There comes a point in a household where the tinny sound of guffawing YouTubers leaking from a child’s headphones can be tolerated no more. A point when, after the possibilities of trees, nature, and industrial estate soft plays have been exhausted, it’s time for them, and you, to watch some proper kids’ television.

Arthur

You’ve seen the memes now watch the show. Based on a book series from Marc Brown, Arthur follows the travails of 8-year-old aardvark Arthur Read and his crew of similarly anthropomorphic friends in Elwood City.

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Bobby’s World

There are few things more expansive than the imagination of a child. Bobby’s World is an animated series from the early ’90s that takes us directly into that imagination.

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Caillou

A lot of the children’s’ shows on this list can be enjoyed by both adults and children alike. Caillou, however, seems to have a pull on kids that parents just don’t understand.

Caillou doesn’t live in a world of anthropomorphic animals or games. He’s merely a four-year-old kid, fascinated by the world around him. The Canadian series that bears his name, however, shows off the kid’s expansive imagination, making for a worthwhile kids’ show viewing experience.

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Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood

For those still recovering after the tear-filled emotional massacre that was Mister Rogers documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood offers a much-needed reprieve.

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The spirit of Fred Rogers lives on in his friend, Daniel Tiger. Once a puppet in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, Daniel is now animated and has a new neighborhood of his own. In addition to traumatized adults, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is excellent for the pre-school crowd.

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Dora the Explorer

Swiper, no swiping! Many children’s shows are educational. Dora the Explorer is one of the very few that seeks to teach children a second language. 

Read more

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Horrible Histories

One of the greatest children’s television programmes of all-time, Horrible Histories is a work of comic brilliance. The TV show added songs and parodies to the premise of Terry Deary’s popular UK history book series, performed by a comedy cast well on its way to national treasure status.

The first four of the five series featuring the original cast (Jim Howick, Mathew Bayton, Martha Howe-Douglas, Simon Farnaby, Laurence Rickard) are available to stream, which is where a lot of the best stuff resides. Here’s a rundown of some of its greatest songs.

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What happens if you give a mouse a cookie? The consequences are beyond what you could ever conceive. OK, not really. You might just get a buddy. 

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is based on the children’s book of the same name. Instead of being a cautionary tale about the being taken advantage of by greedy rodents, the TV version is a charming adventure story feature mouse, boy, and a host of other animals.

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Lost in Oz

Whether The Wizard of Oz is a kids’ movie is up for debate. Sure, it’s rated G and features a whimsical, colorful world of merriment. But it also looks like a haunted, fevered nightmare and begins with homicide via falling house. Lost in Oz, however, is absolutely a kids’ show.

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Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood is legendary. Story goes that back in the ’60s, Pittsburgh-based minister Fred Rogers saw a vacuum for children’s enrichment in the burgeoning medium of television. So he went ahead and made a show.

Every episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood begins with the eponymous Rogers coming home, whistling a welcome tune and exchanging his blazer for a sweater. Then he invites the viewer to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood is almost unbearably slow-moving by modern standards but that’s a part of its charm. It’s a patient, perfect show for pre-schoolers.

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Moomins

This one has Moomins fans in a bind. It’s a HD-remastered version of the original seventies-eighties stop-motion series, which means it looks spick, span and bright as a button. It doesn’t however, have the original UK narration by Richard Murdoch.

Instead it has a US voice cast (who pronounce ‘Thingumy’ with a hard ‘g’ in the middle, not that I’m pedantic) and a different script. Anyway, you can decide whether it’s for you. There are eighteen episodes available to stream, running to under ten minutes each.

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Ronja The Robber’s Daughter

Astrid Lindgren’s 1981 Swedish book about a girl growing up in a clan of woodland robbers was adapted into this animated series by Studio Ghibli in 2016. It marked the Japanese animation greats’ first television show, and was praised on release for its characteristically beautiful Ghibli style.

The English dub, narrated by Gillian Anderson, wasn’t quite as big a hit with fans of the studio, but if skilful artwork is your thing, then there’s plenty to admire here.

Watch Ronja The Robber’s Daughter

Sesame Street

Here’s another all-time classic. If children’s TV shows are good enough and consistent enough, they can last virtually forever. Enter Sesame Street. 

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Shaun the Sheep

More great work from Aardman Studios in the A Close Shave spin-off stop-motion series that paved the way for the terrific 2015 Shaun the Sheep feature film. Featuring the baas of Mr Tumble’s Justin Fletcher as Shaun, and Vic Reeves on the theme song, these twenty-minute adventures are great fun.

Meet Bitzer the dog, the Farmer, the mischievous pigs, the terrifying bull, and Shaun’s whole gang on the farm. For even younger kids too, plenty of episodes of the ten-minute spinoff-spinoff Timmy Time, featuring Shaun the Sheep’s youngest ovine, are also available to stream.

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Spongebob Squarepants

It’s the Sponge. You love the Sponge. Spongebob Squarepants is one of Nickelodeon’s best ever Nicktoons and most reliable performers. 

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Thunderbirds Are Go

When the first image of the Tracy brothers emerged from this 2015 Thunderbirds revival, the reception from fans of the original wasn’t altogether positive.

When the full series arrived though, many admitted that the new version captured something of the adventure and fun of Gerry Anderson’s beloved supermarionation 1960s series. The first two series of this CGI revival are available to stream.

Thunderbirds Are Go

Tumble Leaf

Fig is an anthropomorphic blue fox who just wants to play. Thankfully he has friends like Stick (a caterpillar). Together Fig and Stick explore the world around them and in the process comes across some new, exciting items to learn about.

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Wolfblood

This CBBC show is a fresh twist on the werewolf mythology, which weaves in Celtic legend and supernatural powers around honest, powerful storytelling about the difficulties and joys of teenage life. With strong writing, a great cast and a cohesive world, Wolfblood is up there with the best of them.

It expanded its world nicely across its run, even flourishing after a shift in location and leads. The first four of five series are currently available to stream.

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Zoboomafoo

Zoboomafoo deserves some kind of award for lemur awareness. Zoboomafoo was created by the Kratt brothers, Chris and Martin, and starred them as well. But the real star as we all know was a talking Coquerel’s sifaka (a kind of lemur) named Zoboomafoo.

Together Chris, Martin, and Zoboomafoo learned all about the animal kingdom and passed those lessons along to viewers. Despite being nearly 20 years old now, Zoboomafoo remains a fun, educational experience for all ages. 

Watch Zoboomafoo