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TV shows can be a great place to turn to find ways of making this time quarantined at home educational and entertaining for young viewers
With schools around the world closed down due to the coronavirus pandemic, many families are searching for ways to help continue their kids' educations and also keep them entertained during this period of social distancing. TV shows can be a great place to turn to find ways of making this time quarantined at home valuable, with series for babies, toddlers, Pre-K, kindergarten, and older kids geared toward teaching lessons on science, geography, math, and more.
There are live-action shows like Odd Squad that are equally enjoyable for parents as they are kids, timeless classics like Sesame Street, inventive ways to answer real kids' questions like in Ask the StoryBots, and so many other great series that are available to stream. Read on to see some of the best educational kids shows available to watch right now.
This timeless cartoon takes your kiddos on adventures that develop their minds by exploring the world through problem-solving journeys around the world. Along the way, they'll travel with the Little Einstein team of friends, seeing, hearing, and learning all about the greatest artists, composers, and geographic landmarks of our time. It's entertaining and the perfect mellow pace for young kids. -Jessie Cowan
Watch it on: Disney+
Even though Reading Rainbow hasn't produced new episodes since 2006, this LeVar Burton-hosted series is timeless. Each episode focuses on a topic from a different book, which gets explored through various segments and stories. It's the perfect show to foster a deep love of reading, and it was even relaunched in 2012 as an app, which makes for a great companion experience for any young fan. -Sadie Gennis
Watch it on: Amazon,YouTube
Battendown the hatches and dive down deep to learn about the wonders of our ocean with The Octonauts. This quirky ocean explorer team works together, using each of their talents to help animals that have gotten themselves into tricky situations. The witty crew uses their engineering, medical, and creative leadership skills to save creatures and tie in cool marine biology facts into each episode. -Jessie Cowan
Watch it on: Netflix
This peppy animated series from the Jim Henson Company centers on a very curious preschooler who tries to find the answers to some of life's most pressing questions, like why he has to sneeze and what dirt is made of. Thanks to Sid's spritely personality, even the deepest dives into biology, geology, and more are always exciting. -Amanda Bell
Watch it on: Amazon, PBS Kids, Netflix
Look out world, it's Doc McStuffins! This show is about a confident little girl whose stuffed animals come to life and need her help, so she steps into the role of "toy doctor" and helps them whenever they get am ouchie, boo-boo, or any other ailment that toys run into. Doc navigates all sorts of situations with her little brother, friends, and family close by as support. This show is a great tool for learning about emotions, exploring the wonders of imagination, optimism, and confidence building. -Jessie Cowan
Watch it on: Disney+, Hulu
Set in the year 2051, young intrepid space traveler Miles Callisto and his family explore the galaxy in a computer-animated educational program designed to pique a child's interest in science and space. While Miles from Tomorrowland isn't designed to keep adults entertained, kids will love the cool gadgets and the family's pet robo-ostrich.
Watch it on: Disney+
Toy Story 4's slapdash crafted scene-stealer Forky, voiced by Tony Hale, lets his curiosity run free in this series of Pixar shorts that are just a few minutes long each. Like the movie franchise itself, Forky Asks a Question is fun for kids and kids at heart as Forky learns about a new subject with the help of a different classic Toy Story character in every episode.
Watch it on: Disney+
The host of Blue's Clues may have changed over the years, but our clue-sniffing furry friend has remained the same since this show first launched in the late '90s. The part animated, part live-action series invites its young audience members to help Blue and her human pal solve mini-mysteries, which involve a revolving cast of supporting characters, such as a talking mailbox, a shovel and pail, and a whole family of spices that live in the kitchen. Not only is the show inventive and visually stimulating, but it also makes good use of the fourth wall to help kids feel like they're part of the story, too. -Amanda Bell
Watch it on: Amazon with Noggin, Nick Jr.
Even the littlest tykes can learn something during their time at home with this animated series which combines music and colors to create a soothing visual world for babies and toddlers alike. -Amanda Bell
Watch it on: Amazon Prime
Six adorable mer-babies in the underwater town of Bubbletucky go to preschool, where their teacher, Mr. Grouper, shares lessons about colors, seasons, pets, dinosaurs, music, holidays, and more. Be prepared for lots of singing. -Noelene Clark
Watch it on: Amazon Prime (Seasons 1-3 included, later seasons paid), Fubo, Sling
Mila has what every child dreams of: a magical pet who can morph into anything. This imaginative and fun-loving animated offering is perfect for 2-4-year-olds and follows Mila and Morphle as they set out on adventures, help those in need, and have a ton of giggles along the way. If your little one starts perfectly pronouncing words like "witch," "crocodile," and "vampire," you can thank Mila and Morphle for that. -Mekeisha Madden Toby
Watch it on: Netflix, YouTube
OK, OK, so your generation was also obsessed with Elmo, and for good reason. The long-lasting PBS-to-HBO series is addictive and informative for even the youngest kids. Thanks to regular letter- and number-of-the-day segments, those pivotal lessons at Hooper's store, and more, the show makes good on its promise to make kids "stronger, kinder, smarter on Sesame Street." -Amanda Bell
Watch it on: Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO, PBS Kids
Ask the StoryBots is Bill Nye for the pre-school and elementary set. Cute robots launch investigations to find the answers to real kids' questions, like "How do computers work?" and "Where do planets come from?" Each episode contains celebrity cameos in funny sketches, catchy (and parent-friendly) songs, and easy-to-understand lessons about science, nature, and health. Season 2 includes the episode "How Do People Catch a Cold?" which features a fantastic explanation of viruses, how our immune systems work, and what we can do to stay healthy. -Noelene Clark
Watch it on: Netflix
Need some arts-and-crafts inspiration to combat your kids' cabin fever? Arty, his floating sidekick Epiphany, and his alien friends and family solve problems using art, visiting different art-themed planets along the way. The show includes step-by-step tutorials for preschoolers and elementary students to complete art projects at home. -Noelene Clark
Watch it on: Amazon Prime
This grrr-iffic animated spin-off of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood centers on the title tiger who learns to control his roars during very difficult situations and shares his experiences with the fourth wall, aka your pint-sized viewers at home. With earworm songs and a lot of heart, this show may be the ticket to helping your toddlers and preschoolers keep calm and content during these trying times. For those that want to revisit the American treasure that is the original series, head to PBS Kids. -Amanda Bell
Watch it on: Amazon Prime, PBS Kids
Naoko (voiced by actress Naoko Matsui) seems like a typical tween. She loves poetry, hanging out with her friends and has a crush on an older boy who sells croquettes at the local market. But when she gets mad, watch out because she turns into a fire-breathing green dinosaur. Sort of like the tween girl version of the Incredible Hulk. Dino Girl Gauko is a strange but entertaining glimpse at Japanese culture and animated kaiju for kids of all ages, even those as young as three! -Mekeisha Madden Toby
Watch it on: Netflix
Keep your kids' math skills honed with this adorable cartoon about a young girl and her pet cat who encounter challenges that require arithmetic and problem-solving. Plus, Peg plays a ukelele and the theme song is a straight jam. -Tim Surette
Watch it on: PBS Kids, Amazon Prime
If you want to sneak some math into your preschoolers' entertainment, look no further than Milli, Geo, and Bot! This Nick Jr. series invites kids to play along as its trio of tiny wanderers explore patterns and problem-solving situations throughout Umi City. -Amanda Bell
Watch it on: Amazon Prime, Nick Jr.
Follow the adventures of the oh-so-silly Archibald. When things are getting a little too serious and you need to loosen up with a laugh, nothing is better then following the ridiculous situations Archibald gets himself into and out of. -Jessie Cowan
Watch it on: Netflix
This series is fun and educational for both kids of all ages and parents. Even parents' brains will be wowed. You'll definitely want Season 2! -Jessie Cowan
Watch it on: Netflix
Have fun being detectives and solving mysteries, with a very cool team of tween investigators. -Jessie Cowan
Watch it on: Netflix
Radford Sechrist created this surreal animated offering, which he adapted from his webcomic Kipo. Full of out-of-this-world creatures and scenarios, the series follows a girl named Kipo searching for her father in a strange and unknown world. Along the way, Kipo befriends a group of diverse and quirky friends of all colors, shapes and sexual orientations. She's also constantly surrounded by a wide array of music from every genre including bluegrass, gospel, jazz, rock, and hip hop. Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts is the music appreciation class every child should have in school. -Mekeisha Madden Toby
Watch it on: Netflix
Your kids will learn what happens when archaeologists meet modern day technology. This is adventure, science, social studies all in one. -Jessie Cowan
Watch it on: Disney+
Mo Willems, the author and illustrator of the very rad best-selling Elephant & Piggie books, is helping kids home from school closures by hosting a series of videos over the next few weeks to teach your children to draw. The program, a joint venture with the Kennedy Center, will air a new episode at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT each weekday. Maybe your kid can be the next hip children's book author. -Tim Surette
Watch it on: YouTube
Miss Frizzle's younger sister (portrayed by SNL's Kate McKinnon) invites the next generation of school-aged kids to experience all of the scientific, geographic, and anthropologic wonders they can possibly imagine. And for fans of the OG Magic School Bus, the flagship is also available on Netflix. -Amanda Bell
Watch it on: Netflix
One of the few live-action series on this list features one my favorite gags that I will never tire of, ever: Kids pretending to be adults. These kids are part of Odd Squad, a top-secret agency that solves weird problems that arise through math and logic, helping out their town and its eccentric citizens. It's a great watch for parents, too. The show is flat-out hilarious, showing off a wacky imagination from its kids-at-heart creators. -Tim Surette
Watch it on: PBS
Nature show hosts Chris and Martin Kratt bring an infectious passion for wildlife to this animated series that highlights all the cool things animals can do. Each episode focuses on a different animal, and the brothers' animated avatars harness the animal's powers to become semi-superheroes while preaching nature conservation. -Tim Surette
Watch it on: PBS
This kids show is perfect for the animal lover in your home. Not only is it educational, but it's also just silly enough to keep 'em entertained, too. -Jessie Cowan
Watch it on: PBS