As a busy parent, we use television time for our kids as a tool to keep kids occupied while we make dinner, decompress after a day of work/school, and just have a few minutes to ourselves. Over the years our five year old has made her way through a variety of shows, from Cocomelon to Bluey. Along the way, we have collected some of our favorite environmental tv episodes for young kids.
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Sesame Street
Sesame Street is a classic for a reason. We showed my daughter the dentist Sesame Street episode before her first trip to the dentist and I credit that show with my daughter’s loving dentist visits. It broke down the process including the sights and sounds to expect so that it wasn’t a scary experience. High quality educational tv like this is actually helpful for your kid! Research has shown that Sesame Street increases kindergarten readiness for young kids.
All of this to say that Sesame Street does their shows really well. The Earth Day episode is no exception. They talk about gardening, kindness to the Earth, and proper disposal of waste.
Cocomelon
I know I’m not the only parent to feel like Cocomelon is the constant soundtrack to my life. The most annoying songs have a way of burrowing into my brain for the rest of the day. But some of their songs do have good environmental messaging like this one about composting, so there is that!
Bluey
Bluey is a really fun show, and I know several adults who do not have children who enjoy watching it. I like that Bluey has episodes with kindness to living things, such as the episode where they are saving the bugs from being squished on their slip and slide. This kind of gentleness to the Earth is great for children to see and imitate.
NOAA Marine Debris Program’s Trash Talk
While it isn’t a tv episode, my daughter often requests the “video about cleaning up the ocean”. This is what she calls the NOAA Marine Debris Program’s Trash Talk video. The video covers what marine debris is, where it comes from, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and what we can do. I especially like that the video takes a tough topic and makes it accessible for kids.
Octonauts
Octonauts is about a group of sea animals that help other creatures. I’m really hoping my daughters get into this series soon, because I am all about the ocean life in it! This show is a fun way to engage preschool aged children in exploration and habitat protection.
Wild Kratts & Zaboomafoo
This animated show follows the adventures of Chris and Martin Kratts (who are hosts of other wildlife shows like Zaboomafoo). Both of these shows teach about different animals. Wild Kratts approaches it from a cartoon adventure perspective, and Zaboomafoo through live film, music, and puppets.
Planet Earth
When our girls get a bit older we will likely introduce them to nature documentaries like Planet Earth or Our Planet. My husband and I enjoy these shows, and they are a great way to admire the beauty of nature without having to buy plane tickets.
Conclusion
We have found tv to be a great tool for introducing our kids to natural history concepts, fun facts about plants and animals, and lessons about how to protect the Earth. I’m sure there are many other great environmental tv episodes for young kids that we haven’t come across yet. Do you have any recommendations?
P.S. If you are looking for other ways to teach your kids about sustainable living besides using tv, you can check out my post on practical tips for teaching children about zero waste.
