Family Television for 5- and 7-year-olds
October 11, 2016 6:05 PM Subscribe
My boys are old enough to watch family TV (and movies) instead of just children's stuff! Yay! But this is hard to find! BOO! Suggest for us some family TV series in particular that we can enjoy as a family. Specifications within.
We really, really enjoyed watching "Great British Bake Off" this summer on PBS. We've also really enjoyed "Supergirl," although that is the outside limit of cartoony/fantasy violence we're willing to allow (and sometimes the villains are a little bit scary for my imaginative 7-year-old). They like "Cosmos." They are intrigued by the BBC's "Merlin" but I think it might be a LITTLE too complex for them; they also like the CBC's "Heartland" but get bored periodically -- I think it's too many relationship stories.
In terms of PG-ness, we're very concerned about violence and prefer to avoid that. (They are primarily allowed to watch Disney movies and PBS Kids, so that's the level of cartoon violence that's acceptable. They have a tendency to imitate TV fighting.) Stories that are "dark" are upsetting to my older son; as an example, he found the sinking of the parents' ship on "Frozen" pretty much unbearable. He can handle "peril" (as in "Zootoopia") if we can tell him there's a happy ending. Fleeting language is okay (especially if the characters are in trouble; we let them watch "The Martian.") but they do reproduce it so no routine stuff like "Man I hate this fuckin' guy."
We're totally happy to watch Disney movies with them, but you can only watch "101 Dalmations" so many times in a row, so we're thrilled they're starting to enjoy more grown-up television. Fiction or non-fiction is okay! We've enjoyed GBBO and Cosmos with them, but I'd also like to find more episodic fictional shows to watch. We particularly like being able to watch a show week-to-week with the same characters, so GBBO was perfect in that way and Supergirl is good ... Cosmos is more like a one-off movie because it doesn't carry over week to week.
Shows available on Netflix or Amazon Prime are ideal but we're willing to seek out other options (and things come and go from the streaming services so quickly!) so feel free to suggest anything and I can always find it later on when it's on streaming!
We really, really enjoyed watching "Great British Bake Off" this summer on PBS. We've also really enjoyed "Supergirl," although that is the outside limit of cartoony/fantasy violence we're willing to allow (and sometimes the villains are a little bit scary for my imaginative 7-year-old). They like "Cosmos." They are intrigued by the BBC's "Merlin" but I think it might be a LITTLE too complex for them; they also like the CBC's "Heartland" but get bored periodically -- I think it's too many relationship stories.
In terms of PG-ness, we're very concerned about violence and prefer to avoid that. (They are primarily allowed to watch Disney movies and PBS Kids, so that's the level of cartoon violence that's acceptable. They have a tendency to imitate TV fighting.) Stories that are "dark" are upsetting to my older son; as an example, he found the sinking of the parents' ship on "Frozen" pretty much unbearable. He can handle "peril" (as in "Zootoopia") if we can tell him there's a happy ending. Fleeting language is okay (especially if the characters are in trouble; we let them watch "The Martian.") but they do reproduce it so no routine stuff like "Man I hate this fuckin' guy."
We're totally happy to watch Disney movies with them, but you can only watch "101 Dalmations" so many times in a row, so we're thrilled they're starting to enjoy more grown-up television. Fiction or non-fiction is okay! We've enjoyed GBBO and Cosmos with them, but I'd also like to find more episodic fictional shows to watch. We particularly like being able to watch a show week-to-week with the same characters, so GBBO was perfect in that way and Supergirl is good ... Cosmos is more like a one-off movie because it doesn't carry over week to week.
Shows available on Netflix or Amazon Prime are ideal but we're willing to seek out other options (and things come and go from the streaming services so quickly!) so feel free to suggest anything and I can always find it later on when it's on streaming!
Maybe Firefly, with some caveats (no War Stories, etc).... ?
posted by The otter lady at 6:11 PM on October 11, 2016
posted by The otter lady at 6:11 PM on October 11, 2016
My son loves Brain games, American Ninja Warrior, how it's made, some of the survival shows (the first couple of seasons of Dual Survival were favorites), Bizarre foods (I really like that he goes to all these different countries, is adventurous with food, and is a very gracious guest).
Haven't seen it but Ask the Storybots seems to be popular.
posted by ReluctantViking at 6:18 PM on October 11, 2016
Haven't seen it but Ask the Storybots seems to be popular.
posted by ReluctantViking at 6:18 PM on October 11, 2016
We watch a lot of BBC nature documentaries (Planet Earth, Life) with our eight-year-old. Meercat Manor might be a fun show with kids that age.
I don't think there's a lot of real family TV out now, not that I know of anyway. But older TV might work well--classic Star Trek was the first thing that came to mind. Brady Bunch episodes, or The Addams Family, the Waltons. I'm still really fond of those shows, which we watched when I was a kid.
posted by gideonfrog at 6:20 PM on October 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
I don't think there's a lot of real family TV out now, not that I know of anyway. But older TV might work well--classic Star Trek was the first thing that came to mind. Brady Bunch episodes, or The Addams Family, the Waltons. I'm still really fond of those shows, which we watched when I was a kid.
posted by gideonfrog at 6:20 PM on October 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
There's a wonderful show, The Middleman, that ran on ABC Family several years ago (based on a comic book; starring Matt Keeslar, who has retired from acting, and Natalie Morales, later of Parks and Rec), about the people who get called in to clean up supernatural messes. It was a delight, and I remain sad that they only ever made twelve episodes.
posted by snarkout at 6:30 PM on October 11, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by snarkout at 6:30 PM on October 11, 2016 [6 favorites]
We've all enjoyed watching Phineas and Ferb, Animaniacs, and classic Looney Tunes. However, none of them have much in the way of episode-to-episode developments. Maybe some of the kid cooking shows, like Master Chef Jr.?
posted by chickenmagazine at 6:31 PM on October 11, 2016
posted by chickenmagazine at 6:31 PM on October 11, 2016
Perhaps The Sarah Jane Adventures would be a good fit. (Or maybe in a year or so?)
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 6:35 PM on October 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 6:35 PM on October 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
Steven Universe?
posted by HMSSM at 6:40 PM on October 11, 2016 [11 favorites]
posted by HMSSM at 6:40 PM on October 11, 2016 [11 favorites]
Mr. Bean!
posted by Ostara at 6:41 PM on October 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Ostara at 6:41 PM on October 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
Great British Bake-Off is fun for everyone. My 7-year old loves selections from Britain's Got Talent and shows like it, and she loves Fixer-Upper. YMMV.
posted by concertedchaos at 6:42 PM on October 11, 2016
posted by concertedchaos at 6:42 PM on October 11, 2016
What about some of the older Canadian 'family/kids' shows...I'm thinking The Littlest Hobo (about a heroic dog, if you haven't seen it), 'Danger Bay' (set at the Vancouver Aquarium). Even the old version of MacGyver has the 'good guys win', some fun science, and no gun violence/minimal blood, although it would be close to the limit for my 5 year olds tastes. 'Road to Avonlea' is probably more appealing to girls, but it might be worth a whirl if you can find it online.
As for movies, I always recommend 'The Dog Who Stopped the War'...an older Canadian classic (although be warned, it was originally in french, then dubbed, if this is a deal breaker for you.
'
posted by Northbysomewhatcrazy at 6:57 PM on October 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
As for movies, I always recommend 'The Dog Who Stopped the War'...an older Canadian classic (although be warned, it was originally in french, then dubbed, if this is a deal breaker for you.
'
posted by Northbysomewhatcrazy at 6:57 PM on October 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
Annedroids is on Amazon Prime streaming and is a cute show about kids doing science stuff. Nice family diversity too. Agree Master Chef Jr. Is good--more competitive than GBBO, but not cutthroat, and the judges are supportive and the kids mostly help each other out. Plus the kids are amazing cooks!
posted by msbubbaclees at 6:57 PM on October 11, 2016
posted by msbubbaclees at 6:57 PM on October 11, 2016
Seconding Steven Universe - gets very interesting and is so full of love. It is beloved of my late 20s to late 30s peer group and designed for children.
I loved watching "nature shows" with my family as a kid and that genre doesn't get better than Planet Earth. I also really liked Nature's Great Events. It sneaks in some really good ecology education!
posted by congen at 7:02 PM on October 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
I loved watching "nature shows" with my family as a kid and that genre doesn't get better than Planet Earth. I also really liked Nature's Great Events. It sneaks in some really good ecology education!
posted by congen at 7:02 PM on October 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
My stepson is that age and really enjoyed The Amazing Race. He loved seeing them go to all the different countries.
posted by ficbot at 7:14 PM on October 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ficbot at 7:14 PM on October 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
Could always look for things like Full House and Family Matters. Fraggle Rock and the Muppet show are classic as well.
posted by MandaSayGrr at 7:15 PM on October 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by MandaSayGrr at 7:15 PM on October 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
Thirding Steven Universe.
I'm also a huge fan of Fresh Off The Boat. The storylines that deal with eldest son Eddie might not capture their imaginations as much, but there are two younger boys and lots of general family type stories. It's a family sitcom, so no danger or violence or language.
posted by Sara C. at 7:16 PM on October 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
I'm also a huge fan of Fresh Off The Boat. The storylines that deal with eldest son Eddie might not capture their imaginations as much, but there are two younger boys and lots of general family type stories. It's a family sitcom, so no danger or violence or language.
posted by Sara C. at 7:16 PM on October 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
Hey Arnold is an older nicktoon that has surprising depth and subtle character development. It's super watchable for adults but doesn't have much if any violence and although there's the occasional interpersonal drama or worrisome situation, everyone's shown to be multidimensional and mostly a good person.
Bob Ross's Joy of Painting is on hulu, and I can attest that I find it just as arresting at 32 as I did when I was 6.
Bob's Burgers might sometimes fly over their heads but it's usually very kid-friendly (probably want to vet episodes ahead of time, there can be some sexy stuff and some creepy stuff, but ymmv) and the characters all really love and care about each other while maintaining a very high level of silliness.
The sub of Hikaru no Go is on hulu - it's an older anime about a young boy who finds a go board (go, the asian board game with the black and white stone pieces) that is possessed by a ghost, who incidentally was a championship go player before he died. It has a cult following but for good reason - it's incredibly compelling and the characters actually grow and change and learn and it's quite well written. It's in the sport anime genre so it's like, the end of the world every time someone places a piece, and every match is super dramatic, but that's part of the style and it grows on you. Hikaru no Go is intended for kids and in the original, at least (I never watched the dub) there's a live action segment after the credits with a go teacher who teaches the same two kids how to play the game - and they grow up over the seasons of the show and get better!
posted by Mizu at 7:17 PM on October 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
Bob Ross's Joy of Painting is on hulu, and I can attest that I find it just as arresting at 32 as I did when I was 6.
Bob's Burgers might sometimes fly over their heads but it's usually very kid-friendly (probably want to vet episodes ahead of time, there can be some sexy stuff and some creepy stuff, but ymmv) and the characters all really love and care about each other while maintaining a very high level of silliness.
The sub of Hikaru no Go is on hulu - it's an older anime about a young boy who finds a go board (go, the asian board game with the black and white stone pieces) that is possessed by a ghost, who incidentally was a championship go player before he died. It has a cult following but for good reason - it's incredibly compelling and the characters actually grow and change and learn and it's quite well written. It's in the sport anime genre so it's like, the end of the world every time someone places a piece, and every match is super dramatic, but that's part of the style and it grows on you. Hikaru no Go is intended for kids and in the original, at least (I never watched the dub) there's a live action segment after the credits with a go teacher who teaches the same two kids how to play the game - and they grow up over the seasons of the show and get better!
posted by Mizu at 7:17 PM on October 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
My kids love Amazing Race (streaming on Hulu), Random kid becoming challenges, Psych-might be too dark for yours but it's mostly pretty light and hilarious.
posted by purenitrous at 7:19 PM on October 11, 2016
posted by purenitrous at 7:19 PM on October 11, 2016
Have you seen Blackish?
And try the Great Food Truck Race. It's on Netflix. I'm not saying it's great tv, but my kid loved it and she also loves Great British Bake Off, so maybe it will work for you? We also like Master Chef Junior and Good Eats.
And just saying ... My brother and I loved The Golden Girls at that age. It's certainly not violent, but there's a lot of innuendo and cheesecake. We also watched old episodes of the Love Boat a lot. We were tiny senior citizens.
posted by areaperson at 7:21 PM on October 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
And try the Great Food Truck Race. It's on Netflix. I'm not saying it's great tv, but my kid loved it and she also loves Great British Bake Off, so maybe it will work for you? We also like Master Chef Junior and Good Eats.
And just saying ... My brother and I loved The Golden Girls at that age. It's certainly not violent, but there's a lot of innuendo and cheesecake. We also watched old episodes of the Love Boat a lot. We were tiny senior citizens.
posted by areaperson at 7:21 PM on October 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
We found Paddington surprisingly enjoyable.
posted by david1230 at 7:24 PM on October 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by david1230 at 7:24 PM on October 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
You want the website commonsensemedia. It's where I go first to look for a new show if my kid has run out of a favorite series or to check for a new movie from a kid's perspective. They have a include shows that parents would enjoy watching along with the kids. It's a bit US-centric, although staying to include some US content. The BBC has amazing good documentaries - this week started The Victorian Slums where families go live as East End Slum families for several months, and the farming documentaries are great to watch with kids.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 7:31 PM on October 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 7:31 PM on October 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
No mention of Avatar: the Last Airbender? It is kind of fighty, although the lead character Aang tries his best to live a life of compassion, bringing people together instead of fighting when he can. It has an ongoing storyline, great characters (strong female characters, in both senses of the word!), and is based mostly on Asian cultural traditions. It's funny, and smart, and moving, and feminist.
Under no circumstances should you watch the live-action movie The Last Airbender [spits ritually]. Just the Nickelodeon cartoon.
Anyway, the cartoon is awesome: I've watched it through at least twice, and it really holds up.
posted by suelac at 7:32 PM on October 11, 2016 [7 favorites]
Under no circumstances should you watch the live-action movie The Last Airbender [spits ritually]. Just the Nickelodeon cartoon.
Anyway, the cartoon is awesome: I've watched it through at least twice, and it really holds up.
posted by suelac at 7:32 PM on October 11, 2016 [7 favorites]
Steven Universe does seem right up your alley.
The original Batman and Superman: the Animated Serieses would probably be enjoyed, but you'd need to decide for yourself whether the cartoon violence is sufficiently cartoon--it's completely nongraphic, but people do hit each other from time to time. (Both are definitely aimed at a child audience and are very implicitly moral in tone, worlds away from the current Batman/Superman media.) If those are okay, then Teen Titans Go! (a sample of the tone). By the time you get done with those they'll be old enough for the Justice League cartoon.
posted by praemunire at 7:33 PM on October 11, 2016
The original Batman and Superman: the Animated Serieses would probably be enjoyed, but you'd need to decide for yourself whether the cartoon violence is sufficiently cartoon--it's completely nongraphic, but people do hit each other from time to time. (Both are definitely aimed at a child audience and are very implicitly moral in tone, worlds away from the current Batman/Superman media.) If those are okay, then Teen Titans Go! (a sample of the tone). By the time you get done with those they'll be old enough for the Justice League cartoon.
posted by praemunire at 7:33 PM on October 11, 2016
River Cottage
Is a great gentle exploratory cooking show. He goes on little expeditions to see how things are made or where they come from and the food is pretty accessible. Sometimes in the earlier seasons his son helps out too.
posted by jrobin276 at 8:01 PM on October 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
Is a great gentle exploratory cooking show. He goes on little expeditions to see how things are made or where they come from and the food is pretty accessible. Sometimes in the earlier seasons his son helps out too.
posted by jrobin276 at 8:01 PM on October 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
Yes please Steven Universe. It is about the triumph of love and found families over darkness! Some of the monsters are scary but my sensitive 2 year old can tolerate it so your kiddo should be fine.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:11 PM on October 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:11 PM on October 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
My just-turned 8 year old is a big fan of stuff like Cupcake Wars, and the Halloween wars thing that's on now.
posted by gaspode at 8:17 PM on October 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by gaspode at 8:17 PM on October 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
The Muppets original series is a fun family watch for us. The more recent one is too adult for my 4 and 6 year olds.
posted by bq at 9:47 PM on October 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by bq at 9:47 PM on October 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
My 5yo watched all the seasons of Amazing Race earlier this year and enjoyed it.
Lately we've been re-watching Frasier and he likes that. There are a few episodes that focus heavily on dating or sleeping over that we skip.
I'm just waiting now to be so completely fed up with real life politics that I start re-watching The West Wing. I don't believe he'll stick with that one though.
posted by vignettist at 10:10 PM on October 11, 2016
Lately we've been re-watching Frasier and he likes that. There are a few episodes that focus heavily on dating or sleeping over that we skip.
I'm just waiting now to be so completely fed up with real life politics that I start re-watching The West Wing. I don't believe he'll stick with that one though.
posted by vignettist at 10:10 PM on October 11, 2016
Adventure Time is very positive with just the right amount of benign toot jokes.
posted by furtive at 10:22 PM on October 11, 2016
posted by furtive at 10:22 PM on October 11, 2016
I am a grown woman who enjoys the Amazing Race (later seasons are more interesting than earlier seasons, most available on Prime last I checked), which I see above, and Master Chef Junior, which I don't. Your kids would probably like the parts that bore me a little (silly contest to pour syrup all over Gordon Ramsay or whatever) and overall it is charming and fun and full of kids mostly being nice to each other.
posted by charmedimsure at 11:40 PM on October 11, 2016
posted by charmedimsure at 11:40 PM on October 11, 2016
As mentioned above, the Avatar: The Last Airbender series (available for streaming via Amazon Prime). It's a favorite of mine too, but I suggest it with some reservations. I haven't seen Supergirl so I can't compare the levels of violence but yeah, although ATLA ran on Nicktoons and was geared for kids (apparently for ages 6 to 11; the protagonists are around 12 to 15 at the start of the story), there are some pretty dark themes that are front and center sometimes. So if at all possible I'd watch beforehand (each episode is about 20-23 minutes). If that's not practical, then I'd strongly recommend watching the season finales (usually in two parts), which should give you a good sense of the level of violence/action. Particularly for seasons 2 and 3.
There are a lot of fun and lighthearted moments (plenty of silliness, mostly from the main character Aang who's the youngest), and it can get pretty serious too. The overall series is basically about a team of kids on a quest to save the world from an evil overlord and his military forces. There's also a major parallel conflict that involves the overlord's own kids, namely his teenage son and daughter battling it out.
Season 1 has some excellent episodes, but season 2 is when things really start to pick up IMO (that's also when a few more female characters are added, although I wish there'd been more Bechtel-passing happening overall).
Because of the premise, there some scary moments, and there's violence (mostly superpower violence -- the powers here are called "bending" which can be used for attacks or defense). This isn't a comprehensive list at all, but some examples offhand:
- There's an entire episode about sword-training and sword-forging ("Sokka's Master" in season 3).
- There's death; e.g. some of the kids deal with the loss of a parent, and one of the adult characters deals with his son's death (but these particular deaths are explained or hinted at in flashback or monologue -- pretty sure the actual deaths aren't shown on the screen). Aang deals with the fact that everyone he used to know is dead (he was frozen in ice for a hundred years!), including his mentors (and there is an episode where he sees the actual skeleton of his mentor, which is definitely one of the creepiest moments of the series for me).
- Speaking of creepy, I think one of the darkest and creepiest episodes (and with some violence that I'd also categorize as torture -- not kidding) is called "The Puppetmaster" from season 3. I think if I'd seen it as a child it would have given me nightmares. So probably skip that one to show the kids! But it's enough of an outlier that I'll say this episode is definitely **not** a good representative of what the entire series is like.
- There's also a plot line in season 2 with a beloved animal companion that probably would have upset me personally as a small kid (but it eventually resolves with a happy ending, in one of my favorite episodes).
Btw, the sequel series in this world is The Legend of Korra which I personally love too. It has a new generation of awesome characters (main characters here are older; more like late teens/early 20s), and the music and animation are especially impressive (it was made years later by the same co-creators) -- **however**, the setting and tone is very different and I'd say it's too dark for what you're looking for right now...so probably save it for a few years down the line when the kids are older.
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 12:48 AM on October 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
There are a lot of fun and lighthearted moments (plenty of silliness, mostly from the main character Aang who's the youngest), and it can get pretty serious too. The overall series is basically about a team of kids on a quest to save the world from an evil overlord and his military forces. There's also a major parallel conflict that involves the overlord's own kids, namely his teenage son and daughter battling it out.
Season 1 has some excellent episodes, but season 2 is when things really start to pick up IMO (that's also when a few more female characters are added, although I wish there'd been more Bechtel-passing happening overall).
Because of the premise, there some scary moments, and there's violence (mostly superpower violence -- the powers here are called "bending" which can be used for attacks or defense). This isn't a comprehensive list at all, but some examples offhand:
- There's an entire episode about sword-training and sword-forging ("Sokka's Master" in season 3).
- There's death; e.g. some of the kids deal with the loss of a parent, and one of the adult characters deals with his son's death (but these particular deaths are explained or hinted at in flashback or monologue -- pretty sure the actual deaths aren't shown on the screen). Aang deals with the fact that everyone he used to know is dead (he was frozen in ice for a hundred years!), including his mentors (and there is an episode where he sees the actual skeleton of his mentor, which is definitely one of the creepiest moments of the series for me).
- Speaking of creepy, I think one of the darkest and creepiest episodes (and with some violence that I'd also categorize as torture -- not kidding) is called "The Puppetmaster" from season 3. I think if I'd seen it as a child it would have given me nightmares. So probably skip that one to show the kids! But it's enough of an outlier that I'll say this episode is definitely **not** a good representative of what the entire series is like.
- There's also a plot line in season 2 with a beloved animal companion that probably would have upset me personally as a small kid (but it eventually resolves with a happy ending, in one of my favorite episodes).
Btw, the sequel series in this world is The Legend of Korra which I personally love too. It has a new generation of awesome characters (main characters here are older; more like late teens/early 20s), and the music and animation are especially impressive (it was made years later by the same co-creators) -- **however**, the setting and tone is very different and I'd say it's too dark for what you're looking for right now...so probably save it for a few years down the line when the kids are older.
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 12:48 AM on October 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
Oops, at the risk of spoiling too much, I should clarify my above sentence "Aang deals with the fact that everyone he used to know is dead" by saying that there's a nice plot development to this eventually, so things are not totally bleak. But yeah I wasn't kidding about the skeleton.
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 1:09 AM on October 12, 2016
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 1:09 AM on October 12, 2016
we watch a lot of Animal Planet together, our son is 7 soon to be 8. Not sure for 5 year old but he definitely watches it with us since over a year. As we watch here in Austria, I don't know what shows are currently on Animal Planet where you live. It is something at any rate that our son and both my husband and I enjoy.
favourites ofour son are:
Treehouse Masters
Pool Master
Must Love Cats
He also likes My cat from hell but I would not really recommend it for a 5 year old. I am not even sure I am happy my son watches it as the picture one gets is that cats are absolutely dangerous (which is crap, had many cats myself).
Also Dogs 101 and Cats 101 are kind of cute, but I find it boring tbh.
what is also fun is Tanked but language is sometimes a bit dodgy and they bicker the whole time and pranks are alwayws a part of the show. So it may not be best for kids who like to act out what they see.
Animal Planets also has lots of shows absolutely and totally unsuitable for children (Monsters inside me, etc) so I really monitor closely and don't just let him choose.
We also watch Myth Busters together, but if you prefer not too violent you will really have to choose, as some shows feature guns, and almost all of them explosions. There are also a few with gender (?) topics treated in a really offputting way (eg size of breasts, driving skills men vs woman, flirting) so I let him watch some but not others. His favourite one is the duct tape Canyon one Adam and Jamie use duct tape and bubble wrap to survive in the desert and float down grand canyon in duct tape boats/rafts. Must have seen it 30 times.
We also watch a lot of home improvement shows, redecorating shows, and cooking shows.
Our son also really enjoys quiz shows - the kind where the question is on screen and 3 or 4 options to choose from and loves to be quicker than the contestants to pick th right answer ( eg. Who wants to be a Millionaire). These are our Saturday night go to, only problem can be that they run past his bed time.
posted by 15L06 at 3:43 AM on October 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
favourites ofour son are:
Treehouse Masters
Pool Master
Must Love Cats
He also likes My cat from hell but I would not really recommend it for a 5 year old. I am not even sure I am happy my son watches it as the picture one gets is that cats are absolutely dangerous (which is crap, had many cats myself).
Also Dogs 101 and Cats 101 are kind of cute, but I find it boring tbh.
what is also fun is Tanked but language is sometimes a bit dodgy and they bicker the whole time and pranks are alwayws a part of the show. So it may not be best for kids who like to act out what they see.
Animal Planets also has lots of shows absolutely and totally unsuitable for children (Monsters inside me, etc) so I really monitor closely and don't just let him choose.
We also watch Myth Busters together, but if you prefer not too violent you will really have to choose, as some shows feature guns, and almost all of them explosions. There are also a few with gender (?) topics treated in a really offputting way (eg size of breasts, driving skills men vs woman, flirting) so I let him watch some but not others. His favourite one is the duct tape Canyon one Adam and Jamie use duct tape and bubble wrap to survive in the desert and float down grand canyon in duct tape boats/rafts. Must have seen it 30 times.
We also watch a lot of home improvement shows, redecorating shows, and cooking shows.
Our son also really enjoys quiz shows - the kind where the question is on screen and 3 or 4 options to choose from and loves to be quicker than the contestants to pick th right answer ( eg. Who wants to be a Millionaire). These are our Saturday night go to, only problem can be that they run past his bed time.
posted by 15L06 at 3:43 AM on October 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
How are game shows?
My two kids are similar in age and loved catching reruns of "Press Your Luck." They'd imitate the whammies. And now they understand our really dated pop culture reference of, "Come on, come on, no whammies!"
I will also say that "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" is a lot of fun. Both the British and US versions are excellent. And what could be better than a bunch of magicians performing different kinds of tricks?
posted by zizzle at 3:49 AM on October 12, 2016
My two kids are similar in age and loved catching reruns of "Press Your Luck." They'd imitate the whammies. And now they understand our really dated pop culture reference of, "Come on, come on, no whammies!"
I will also say that "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" is a lot of fun. Both the British and US versions are excellent. And what could be better than a bunch of magicians performing different kinds of tricks?
posted by zizzle at 3:49 AM on October 12, 2016
I have a kid a little bit older than your two and Bob's Burgers and Adventure Time are too adult for him. AT is super cute, but there are more adult concepts there than one might think.
Gene on Bob's Burgers says things I would not want my kid repeating. He's all id, that Gene.
We watch Nature, Nova, How It's Made - my kid doesn't like shows where animals eat each other (nor do I) so I make sure to skip those.
posted by 41swans at 4:35 AM on October 12, 2016
Gene on Bob's Burgers says things I would not want my kid repeating. He's all id, that Gene.
We watch Nature, Nova, How It's Made - my kid doesn't like shows where animals eat each other (nor do I) so I make sure to skip those.
posted by 41swans at 4:35 AM on October 12, 2016
2nd 'Road to Avonlea.' We liked it so much (after first watching all the Anne of Green Gables stuff), we then went on to watch Emily of New Moon (more LM Montgomery), and then Wind at My Back (more from the same studio, which loves to churn out family-friendly fare. At family-unfriendly prices for the DVDs; we half torrented and half went to the library for it).
They're all pretty soap opera-ish, enough to keep everybody hooked, and quite squeaky clean.
The DVD box for 'Road to Avonlea' boasts something like OVER 95 HOURS OF FAMILY VIEWING! They certainly know (1) what is in somewhat short supply in the market, (2) the selling point for parents. I was hooked enough 'Road' and 'Wind' that I am still trying to track down some other twee Sullivan Entertainment stuff like Butterbox Babies, and other Canadiana like Pit Pony.
(Northbysomewhatcrazy is on point; Canadians might not dazzle with TV/movies in general but we usually do a pretty good job with 'family viewing'... Corner Gas might even amuse in a couple of years.)
posted by kmennie at 4:35 AM on October 12, 2016 [6 favorites]
They're all pretty soap opera-ish, enough to keep everybody hooked, and quite squeaky clean.
The DVD box for 'Road to Avonlea' boasts something like OVER 95 HOURS OF FAMILY VIEWING! They certainly know (1) what is in somewhat short supply in the market, (2) the selling point for parents. I was hooked enough 'Road' and 'Wind' that I am still trying to track down some other twee Sullivan Entertainment stuff like Butterbox Babies, and other Canadiana like Pit Pony.
(Northbysomewhatcrazy is on point; Canadians might not dazzle with TV/movies in general but we usually do a pretty good job with 'family viewing'... Corner Gas might even amuse in a couple of years.)
posted by kmennie at 4:35 AM on October 12, 2016 [6 favorites]
When I was a kid, my little brother and I watched a lot of Emergency reruns. There are emergencies, and sometimes Johnny Gage is a womanizer, but there is also rescue equipment!
They might also be old enough to enjoy Wishbone!
posted by ChuraChura at 5:26 AM on October 12, 2016
They might also be old enough to enjoy Wishbone!
posted by ChuraChura at 5:26 AM on October 12, 2016
My brother and I grew up with The Simpsons. We always ate dinner as a family and always had the TV on at dinner, and that meant we always watched the Simpsons together. Especially in the early seasons it was really solid. Cartoon or no, it was the first family on TV and the only one for a while that reflected the family I had: a deeply flawed group of people who might be at each other's throats constantly but, ultimately, love each other. (The family shock therapy episode is was an important TV moment for us.)
It's likely got more violence and eat my shortsing than you're ready for going by your description here, but if you haven't seen the first few seasons in a while, it's worth consideration.
posted by phunniemee at 6:11 AM on October 12, 2016
It's likely got more violence and eat my shortsing than you're ready for going by your description here, but if you haven't seen the first few seasons in a while, it's worth consideration.
posted by phunniemee at 6:11 AM on October 12, 2016
My kids and I think The Fantastic Mr. Fox is a great movie for the whole family.
posted by trbrts at 7:05 AM on October 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by trbrts at 7:05 AM on October 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
Corner Gas, as mentioned above, is EXCELLENT. The cranky old man calls everyone a "jackass", but that's the extent of swearing. The only violence is in the movie beginning where they (spoiler) pretend they're an action movie.
Doc Martin, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Scrubs (although it has a lot of sexual plots), Psych (they are detectives, and sometimes it is murder they investigate, but nothing viscerally violent, mostly upbeat snark), Chopped (not as good as GBBO), Star Trek:TNG, The Mighty Ducks movies... American Ninja Warrior!
I've been meaning to revisit old series like the original Batman TV show, Wonder Woman, The Monkees, The Brady Bunch... I'm not sure how well they hold up, though.
Kids-In-Mind does a good rating system for movies that lists out violence, language, and sex in easy-to-use numbers, but not TV shows.
posted by jillithd at 7:19 AM on October 12, 2016
Doc Martin, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Scrubs (although it has a lot of sexual plots), Psych (they are detectives, and sometimes it is murder they investigate, but nothing viscerally violent, mostly upbeat snark), Chopped (not as good as GBBO), Star Trek:TNG, The Mighty Ducks movies... American Ninja Warrior!
I've been meaning to revisit old series like the original Batman TV show, Wonder Woman, The Monkees, The Brady Bunch... I'm not sure how well they hold up, though.
Kids-In-Mind does a good rating system for movies that lists out violence, language, and sex in easy-to-use numbers, but not TV shows.
posted by jillithd at 7:19 AM on October 12, 2016
Gravity Falls?
posted by fiercecupcake at 7:25 AM on October 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by fiercecupcake at 7:25 AM on October 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
Have you watched any cooking shows with kid contestants? Masterchef junior is a lot of fun, and has all the elements you're looking for (bonus points for fun kid humor, like the winning team gets to drench the judges in frosting!). Chopped also has a kid version.
posted by R a c h e l at 7:26 AM on October 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by R a c h e l at 7:26 AM on October 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
Fixer Upper has been a surprising hit with my 7 year old boy. We've also really enjoyed Gortimer Gibbons available on Prime.
posted by goggie at 10:25 AM on October 12, 2016
posted by goggie at 10:25 AM on October 12, 2016
I wouldn't worry about the adult concepts in Adventure Time. You'll be laughing at different things at the same time. That was the first show my son and I could watch together and always both enjoy. He was 5 and he did pick up on some of the heavier satire that I thought was over his head. He'd have a WTF question in the bath days later that could only have come from intense cogitation about something in the show that seemed mysterious to him and I'd take a deep breath, towel him off, and do my best to remember how mysterious the whole world was when I was 5 before I'd answer.
Then Sandy Hook happened the next year. He heard the older kids. Saw the tension. He figured out what the drills were really for. Noticed the locked doors and other security changes. Bathtime: "Bricks will stop bullets, right Dad?" I was sitting on the closed toilet trying to finish a book and that wasn't going to happen now. Oh sweetie, you don't have to worry about bad men coming to your school nothing bad is ever going to happen it's ok it's not loaded I'm a good driver don't worry honey is what I'm thinking but that's not what he wants and he already knows and if I want his absolute trust... fuck it, what comes out is: "Usually, but you got to worry about the glass from all the windows above the bricks breaking and not let it get in your eyes. Close them and brush them off when the glass stops falling before you open them again. You won't even feel the cuts on your elbows and knees as you crawl through it until later but you need your eyes. What are they telling you to do at school?" It was a sound plan for a building never meant to withstand attack and I told him so. Delay, retreat, sacrifice staff, lose a few kids, delay until SWAT arrives and stay out of their way. Don't run towards them until they tell you to.
By now my mom is sitting on the counter by the sink swinging her feet and we talked about the Great Depression, eating the last chicken, the Studebaker truck, the dustbowl, hearing about Pearl Harbor on the short wave, landlocked uncles signing up for the Marine Corps, atomic drills of the fifties, the tornado drills of my midwestern childhood, eating fresh bread and honey on the roof after MLK was shot and the city burned around us cause it wasn't like we could go anywhere, the air raid siren on top of my high school that went off once a month and deafened my Earth Science class, etcetera. Boy is sitting up in the tub with his head covered in bubbles and his mouth open as we reel off the list of fears from the bubonic plague to global warming. I'm watching every little muscle in his face, his right eye squinting at phrases has turned out to be the key to knowing what he's going to ask about later.
Gotta give him a frame to hang his wet thoughts on to dry.
I'd seen an episode or two of Fringe. All seasons were available. It's as WTF and improbable as real life and no school for a week was bingo. It's midnight. Boy's head is full. He's not going to sleep anytime soon. Grandma is making crepes cause she senses this night is important. Let's go. So we went there.
Boy immediately understood Walter and two episodes in he explained him to us old folks who thought he was nuts. I'd kind of thought he'd be with the more rational characters but I've sleep-over tested this since and little kids like Walter because he's drawing conclusions from all the information he has and twining it with his subconscious into the kind of rope that most kids feel like they are walking. So I twine fact and fiction so boy has somewhere to bounce when he wants to ask something and doesn't really have the question yet. There seems to be nothing under the bed but Grendel, chilly fire, is. This is safe, that is safe but what if I put my foot there? Must put foot there. Maybe ask dad first.
A show is just a show, but that was one power-packed mindful week of great discussions with a 1rst-grader while shoveling shit out of the barn. When the kid pauses on his shovel and states something that has the previous two generations of adults scrabbling to remember the precepts of why they believe what they believe, you are doing it right. Kids know they are going to get older. The evidence is everywhere and they wonder about that. They really do.
Get some media lined up for the talks you predict. Get good at predicting the talks. Go through your media list and find something that kinda correlates to that discussion you just had.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 12:40 PM on October 12, 2016 [3 favorites]
Then Sandy Hook happened the next year. He heard the older kids. Saw the tension. He figured out what the drills were really for. Noticed the locked doors and other security changes. Bathtime: "Bricks will stop bullets, right Dad?" I was sitting on the closed toilet trying to finish a book and that wasn't going to happen now. Oh sweetie, you don't have to worry about bad men coming to your school nothing bad is ever going to happen it's ok it's not loaded I'm a good driver don't worry honey is what I'm thinking but that's not what he wants and he already knows and if I want his absolute trust... fuck it, what comes out is: "Usually, but you got to worry about the glass from all the windows above the bricks breaking and not let it get in your eyes. Close them and brush them off when the glass stops falling before you open them again. You won't even feel the cuts on your elbows and knees as you crawl through it until later but you need your eyes. What are they telling you to do at school?" It was a sound plan for a building never meant to withstand attack and I told him so. Delay, retreat, sacrifice staff, lose a few kids, delay until SWAT arrives and stay out of their way. Don't run towards them until they tell you to.
By now my mom is sitting on the counter by the sink swinging her feet and we talked about the Great Depression, eating the last chicken, the Studebaker truck, the dustbowl, hearing about Pearl Harbor on the short wave, landlocked uncles signing up for the Marine Corps, atomic drills of the fifties, the tornado drills of my midwestern childhood, eating fresh bread and honey on the roof after MLK was shot and the city burned around us cause it wasn't like we could go anywhere, the air raid siren on top of my high school that went off once a month and deafened my Earth Science class, etcetera. Boy is sitting up in the tub with his head covered in bubbles and his mouth open as we reel off the list of fears from the bubonic plague to global warming. I'm watching every little muscle in his face, his right eye squinting at phrases has turned out to be the key to knowing what he's going to ask about later.
Gotta give him a frame to hang his wet thoughts on to dry.
I'd seen an episode or two of Fringe. All seasons were available. It's as WTF and improbable as real life and no school for a week was bingo. It's midnight. Boy's head is full. He's not going to sleep anytime soon. Grandma is making crepes cause she senses this night is important. Let's go. So we went there.
Boy immediately understood Walter and two episodes in he explained him to us old folks who thought he was nuts. I'd kind of thought he'd be with the more rational characters but I've sleep-over tested this since and little kids like Walter because he's drawing conclusions from all the information he has and twining it with his subconscious into the kind of rope that most kids feel like they are walking. So I twine fact and fiction so boy has somewhere to bounce when he wants to ask something and doesn't really have the question yet. There seems to be nothing under the bed but Grendel, chilly fire, is. This is safe, that is safe but what if I put my foot there? Must put foot there. Maybe ask dad first.
A show is just a show, but that was one power-packed mindful week of great discussions with a 1rst-grader while shoveling shit out of the barn. When the kid pauses on his shovel and states something that has the previous two generations of adults scrabbling to remember the precepts of why they believe what they believe, you are doing it right. Kids know they are going to get older. The evidence is everywhere and they wonder about that. They really do.
Get some media lined up for the talks you predict. Get good at predicting the talks. Go through your media list and find something that kinda correlates to that discussion you just had.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 12:40 PM on October 12, 2016 [3 favorites]
Have you tried Shaun the Sheep? Available on Amazon Prime streaming, laughs for everyone.
posted by msbubbaclees at 9:41 AM on October 13, 2016
posted by msbubbaclees at 9:41 AM on October 13, 2016
We've gone through several recent phases: animal shows (Dog Whisperer, Cat From Hell, Too Cute); game shows (Idiot Test holds up really well, as well as Pyramid, although Family Feud is almost too blue for kids these days); and cooking shows (lots of Chopped and Guys Grocery Games). My daughter is 8 and didn't really watch TV until 5, and further wants to avoid most conflict and scary stuff, which strangely eliminates most children's programming. Game shows came via a grandmother, but all three of these phases have worked pretty well for the whole family...
Probably Nikelodian would serve you well -- shows like Andy Griffeth or Gilligan's Island are pretty tame, aside from some gender stupidity, inspiring some chat worth having anyway.
posted by acm at 10:12 AM on October 13, 2016
Probably Nikelodian would serve you well -- shows like Andy Griffeth or Gilligan's Island are pretty tame, aside from some gender stupidity, inspiring some chat worth having anyway.
posted by acm at 10:12 AM on October 13, 2016
Also the Tree House building show on Animal Planet (?) is great fun.
posted by acm at 10:12 AM on October 13, 2016
posted by acm at 10:12 AM on October 13, 2016
If you'll accept movie answers as well as series: Mr Stink
posted by flabdablet at 5:23 AM on October 14, 2016
posted by flabdablet at 5:23 AM on October 14, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:07 PM on October 11, 2016