Most toddlers (on and two year olds) will enjoy watching some TV. While watching lots of TV is not good for them, watching small amounts of quality TV can actually aid their development. It can also make a nice snuggle time for them to sit on your lap and watch a favourite program, or give you a few free minutes to get things done around the house. Here are some of the best shows for toddlers.
This über-educational show is also sweet and entertaining. The Little Einsteins are a group of kids that have adventures with their rocket ship. Each episode features a different piece of classical music and a piece of artwork, and it also includes other educational elements, such as learning about the planets, different countries, and counting. It also showcases good social skills, like helping others and working together. Because it is packed full of music and repetitive segments (for example, patting to get rocket to lift off), toddlers will get really involved with it. The characters are an even mix of little girls and boys, so toddlers of both sexes will love it. Little Einsteins is made by Disney.
To visit the official Little Einsteins website, click here.
The Wonder Pets
The Wonder Pets are a group of classroom pets (Ming-Ming the duck, Linny the guinea pig, and Tuck the turtle). After the kids go home and the pets are left alone at school, they become the wonder pets, and help other animals (usually baby animals, although in one memorable episode they helped a tree) in trouble. It teaches about different animals, and teamwork. They sing the song “what’s going to work? Teamwork!” at least once per episode, and there is a heavy emphasis on working together, learning to share, and helping others. The characters and storylines are sweet, and simple enough for young children to follow. The animals and music (they sing a lot) make it interesting for toddlers.
To visit Nick Jr.’s Wonder Pets website, click here.
Peppa Pig
This show is about a little girl pig named Peppa, and her family (her parents and younger brother, although grandparents and other relatives do show up occasionally). Each story is quite short, so a single episode slot is normally made up of several shorter shows. This show is not as educational as the others (although the interaction between Peppa and her brother George can be good for toddlers with siblings), and is more likely to get on the nerves of parents. But kids love this show. If you want a show that your toddler will love that will help them to follow storylines, this is a good viewing choice.
To find out more about Peppa Pig, click here.
These are just three of the best TV shows for toddlers. Other good choices include: Sesame Street (a classic, but often hard to find on air now-spin off shows include Play With Me Sesame and the Elmo show), Dora the Explorer and Go Diego Go (more for slightly older kids, but many toddler love them), and The Backyardigans (lots of singing and dancing).
