TV shows for a first grader

[Anonymous]

My daughter has a kindle with Netflix and Disney+ that she watches shows on during her allowed screen time. We don't watch those shows with her and I think that some of the shows she's choosing are negatively effecting her behavior and self-esteem. Too much sassy back-talk, a teen tone ("umm, okay already...."), preoccupation with looks, and making her feel like other people are special and perfect and she's not but needs to be (even if the show is about someone not being perfect, she feels like she needs to be perfect). I want to make a rule that she can only watch certain shows on her own and other shows we will only watch as a family or not at all.

So, I am going to sit down and binge watch a lot of Neflix cartoons to sort them out, but in the meantime, are there any shows would you say are okay for her to watch alone and are there any you would veto? Right now, I'm thinking to "okay" Octonaughts (which she had pretty much stopped watching) and block Glitter Force and a lot of other shows she likes.

[Anonymous]

I have a first grader, and I run in to this too. I don't know why so many kids' shows put in romance, sass, rude behavior, and other types of things that aren't acceptable. I approve Dino Dana, The Odd Squad, Wild Kratts - basically anything on PBS. The kids are currently on a Scooby Do watching spree, and I've shut it down bc there are too many mature themes in there - scenes taking place at Lover's Lane, for example, with couples in cars. What? For young elementary kids?

[Anonymous]

Any/all of the Barbie shows were immediate blocks for our 1st grader.

[Anonymous]

PBS is usually safe for this age. Sadly, things aimed at boys are usually better too (no romance or comments on looks, etc) so I give things panes at a girls a second glance.

[Anonymous]

+ Odd Squad and Wild Kratts. Also PBS KIDS shows Xavier Riddle, Molly of Denail, and Arthur. And on Amazon, although for older kids, Just Add Magic is good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:+ Odd Squad and Wild Kratts. Also PBS KIDS shows Xavier Riddle, Molly of Denail, and Arthur. And on Amazon, although for older kids, Just Add Magic is good.

Mistyped - that's Molly of Denali, not "Denail"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:+ Odd Squad and Wild Kratts. Also PBS KIDS shows Xavier Riddle, Molly of Denail, and Arthur. And on Amazon, although for older kids, Just Add Magic is good.

Another vote for PBS shows. My first grader likes Wild Kratts, Molly of Denali, Let's Go Luna, Xavier Riddle.

Also, some of the backtalk is probably the age. My kid only watches the PBS shows, and around age 6 started with some backtalk. Other friends have had similar experiences with their kids.

[Anonymous]

Mine loved Just Add Magic starting at that age. No sass but enough plot that I enjoyed watching too!

[Anonymous]

If she likes animals, the Nat Geo part of Disney+ is terrific. I've been watching Pick of the Litter with my DD. Yukon Vet is also good.

[Anonymous]

Agree - we watch mostly PBS shows. My first grader still watches little kid shows with her younger sibling, too. I know it won't last long, but it makes me happy to keep her innocent.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, everyone! I am taking Netflix off her kindle now and putting on the PBS app. And I'm going to keep a much closer eye. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Is there a way to block specific shows on Netflix? My DD has a kids profile, but I haven't figured out how to block certain shows.

[Anonymous]

I'm one of the PPs who suggested some shows but also agree that regardless of what a kid is watching it's the attitude and language of kids around them that influences them as well. I actually find it's sometimes easier to have inappropriate stuff happen in media than in real life, because then I can say that behavior or language might be ok in a show/when someone is performing or whatever but not in real life as opposed to when classmates are saying or doing something I don't like right in front of them.

[Anonymous]

+1 PBS

Netflix does have The Magic School Bus (both the original series and the new one). I haven't seen the new one yet, but the original series was excellent.

We don't have Disney+, but when my kids (now in college) were that age, the worst shows that made having a bad attitude cool were on the Disney Channel.

If you can find them, my kids that age loved the reruns of 60s/70s shows like Brady Bunch, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeanie, Gilligan's Island, etc. We would watch them on Fios back then, and a lot of them are on Roku now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm one of the PPs who suggested some shows but also agree that regardless of what a kid is watching it's the attitude and language of kids around them that influences them as well. I actually find it's sometimes easier to have inappropriate stuff happen in media than in real life, because then I can say that behavior or language might be ok in a show/when someone is performing or whatever but not in real life as opposed to when classmates are saying or doing something I don't like right in front of them.

It's true that other kids' language and attitudes do influence kids at this age--though that likely means that those kids are watching the kinds of stuff that teaches and reinforces the backtalk etc.

While OP can't control what other parents let their kids watch, for now, she can control what her own kids see, and in her shoes I stuck to shows and movies that demonstrated appropriate behaviors and language. I do get the point about how one can use inappropriate behavior in media to point to as an example of "we don't do this in real life"; however, in shows and movies, too often, the sass-mouthed kid or way-too-mature-acting preteen is rewarded for the behavior in the fictional world that the real-world parent is saying "we don't do." It's a mixed message: Mom is pointing out how this backtalk is unacceptable, but on screen the child sees an appealing kid her own age who gets laughs by doing this, is popular, etc....You see the mixed message there? Better to present the media role models you do want your kid to emulate than the ones you don't want emulated, at this age.

The discussion around characters' negative behaviors is an important one but will evolve as the child gets older and watches more complex things.

All too soon kids will be seeing stuff you can't control, OP, so use the time you've got while you still have that level of control over what your child sees. I'm pretty sure this idea won't be popular with some posters but it's what we did and DC was not some super sheltered, naive teen later on.