Probably the most developmentally appropriate show for you child is "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood." I loved it as a child, and my kids did, too. I know a lot of people say it's too slow, but to be honest, that's the right speed for a preschooler. The episodes cover all the concerns of that age group in a very gentle, reassuring manner. One of the best shows ever produced, IMHO.

My son lost interest in SS around 3.

For a preschool-aged boy, try:
- Super Why (reading)
- Curious George (cute stories)
- Word World (reading)
- Umi Zoomi (math)
- Backyardagains (great for imagination)
- We watch How It's Made on the science channel. Awesome.

We don't do Max and Ruby because it's whiney. Dora is pretty formulaic and he tires of it. And we try to avoid loud shows like Yo Gabba Gabba

I didn't read all the replies, but since you said he likes Cars, my three year old loves "Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales;" it's about 30 minutes on Netflix, broken into short tales so you could watch less. I'm sure you can get it on DVD as well.

Anonymous wrote:If he no longer likes the show you feel comfortable letting him watch, how about no TV at all? It won't hinder his educational development and might even enhance it.

Yeah, I don't think this is that sanctimonious. My son just never liked TV that much so we didn't watch it. I can't see going out of my way to foster a love for it. And we're not particularly crunchy, but it seems to me like saying "oh my goodness, my little kids don't like candy that much. What's the sweetest candy I can get him / her into?"

But, OP lets her 3 year old watch an hour of TV every day, so to me that is extreme. And yes, call me sanctimonious, but that's a lot of TV if you do an hour every day.

Honestly, it's not the least bit surprising that your 3 year old has lost interest in Sesame Street...it simply isn't the show it used to be. He's old enough (and smart enough!) to already realize this. When you and I were watching 25 - 30 years ago it was an educationally valuable show that was also funny. Now, it's just this:

10 minutes of actual SS, usually hijacked by Elmo, Abby CAdabra or Baby Bear
15 minutes of Abby
15 minutes of Elmo (shoot me now)
10 minutes of Murray
...and the rest of the "in-between" segments hosted by Murray

They show the same 20 segments of Elmo and 10 segments of Abby that they've been showing for the past decade, and sometimes they show the same repeats 3 or 4 episodes in a row (I know the Abby episode with the macaroni dinosaur like the back of my hand, they repeated it 4 times in back to back episodes). You have Elmo throwing tantrums, screaming, ranting and raving, and flailing around like a lunatic, and that idiot Murray who always forgets the letter and number of the day. I remember my nephew turning to me a few years ago and asking "Why is Murray so stupid? I know what comes after 'B' and I'm just 4!" (little smart ass that he is, lol). My own daughter, 15 months old, loves Elmo and Abby but she gets bored of the segments quickly.

I recommend Classic Sesame Street, if you have Netflix. Otherwise my daughter seems to enjoy Daniel Tiger's neighborhood and superwhy. I also recommend Dinosaur Train...what little boy wouldn't love Dinosaurs? Curious George is a great option too. Just be warned, Superwhy is one of those shows where they have 30 seconds of silence with the characters creepily staring at you when they ask a question. I always hated those shows.

I don't recommend the following:

Sid the Science Kid (that's mainly bias on my part...I hate the animation and how the characters look)
Thomas the Train (it's not bad, I just notice that it bores the heck out of anyone who watches it)



Oh, and the people soapboxing about television? Shut your mouth. This person is asking what television shows to show their child, they don't need your posturing about television being bad for kids. Get off the internet and do something more productive with your life. The rest of us, we'll provide meaningful replies.

I love Jake and the Never Land Pirates and Bubble Guppies... oh, and the kiddies like it too, lol.

I wouldn't bother with movies at his age. I understand your son has an interest in cars, but there are better outlets for that interest than a movie.

I'd stick with half-hour shows.

Word World
Super Why
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
Mr. Roger's Neighborhood

Basically, PBS.

My three year old LOVES Wonder Pets on Sprout, Blue's Clues on Nick Jr. and Little Einsteins on Disney Jr. They are all great. He is obsessed with Little Einsteins and now knows more about some musical instruments than I do. Just tonight he was begging me for a trombone and a conductor's wand just like Quincy has. We had to get creative with some kitchen objects.

Word World, Sper Why and Sid the Science Kid, all on PBS Kids.

If he likes vehicles, then why not Thomas the Train. It teaches how to get along with others.

I'm sure he gets a lot of about numbers, etc from books.

Mine has never liked Sesame Street, but he loves Word World, Sid the Science Kid, and Dinsaur Train.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he no longer likes the show you feel comfortable letting him watch, how about no TV at all? It won't hinder his educational development and might even enhance it.

Go paint some pasta with your kids or melt some crayons.... It might actually enhance their development v. having their mother acting sanctimonious on an anonymous forum.

It's not sanctimony. If your kid grows out of a TV show, embrace it. TV is a necessary evil for kids - it does nothing for the that you couldn't do. Especially under five!

Shut up already. I'm not the "pasta painting" PP, but get a life. You know what else is completely not educational? Sitting on an anonymous forum carping at people. Totally a waste of time, and yet you engage in it. Others prefer engaging in more interesting forms of time-wasting, i.e., television. It's not some horrible evil propagated against children when used in small amounts. Some of the smartest and most successful people I know were - and remain! - avid TV watchers, and they also don't waste their time on this website.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he no longer likes the show you feel comfortable letting him watch, how about no TV at all? It won't hinder his educational development and might even enhance it.

Go paint some pasta with your kids or melt some crayons.... It might actually enhance their development v. having their mother acting sanctimonious on an anonymous forum.

It's not sanctimony. If your kid grows out of a TV show, embrace it. TV is a necessary evil for kids - it does nothing for the that you couldn't do. Especially under five!

Anything on Nick Jr. Ex., SpongeBob (no educational value, but a big hit with 3-year-olds), Dora (great educational value and a big hit with 3-year-olds), Max & Ruby, Peter Rabbit, Team UmiZoomi, Bubble Guppies, etc.

I have no idea if this is still on TV (don't have a kid the right age), but Blue's Clues is actually supposed to have serious educational value, according to Malcolm Gladwell.