# Great TV shows for 5-6-7 year-olds?



## Periwinkle (Feb 27, 2003)

My twins will be 6 soon. We were TV-free for an eon then slowly started introducing TV to them when they were around 4 1/2. Their favorite shows right now are:

Magic School Bus
Little Bear
Miss Spider's Sunny Patch
Little Bill
Max & Ruby (my favorite show of all time)
Pingu (my second favorite show of all time)

I also let them watch (pre-screened







) Nova & Planet Earth sometimes.

What are we missing?














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:

p.s., no they don't watch each of these shows every day. Just felt like I needed to say that. We TiVo the shows so they're available on an on-demand basis.


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## amcal (Jan 13, 2003)

Personally, I feel anything on Noggin is safe. We pretty much only allow Noggin or PBS.


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## Evan&Anna's_Mom (Jun 12, 2003)

My son likes "Fetch" on PBS. May be a geared a little older than the others you mention, but great problem-solving, teamwork, and science.

I must say though, my DD likes "Max and Ruby" and I positively loath it! I cringe each time I hear Ruby's voice.


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## Periwinkle (Feb 27, 2003)

I do too. But Max just cracks me up.


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## Embee (May 3, 2002)

If you enjoy documentary/non-fiction like Planet Earth, I can recommend the rest of the David Attenborough lot (we LOVE David Attenborough!







): _Life of Mammals, Life of Birds, Blue Planet._ Our library carries all of these and much more. DS watched all of these between 5 and 6 and often wants to check them out again...

I would prescreen with these as well, nature can be a "bugger" sometimes and certain themes can be upsetting for some kids.

We checked out "Wild Kingdom" at the library today. I loved it as a kid (family TV night comes back to mind) but it's been years since I've seen it. DS loves to see or experience anything DH and I did as kids so we're all looking forward to a 'new' series to watch.

The best,
Em


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## Embee (May 3, 2002)

Oh, our current 'fictional' favorite is:

_Charlie & Lola_ (DS and Lola were separated at birth I'm sure!







)


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## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

My ds likes
Arthur
Curious George
Clifford

From PBS Sprout:
Pingu
Noddy
Fireman Sam

Sometimes he'll watch:
Berenstain Bears
Kipper

To humor his 3 year old sister, he'll sit through (and I think he really does like it):
Caillou

Ds hates to watch re-runs, so while he only watches 1-2 shows a day, he watches a pretty big variety. We have a DVR so that he doesn't have to watch at a specific time.

We pretty much limit things to PBS and an occasional Noggin.


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## sugarbeth (Apr 24, 2002)

Peep and Big Wide World is made for preschoolers, but it's funny for any age. (we're huge Quack fans here) It's all about science. You have to tivo it as it's on in the middle of the night on TLC.


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## MelKnee (Dec 5, 2001)

:

We love Peep, Chirp and Quack!


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## Adele_Mommy (Jun 28, 2007)

We also love Max and Ruby!

The Curious George cartoon is not too bad. My dd used to watch Clifford, but doesn't really anymore. She still likes Blues Room (Blues Clues but where Blue is stuffed and can talk instead of just make little noises) sometimes. I think her favorite show now is My Friends Tigger and Pooh (the new Pooh cartoon with a girl named Darby). We don't actually get the channel this shows on, so we download it from iTunes.


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## Oh the Irony (Dec 14, 2003)

Kipper and George Shrinks are favs around here.


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## 4evermom (Feb 3, 2005)

My 6 1/2 yo ds' favorite pbs shows are currently Fetch and Cyberchase. Cyberchase he has liked for a couple of years. Fetch he wasn't into last year but he is this year. He still likes Dragon Tales, but I don't (lots of sports type competitive talk. I don't like competitive sports for children).

We don't have cable so we can't weigh in on other channels.


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## Tanibani (Nov 8, 2002)

My children love Berenstain Bears & Arthur.

A friend loves watching Nickolodeon's AVATAR (OMG - it is soooo good). You might want to wait though. But a 6 yr old would dig it.

Amazing story lines, great discussion of good and evil, etc... If you read reviews on Amazon, you'll see that adults speak highly of the series.


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## Lingmom (Apr 10, 2007)

Aside from those already mentioned, my almost-6 likes Pinky Dinky Doo. Her all-time favorite is a show called "How its made" on TLC or Discovery or something -- it's a half-hour of watching different things get made in factories. I watch it with her and fastforward through the commercials.


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## Spock (May 15, 2005)

My dd really likes a show called That's Clever on HGTV. It shows people making different crafty sorts of things and follows them through the whole process. She loves doing crafts so it's right up her alley.


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## AnnieA (Nov 26, 2007)

Favorite shows on our DVR:

Fetch
Arthur
Little Einsteins
Handy Manny
30 Minute Meals w/Rachel Ray
Unwrapped (huge favorite w/all the kids...and grownups







)
Old episodes of Let's Make a Deal on the Gameshow network

Hope this helps!


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## teachma (Dec 20, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LynnS6* 
My ds likes
Arthur
Curious George
Clifford

From PBS Sprout:
Pingu
Noddy
Fireman Sam

Sometimes he'll watch:
Berenstain Bears
Kipper

To humor his 3 year old sister, he'll sit through (and I think he really does like it):
Caillou

Same to all of these, right down to the humoring little sis...
And he also likes Crashbox on HBO Family, all cooking shows and _This Old House_.


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## lightheart (Jul 2, 2005)

PBS here as our only station

super why
word world
danger rangers

my guys like clifford but really love it when they have clifford puppy days


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## mrslinkous (Feb 12, 2008)

My 5 year old likes:
Wonder Pets
Backyardigans
Oobi
Scooby Doo
He likes Noggin better then Sprout and Noggin doesn't have commercials for anything other then different shows on Noggin. Sprout kinda does have commercials not as much as others but still some. They should have a commercial free channel like Noggin for kids who are a little bit older.


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## granolalight (Nov 1, 2006)

I love Noggin b/c there are no commercials. And all their shows are wholesome and have good lessons.

Max and Ruby is wierd to me, but dd liked it for a long time. When Max shouts out one word repeatedly like "Firetruck!" it still cracks her up.

She wouldn't be caught watching it now, she's moved on to High School Musical...


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

Scooby Doo is a fave in our house.


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## moonshoes (Jun 1, 2007)

My DD is 6 1/2 and her favorites are -

Jane and the Dragon, Fetch, Cyberchase, WordGirl, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, and she likes to watch Animal Planet, especially Orangutan Island.

When she is with her 4 y.o. brother they might watch Super Why, Backyardigans, Curious George or Max and Ruby.


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## pixiepunk (Mar 11, 2003)

DD is only 4.5, but she loves Super Why and Word World on PBS.

i let them watch whatever's on Noggin at the moment when it seems like a good idea to watch TV (we don't have a DVR), but i have to say i really hate Max and Ruby and try to avoid letting them watch it whenever possible. 1) Where the heck are their parents?! 2) Why does Max always get rewarded for ignoring the rules?!

My fave Noggin show is the Upside Down Show, and the kids love it too. I really try to get them to watch shows that are truly educational, not just strictly entertaining.

only commercial free TV, at least during the day. Sometimes in the evenings we'll sit down as a family and watch a show like Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet or Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel. The kids love to watch Mike Rowe get filthy







and when we're sitting right there, i feel like we can run interference on the commercials.


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## mummy marja (Jan 19, 2005)

We are huge Peep and The Big Wide World fans too. When the show comes on, the kids call me, "Mommy, Peep's on!"

Super Why is their new favourite. You should have seen the look on my son Wyatt's face when the little boy on TV said, "Hi, it's me, Wyatt." I'm also convinced that John Holt would like this show.

Other favourites:

Magic School Bus
George Shrinks
Zaboomafoo


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## nancy926 (Mar 10, 2003)

We have a DVR, but are on vacation right now and the TV here does not have a DVR...so the kids have been introduced to quite a few "new" shows. Not sure if that is good or bad!

Right now my 5-yr-old likes:

The Upside Down Show (her fave, I think)
Go Diego Go
Good Eats with Alton Brown
Backyardigans
Wow Wow Wubzy (or something like that)
Oswald
Just about any nature show!

The kids and DH also watch cooking shows a lot....my 2-year-old knows Rachael Ray and the Barefoot Contessa by sight, which kind of terrifies me.


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## pixie-n-hertwoboys (Aug 17, 2003)

ditto on all the pbs shows. my boys love fetch, cyberchase, word world, etc...

we don't have cable so pbs it is at our house LOL but if we are at a hotel or something they LOVE animal planet.

a dvd series from national geographic with Spin. they love love love those. ds7 loves martha stewart









are these shows still on tv???? they love all of them but they don't show them here
Magic School Bus
George Shrinks
Zaboomafoo


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## AnnieA (Nov 26, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *pixie-n-hertwoboys* 
ditto on all the pbs shows. my boys love fetch, cyberchase, word world, etc...

we don't have cable so pbs it is at our house LOL but if we are at a hotel or something they LOVE animal planet.

a dvd series from national geographic with Spin. they love love love those. ds7 loves martha stewart









are these shows still on tv???? they love all of them but they don't show them here
Magic School Bus
George Shrinks
Zaboomafoo

Magic School Bus comes on TLC on cable/satellite. Not sure about the other two...maybe on Sprout?


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## 425lisamarie (Mar 4, 2005)

I never knew about Noggin! We have a couple shows in PBS they like, but i have to tape like a 3hour block to watch 15 minutes









And DS loves Alton Brown and nature shows, also how it's made is a good one.


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## HomeBirthMommy (Mar 15, 2003)

My dd will be 6 in two days







. She likes:

pretty much anything on Food Network (especially cake decorating like "Ace of Cakes") and HGTV

Globetrekker on PBS (keep remote in hand and watch it with them, but very cool travel show)

Passport to Europe/Passport to South America with Samantha Brown on the Travel Channel

Ice skating or gymnastics

Funniest animals show on Animal Planet

Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet

As you can see, we don't watch that many "kid" shows. I usually record these and then we watch them later so we can skip commercials.

She does really, really love Hannah Montana, though.


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## Periwinkle (Feb 27, 2003)

You all are giving me TERRIFIC ideas. I especially love the idea of moving beyond Noggin/Sprout and looking at things like cooking shows or ice skating. How cool! I can't believe I never thought of that!

George Shrinks is a favorite here too. We have the DVDs. What a GREAT show.

I just Tivo'd "Super WHY" - can't wait to give that a go.

Off to find Cyberchase & Avatar - they sound like fun.








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## Tanibani (Nov 8, 2002)

With the Olympics coming up... I remember TiVOing a 20-30 minute highlight show everyday. My son loved it! It was so fun to watch.


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## MtBikeLover (Jun 30, 2005)

Thanks so much for some great ideas!! My kids like Franklin, Berenstain Bears, and Curious George.

Unfortunately, my 5 year olds favorite show right now is America's Funniest Home Videos. Absolutely no educational aspect to it, but he loves it and just cracks up laughing the whole time.

I really want to steer him more to something that has some educational benefit to it so I am going to check out How its Made and That's Clever. He's really into learning how to make things and crafts so I am hoping I can get one of these to become his favorite instead of AFV. Thanks for posting this thread!!

And I have to add......His other favorite show is Survivor. No flames please







My H and I watch it and he just got hooked on it. He only likes to watch the challenges and after they are done, he spends the next 30 minutes setting up our basement so that when the show is over, we can have a repeat of the challenge as a family. He is SOOOOO good at coming up with props and setting it up and it is pretty fun so we will let him keep watching survivor. He even cheers for the players by name.


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## AnnieA (Nov 26, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Periwinkle* 
You all are giving me TERRIFIC ideas. I especially love the idea of moving beyond Noggin/Sprout and looking at things like cooking shows or ice skating. How cool! I can't believe I never thought of that!

George Shrinks is a favorite here too. We have the DVDs. What a GREAT show.

I just Tivo'd "Super WHY" - can't wait to give that a go.

Off to find Cyberchase & Avatar - they sound like fun.








:

You should definately Tivo/DVR the show called "Unwrapped" on the Food Network. It usually comes on a couple of times a day so they get a variety to choose from and it is really neat to see how different foods are processed. I have used it a lot as a starting point for conversations to explain why I don't buy/serve certain foods i.e. sugary peanut butter vs. natural peanut butter. It has commercials though so just make sure the remote is close by!


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## Jessy1019 (Aug 6, 2006)

We like Arthur and Higglytown Heroes, as well as Hannah Montana and Suite Life (the later two being entertainment/not educational). Mostly, though, my five year old just watches what we watch -- her faves being House, Kyle XY, and Grey's Anatomy.


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## rosebuds (May 23, 2003)

I am shocked and amazed to not have seen more shout outs for Backyardigans....

What a great show, 5 neighborhood friends meet in their backards and imagine together. Each episode is a different style of music and dance. They enjoy everything from pirate adventures to ancient egypt to midwest cornfields. It is our all time favourite right now.

Enjoy!


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## OakBerry (May 24, 2005)

At 5.5, ds has boycotted certain shows as "for little kids".









The shows he now likes are:

Arthur
Zula Patrol
Cyberchase
Fetch with Ruff Ruffman
Curious George (even though he won't admit it







)
Magic Schoolbus

And the occasional Spongebob, I reluctantly let him watch it.

He also loves the Popular Mechanics for Kids DVD's, one is Radical Rockets and the other is Slither and Slime. Great for kids of various ages.


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## Periwinkle (Feb 27, 2003)

I looooooooooooooooove Backyardigans. Dd still loves it but ds thinks it's for little kids. When he's doing something else I totally put it on so dd and I can watch. LOVE that show.

Dd loves the songs. She's always singing them in the bathtub...
"Sargeant Tyrone that's my police name
Catching robots is how I got my game"


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## MamaPam (Oct 8, 2005)

Super WHY, Word Girl, and Between the Lions are popular here. We've got friends with kids in that age range who also like Fetch! along with the others I mentioned.


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## loudmama (Mar 12, 2005)

I loathe Max & Ruby too. Ugh......

DD, who will be 7 in March LOVES Mythbusters. Fun science. She also LOVES Spongebob, but I realize that's not for everyone. We've been big fans of Noggin & PBS over the years, but she seems to be growing out of some of the shows.

L


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## Periwinkle (Feb 27, 2003)

Update - kids ADORE SuperWHY. What a great show!!!! Thanks!


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## mum5 (Apr 10, 2004)

My kiddos love super why too. Also cooking shows, iceskating, and Discovery Channel programmes about how the body works, and inside the womb, or something like that. It fascinates dd1.


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## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *teachma* 
Same to all of these, right down to the humoring little sis...
And he also likes Crashbox on HBO Family, all cooking shows and _This Old House_.

Hmm... you think that our kids both be reincarnations of the same spirits? Similar personalities, quirks, sensitivities and favorite TV shows? Hmm... makes me wonder.







.


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## zaftigmama (Feb 13, 2004)

Word World, Fetch, Cyberchase, Zula Patrol and I Spy are my kids fave kid shows.

They also love American Gladiators, Dirty Jobs, How It's Made, Unwrapped, Rachel Ray (mostly 30 Minute Meals, but dd loves $40 a day too), and Cash Cab.

They really only watch 1 show a day, maybe 2 on a weekend day. When I list all the shows they like it sounds like they watch tv all day. I love my DVR because I can load it up with their favorites and then whenever they get some time for TV there is something they like to watch.

I miss the days they would watch Noggin. I miss Dora and Oswald and Jack's Big Music Show. Sigh.


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