a much-needed break while our little ones indulge in entertainment specifically designed to trigger every bit of dopamine in their tiny brains. Of course, we don't let them go wild with just any content. We carefully curate age-appropriate and ideally educational shows, and we make sure to enforce regular screentime "breaks." I mean, let's face it, we've all witnessed those epic meltdowns caused by kids getting lost in the screen for way too long. It's crucial to give their developing brains a breather to maintain some semblance of executive functioning. Need ideas for activities during these screen free interludes? I'll be covering our favorite low-tech ways to pass the time later in this series.

Now, let's dive into the must watch TV! Here are our favorite kid television shows available on demand and streaming to your television or tablets.

Best Family Shows to Watch on Disney+

If you have Disney+ oh boy, have I got a treat for you! You can watch Bluey, the absolute best parenting show ever made for kids. And guess what? Each episode is a mere 7 minutes long, so it's perfect when you're short on time but the kids are relentlessly begging for a show. I love it so much that I shamelessly make my kids re-watch new episodes in case I missed them.

Beyond Bluey, Disney Jr. is a treasure trove of quality content. For the little ones, we've got Doc McStuffins, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Muppet Babies, Vampirina, and Mira Royal Detective. And for the school-aged kids who can follow serialized storytelling, they'll devour the later seasons of Lion Guard, Sofia the First, Elena of Avalor, and Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. The production value on these is way better than children's programming has any right to be, and did I mention there's some top-notch Broadway talent singing the songs? It's like a sneaky way to imprint a love of Broadway musicals onto their young lizard brains. As they age up, well, they've got the entire Star Wars and Marvel universes at their fingertips. Disney knows kids' entertainment.

Favorite PBS Kids Television Programs

Daniel Tiger to the rescue! Seriously, this little tiger has an answer for every toddler and preschooler problem you can think of. Separation anxiety? Potty training? Check-ups? New sibling on the way? Daniel Tiger has got your back. Plus, Sesame Street, the OG of children's programming, has come a long way since our own childhood days. They've introduced a muppet with Autism and their first Asian-American muppet. Kudos to them!

When it comes to sneaking educational content into cartoons, nobody does it better than PBS. So, if you want to keep those summer brain cells in top shape, make sure to tune in to shows like Super WHY! for reading skills, Let's Go Luna for geography and world culture lessons, Dinosaur Train for all things dinosaur-related, Pinkalicious for social-emotional skills, Wild Kratts for fascinating natural history insights, Molly of Denali for navigating the world of informational texts, Peg + Cat for math adventures, and Curious George for STEM exploration. These shows are not only entertaining but also fantastic options to keep your little munchkins both entertained and educated.

Now, here's the catch—PBS doesn't have its own standalone streaming service. But fear not! You can purchase an add-on subscription to either Amazon Prime or Apple TV and unlock a whole world of PBS goodness for your kids to enjoy.

Top Amazon Prime Video Shows for Children

Ah, the beauty of Amazon Prime! It's like a buffet of shows from every studio without fully committing to one channel. You can sample the first season or a few episodes of many PBS shows and even Nickelodeon gems like Bubble Guppies and Dora the Explorer—all included in the Prime subscription. If your kids are hooked (and let's be honest, they probably will be), you can pay for add-on subscriptions to PBS Kids or other channels. And as for the original Amazon-produced content, we've got Give A Mouse A Cookie, Tumbleleaf, The Stinky & Dirty Show, and Dino Dana, which have all won over our hearts.

What to Watch on Netflix with Kids

Okay, I'll come clean with you. We don't keep our Netflix subscription for the kids (it's totally for my Kdrama addiction, shhh!). But let me spill some tea on a few shows our kids have latched onto, for better or worse. Dinotrux is an absolute dream for any kid obsessed with dinosaurs and vehicles. And brace yourself for this one—both of our kids have watched every episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic on repeat. Yes. Every. Single. Episode. Oh, and our Lego-loving 8-year-old has reignited his passion for Ninjago. Bricktastic! With my ulterior parenting motives, I would try to push Octonauts which is both educational and adorable, similar to Wild Kratts but with extra cuteness, or Ada Twist Scientist which sparks an interest in science for preschoolers.

Is it okay for my preschooler to watch this?

Not sure if a show is suitable for your little angel? Don't worry, just look it up on Common Sense Media. They've got a massive database that catalogs everything from TV shows to movies to books, helping you make informed decisions as a parent about the content your kiddos consume.

Stuck without Wi-Fi?

Perhaps you're not stuck at home at all, but need something to occupy the kids for a bit on the road. No worries! Download a few episodes of your child's favorite shows and movies onto their tablets, and you're all set for long plane rides or road trips (unless your kiddos suffer from carsickness, then maybe not). Just remember to pack headphones, like this cool two-pack I found with a sharing port, in case a sibling—or even a parent—wants to join in on the entertainment.

What are some of your kids' favorite shows? We'd love to hear about them! Let's create keep our little ones entertained and maybe even sneak in some educational goodness along the way. Share the shows that make your kids' eyes light up and spark their imaginations. Together, we can build a fantastic resource for fellow parents in search of new and exciting content for their little viewers. So, go ahead and drop those show recommendations in the comments section!

Also, make sure you subscribe to our blog, so you won't miss out on the next part of this series! I already shared our favorite games for Amazon Fire and iPad, but still to come – our summer reading lists, and the crème de la crème of low-tech toys and games that'll keep your precious little rascals occupied during those never-ending summer days. Stay tuned!