How to Choose Education Television Shows for Kids
Countless shows claim to be for kids. Whole channels are even devoted to children's programming. But just because a show says it's for kids, that doesn't mean that it's educational. Here's how to separate the wheat from the chaff.
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Instructions
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Making any Show More Educational
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Use a DVR, or digital video recorder (through Tivo or your cable/satellite provider), to record shows for your children. Skip commercials to reduce your children's exposure to ads that sell products such as junk food.
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Watch with your kids. Any show can be made more educational if you talk about it with your children. Use it to expand their vocabulary and discuss the parts of a story (problem, solution, characters, setting), as well as moral and behavioral issues.
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Stick to channels that focus on learning, such as PBS, Discovery, the History Channel and the Travel Channel. Not that all of the shows on these channels are educational, but many are. PBS Kids and Discovery Kids are especially useful channels, if your TV service offers them.
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Make the kids tell you about it. If you can't (or don't want to) watch a show with your kids, have them tell you all about it at the end. This is great practice for retelling and sequencing (reading comprehension skills). You can also ask lots of questions that they may be more willing to answer than those about school.
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Search for shows that you know will intrigue them. Some services allow you to search by topic. With others, you may have to check on the channel guide. If your child is into dinosaurs, look for shows about dinosaurs. If you've got a Thomas the Tank Engine fan, look for shows about trains.
Finding Educational Shows
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Check out your options. Scroll through the channel guide and record a number of shows that look promising. Depending on the ages of your children, look at Noggin, PBS, PBS Sprout and/or PBS Kids, Discovery, Discovery Kids, the National Geographic Channel, Nickelodeon and any of the premium movie channels' family options.
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Watch your recorded shows, preferably without the kids. Make sure the shows are appropriate, interesting and educational, rather than simply entertaining.
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Think about what you want your children to learn from their shows. Most children's programming hits on behavioral issues, from sharing for preschoolers to cheating on tests for tweens. Unfortunately, most children don't seem to alter their behavior based on what they see on TV. They tend to retain facts they learn a lot better.
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Decide which shows you'd like your children to try, then stage a few viewing sessions. Allow your children to pick their favorites and set up to record them regularly. That way your children will always have something good to watch on television.
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Tips & Warnings
Some excellent educational shows to try are "Super Why!," "Sid the Science Kid," "The Magic School Bus," "Time Warp Trio," "Planet Earth," "WordGirl," "Sesame Street," "Jack's Big Music Show" and "Between the Lions."
Not all shows that claim to be educational are created equal. In fact, some of them are actually boring, or you may even find them inappropriate. Check everything out yourself.
