Top Preschool TV Shows

Educational Programming for Young Children

Jan 29, 2009 Denise Oliveri

Having a preschooler watch TV can be beneficial, as long as the time constraints are limited. Find out what preschoolers everywhere are watching these days.

Almost from the moment it was introduced, television has been used as both a child babysitter and an educational tool. Since the early days of "Howdy Doody" and the ever popular "Sesame Street," television has been an entertainer and educator of children of all ages. Despite the recent negative publicity of the affect television has on young people it still remains the major source of information in the home. Here are the top preschool television shows and a few critiques of the content found.

Super Why

This is a PBS show that teaches reading skills in a way that is both enjoyable and innovative. The main characters are Whyatt, Little Red Riding Hood, Pig, and Princess Pea. Each is tasked in each episode to use a particular reading skill to solve a distinctive challenge (the "Super Big Problem"). The preschool audience is encouraged to recognize, sound out, and place the letters of the alphabet together to make words.

Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends

This show is about a group of animated bugs that try to live in harmony in a wooded grove. The family of assorted bugs gets along well and finds different ways to have fun together. Preschool viewers learn about the different bugs and what their habits are all about. In the process young children learn the various techniques of getting along and solving different types of problems in distinctive ways.

Dora and Diego

Originally this show was entitled "Dora the Explorer" and featured only the Spanish bilingual Dora as the star of the show. Dora (now with Diego) faces a different task each episode that requires the children watching to interact with her as she attempts to solve a problem. Children are asked to shout at the screen in Spanish to get characters on the screen to "hear" commands and follow the suggestions. This show develops a enthusiastic sense of exploration and a love and respect for animals.

Blue’s Clues

This cute little blue dog has become a preschool icon. Blue’s Clues is an original PBS television production that first aired in September 1996, and can now be seen on Nick Jr. Over the years it has been aimed at preschool age children, and has proved a delight to children of all ages. Blue excites a young child’s imagination and increases observation skills as the nonverbal character attempts to put together visual clues to communicate his wishes. In the process, children learn about different topics, including occupations, education skills, insects, and much more.

Little Bill

Little Bill is the brain child of Bill Cosby (who holds a legitimate doctorate in Education). It is a charming animated television show that targets preschoolers as it audience. Little Bill (along with Dora) are one of the few ethnically-oriented preschool shows left on television. Its gentle humor and humanitarian themed shows allow young children to express various fears, problems, and opinions about the world around them.

Rolie Polie Olie

This show was the first completely computer-generated preschool animated show on television. The charming story is about the inhabitants of Polieville who are a race of robots, and in particular the Rolie Polie family. The show is produced for the Disney Channel. The Polie family lives in a living teapot shaped home, which, like all of the machines in this world, is alive and aware. While the show was terminated in the United States it is still run in Canada on Treehouse TV.

Sesame Street

Here is the "flagship" of preschool television programming. At one time considered detrimental to the attention span of young children, this show has either won over or out lived its critics. Approaching learning from a child’s point of view, Sesame Street covers every aspect of a preschooler’s learning requirements. It is interesting to point out that some of the actors from the show's origination in 1969 still star on the show today.

Bear in the Big Blue House

This charming show is about a gentle bear who talks directly to the children about various themes and problems that preschoolers might face. It appears to be very comforting to young children.

Stanley

This a short, round headed little boy who goes exploring with his pet fish, dog, and cat. Together the team investigates the world around them. The show answers many questions that preschoolers might have about different topics, and is presented in an imaginative way that small children enjoy.

Television can be an effective means of teaching preschoolers valuable skills, and help with general knowledge topics. The key is to limit the amount of time young children are sitting in front of the set. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends one to two hours of television programming a day for this age group [How TV Affects Your Child reviewed by Mary Gavin, MD, Kids Health, October 2008].

The copyright of the article Top Preschool TV Shows in Children’s TV is owned by Denise Oliveri. Permission to republish Top Preschool TV Shows in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.