Educational Kids Shows on Amazon Prime
Media, screen time, and TV shows are a constant talking point for parents. While these aren’t something related to physical therapy, they do seem to come up a lot during treatment. As a pediatric physical therapist, I need to know a little bit about the most popular kids shows. This can help my treatments flow more smoothly, as well as provide conversation with the children I am treating. Most children love it when you know about their favorite characters from TV shows, movies, and video games. These topics also pop up a lot in my discussions with their parents.
In graduate school they didn’t exactly teach us about kids shows. However, as a mom of 3 lovely daughters, I’ve definitely watched my fair share of children’s programming. I’d like to discuss some of my children’s favorites and why I feel they have value. If we are going to let our children have screen time, I feel it should be good quality and not mindless.
Today I’m going to focus on our favorite kids shows that are available on Amazon Prime. I have focused on preschool age shows, although my girls watched many of these shows through second grade. I have also only listed ones included in Amazon Prime, not ones that you have to buy or pay an extra subscription fee for.
Our Favorite Educational Kid Shows
These three shows are our absolute favorites that are available on Amazon Prime for free currently. These are shows that I personally feel are great from an educational standpoint and have good values. As an added bonus, I don’t feel like I’m going crazy if I sit down to watch them with the girls. I know as a parent sometimes that is the worst thing about kids shows. Your kids may enjoy them, but you can’t stand them. All 3 of my girls watched two of them, and 2 of my girls loved the last one.
Tumble Leaf
Tumble Leaf first aired in 2014 and has 4 seasons. It was filmed using stop-motion. The show has earned a variety of awards over the years of 2014 through 2020, including Daytime Emmy Awards, Annie Awards, Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, and British Academy Children’s Awards. The main character is a blue fox named Fig and his caterpillar Stick.
My two oldest really loved this show, and still watch it every now and then. My youngest watches it a little bit here and there. I feel this show is very good for children. While each episode is around 24 minutes, they are broken up into 2 segments, which is better for the short attention spans of young children.
About the Show
In each segment, Fig finds some item in “the Finding Place,” which is a treasure chest just below his bedroom. He then goes about his day while using this item to solve problems or in other creative ways. Sometimes the item isn’t used to solve a problem, but begins an adventure. The whole premise of the show is encouraging creative and outside of the box thinking through play. In the very first segment, Fig finds a bag of coins that he takes to make wishes at the wishing well. However, it is too dark to get back home. He makes his way home by the light of the moon reflecting of clamshells that he makes laugh.
The Good Stuff
This show promotes play, creative thinking, and learning about the world around you from different perspectives. The music is whimsical and the show is slower paced. At about 11 minutes long, the segments are short enough to keep young children’s attention, but still long enough that they won’t get overstimulated.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie was released on Amazon in 2017 and has 2 season. Each episode is about 30 minutes long and is broken up into 2 shorter segments about 15 minutes long. There are 3 holiday special episodes including If You Give a Mouse a Christmas Cookie, If You Give a Mouse a Pumpkin, and If You Give a Mouse a Valentine. The show follows the daily hijinks of the characters from Laura Numeroff’s book series. Mouse, Cat, Dog, Pig, and Moose join their human friends Oliver, Esme Louise, Henry, Piper, and Leo. The music is sung by children’s song artist Lisa Loeb. The animation follows the same style as Numeroff’s books.
All of my girls have enjoyed this show to varying degrees and they have all seen every episode at least twice. I feel this show is very good for children. This is in part due to the episodes being broken up into 2 separate segments, allowing for the shorter attention span of young children.
About the Show
In each episode, Mouse requests an item that sets off a chain of events, just like in the books. However, a lot of the events are problem solving or involve creativity. In several of the episodes, Mouse is give the same item in both segments, but it is used in a different way. I love how this show promotes problem solving and creativity. The show is lighthearted and not overstimulating. You never know what adventure Mouse and his crew will get up to next. And of course, Mouse loves cookies, Moose loves muffins, Dog loves donuts, Pig loves pancakes, and Cat loves cupcakes just like in the books. However, the show adds more depth to the characters and demonstrates their friendship. Friendship is a huge theme in the show.
The Good Stuff
This show promotes problem solving, creative thinking, and friendship. The show moves quickly in the fashion of the books, but doesn’t feel fast paced. At about 15 minutes long, the segments are short enough to keep young children’s attention, but still long enough that they won’t get overstimulated. I also love that Laura Numeroff’s treasured and timeless characters have been brought to life.
Blue’s Clues & You
Blue’s Clues & You! first aired in 2019 and has 5 seasons. Amazon labels the seasons differently, and only the first 3 of the Amazon seasons are free on Amazon Prime. The series features Blue and a new host-Josh. Each episode is about 23 minutes long. Many of the episodes are a reboot of the originals with a new host but the same or similar plotline. Your favorite characters still return. The show is technically a continuation of the original Blue’s Clues series, and Steve or Joe return in many of the episodes. In the context of the show, Steve and Joe are brothers and Josh’s Cousins. The series was nominated for several awards
Only my 2 youngest watch this show. My 3 year old went through a time where all she watched was Blue’s Clues & You for a couple months. She tends to rotate her shows a lot more than my two older girls did at her age. I love Blue’s Clues & You for many reasons, and I have to admit one of them is the nostalgia. I grew up watching the original. I also love interactive shows that try to get the kids involved.
About the Show
For those of you who don’t know about the original, each episode of Blue’s Clues & You features a question that Josh is trying to find the answer to. Blue, his blue puppy, leaves clues to help him find the answer. It is a bit of a scavenger hunt. Josh looks through the house, or even outside, looking for 3 blue pawprints on objects that are the clues. Once all three clues have been found, Josh sits in his “thinking chair” and tries to figure out what the answer is. During the show Josh and the other characters often talk to the viewer and ask questions.
The Good Stuff
This series is fun and light-hearted and I love that they pay homage to the original series and hosts. The show is interactive and tries to bring your child into active participation, rather than just passively watching the show. Children are invited to think and go on fun adventures with Josh and Blue. The show is nicely paced and not overly stimulating. You should note that the episodes are on the longer side, 23 minutes, so some kids might have a hard time.
Honorable Mentions
I feel these shows have good value, but not quite as good as the above three for one reason or another. My children have all enjoyed them to varying degrees and I still let them watch each series. Some my children might have not gotten into as much, or didn’t last as long with that particular show. Others I just didn’t like as much personally or felt they had a little less value or were overstimulating.
They have a couple PBS Kids shows-Clifford the big red dog (new and old) , and Clifford’s puppy days, dinosaur train(not available anymore)
Paw Patrol
Only 2 of Amazon Prime’s seasons are available. Amazon’s seasons aren’t on track with the actual seasons that aired. Paw Patrol first aired in 2013 and is still going. The second Paw Patrol movie is also available on Amazon Prime. My two youngest girls both watch Paw Patrol and are huge fans. I love that the characters are helpful and solve the problems of the community around them. The show promotes problem solving, being helpful, and has good values.
Each episode is 23 minutes long and broken up into 2 segments — which is a great length for young viewers. However, I feel that this show can be a bit more on the overstimulating side. I also don’t like that the mayor of the nearby town is the one causing problems a lot of the time. Mayor Humdinger is whiny and drives me crazy. I have a hard time sitting down with my girls to watch this one and it more often goes on the TV when I’m otherwise occupied with something such as dinner preparations.
Bubble Guppies
Only 1 of Amazon Prime’s seasons is available. Bubble Guppies first aired in 2011 and has 6 seasons. Only my oldest really got into this show. The show follows a group of preschool mermaids as they learn from Mr. Grouper. The show has silly jokes, lots of music, and tells stories. There is a lot of learning. The episodes are 23 minutes long. The show is very educational as the mermaids are literally learning in fun ways from their teacher.
Each episode is 23 minutes long. Bubble Guppies is another interactive show that tries to pull in the viewer as a participant. I feel that this show is very stimulating. The music is very upbeat and the colors are very vibrant. The show has a lot of value, although I got tired of watching the same 20 episodes that are free over and over. I feel like Bubble Guppies is best for an older preschooler or Kindergarten aged child.
Creative Galaxy
Only 2 seasons are available on Amazon Prime. Creative Galaxy first aired in 2013 and has 3 seasons. My oldest is the only one that really watched this series. Of course, she’s also my arts and crafts girl, so it makes sense she liked it. This show is all about art and creativity. The main character solves problems through art-literally. The show has good values is not too fast paced.
Each episode is 30 minutes long and is broken up into 2 segments. This show is only low on our list because only one of my girls watched it, and she didn’t watch it very much. I believe she only went through the available episodes once. The show encourages creativity, but do to the focus on art, some kids might not enjoy it. I do enjoy the music, and gives me the same vibes as the opening sequence from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.
Do, Re & Mi
There is only one season of Do, Re & Mi. The series premiered in 2021 and has 26 episodes. Again, my oldest was the only one that watched this show. My two younger ones have never really gotten into it. As the title suggests, the show is very musically oriented. There is a lot of music in the show, and sometimes learning new songs is part of the plot. The show is about problem solving and friendship and working together. The show is a bit simplistic, but that is a good thing sometimes with little kids. The main characters are an owl, a hummingbird, and a blue bird. They are voiced Kristen Bell, Jackie Tohn, and Luke Youngblood.
Each episode is about 23 minutes long and is broken up into 2 segments. This show promotes good values and the music is great for a preschool aged show. I don’t mind watching an episode here or there, but it’s not my favorite. Do, Re & Mi is on the Honorable Mentions list pretty much because my kids never really got into it. However, I feel the show still has some merit.
Super Wings
Super Wings has 7 out of 8 seasons available for free on Amazon Prime. The series first aired in 2015 and is still running. All three of my girls have watched this show, although to varying degrees. My older two have liked it much more than my youngest. We have seen the first 5 seasons a few times, but the later seasons not so much. By the time those seasons rolled around, my two older kids had moved on to new shows. The characters of the show are transforming robot aircrafts. The star of the show, Jet, is an airplane that travels around the world delivering packages to children. Something problem always comes up and one of Jet’s friends is called in to help solve it. The show is heavily focused on problem solving and the culture and diversity around the world.
Each episode is 12 minutes long. I like this show for the world and cultural focus. I like that Jet calls for help, teaching kids it is okay to get help when they need it. However, it feels a bit too easy to me in a way. The problems are very straightforward and the solutions are not always creative. I also feel the show can sometimes be a bit overstimulating or fast paced. The show still has great value overall. While I can’t sit down with the kids to binge watch this show, I was fine watching a couple episodes at a time with them.
Resources for Parents
I am a huge fan of giving parents the tools to succeed. There is a great website out there for content reviews on media — Commonsensemedia.org. Here are the links to their reviews of each of these shows. Just note that you can only view a certain number free each month without paying. The cost is currently $3.99 per month, or 39.99 per year.
There are a couple of other blogs out there that have also compiled lists of good shows for young children. Our lists may be a little different. Every parent notices different things in media and has different rules. Here are those websites.
Theleadlearnermom.com website has a lot of resources for parents. Her focus is on homeschool.
Treehouseschoolhouse.com also has a focus on homeschooling, and some about teaching your children about the bible.