25 Great shows for kids: Sweet and uplifting

So parents can encourage social behavior and imaginative play by choosing shows that model them in a positive way. Sounds good to me!

Some families may choose to forego screen time completely, and there's a lot of wisdom to that. But it's not the right choice for every family or every season of life.

As my kids have been getting more screen time lately, I decided to do a deep dive into the research on screen time and find out which shows are the most wholesome for young kids. 

My first goal was to avoid shows with any kind of mean or rude behavior (unfortunately all too common!) since I know my kids will imitate it. I also wanted to find shows that are fairly calm, realistic, and not annoying to watch.

I found a very cool resource called Raise Wildflowers, where Jerrica Sannes, an expert in child development and early childhood education, reviews and scores kids’ shows using a detailed rubric. She writes,

Modeling kindness and friendship? Sign me up! These are the best shows that Sannes awarded an “A” score:

I like this list as a starting point, but I knew there had to be other shows out there that model positive behavior. I’d seen some of them myself and shared them with my kids. 

So I turned to my most trusted resource, my mom friends! I asked them to give it to me straight: Which kids’ shows are genuinely not annoying to watch, and don’t include rude or unkind behavior from the characters?

Here’s the list I compiled! Hopefully these suggestions will help you find the right show for your kids. (And if you’re not sure where to start, my personal favorites are Mister Rogers and Puffin Rock.)

If you want Catholic shows in particular, you have to check out these 6 sweet TV shows for Catholic kids. They are so much fun! These shows include Benjamin Cello, Marcam, Juice Box, Brother Francis, and others.

Hopefully this list makes it possible for you to make dinner in peace, work out, wash your hair, or even take a nap. Dream big!