You could argue until the cows come home but to me TV can be an excellent educational tool if you know how to use it right. Of course, parents must play a role in making sure TV brings more good than harm to children.
I am surprised to find out J and K (now 6 and 3 respectively) are not couch potatoes. Meaning to say they don’t glue to the TV for long hours. Maybe due to the fact that we didn’t encourage it when they were young.
But despite that they have their own favorites when it comes to TV or video programs. Some are introduced by us and others we found on TV. Here is a list of educational programs loved by my children that they don’t want to miss (programs that on TV) and they always watch if they are on VCD.
Little Princess
Beautiful work of art. I just love the cartoons. These light-hearted short videos are based on the work of Tony Ross, the author of the book series which carry the same title. There are two stories in each 30-minute program. Each story carries a lesson for the children. For example mannerism, cleanliness, responsibility, health, and more. The story revolves around the life of the main character called, who else, Little Princess. Little Princess series is a great way to teach our preschoolers important messages in a way they will enjoy and remember.
Click here to watch Little Princess video clip
Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch
The first impression when I first saw a book of the same series was its brilliant, glossy, striking colors. That was a few years back when I bought Miss Spider’s ABC Book for J’s birthday. Children love vivid, contrasting colors and this is the uniqueness of David Kirk’s Miss Spider series. I didn’t know they have video programs until I saw it on TV one day. Miss Spider programs have storylines that are very educational. The story talks about the daily life of Miss Spider and her family and her friends who live in Sunny Patch. The best thing about Miss Spider is the fact that she adopts babies who are not spiders. Teaching children unconditional love despite how they look like is a powerful message.
Click here to watch Miss Spider video clips
Postman Pat
Obviously it’s a story about a postman named Pat, his family, and his neighborhood. The stories focus on how they live as a community in Greendale town. It highlights the unity of the residents that work together to make the neighborhood a better place for all. Everyone plays a role in contributing to the community. Together with his cat, Jess, Pat delivers posts to the residents and interesting things happen along the way. I only found out that Postman Pat has it equivalent book version while doing this writing.
Click here to watch Postman Pat video clips
Hi-5
One of the top Australian TV programs for children. Hi-5 features live casts: 2 grown-up men and 3 women. The show uses lively songs and dances to teach environment, science, music, good values and English. A theme song will be featured in the beginning of the show which lasts for a few episodes before a new one is introduced. Children who are attracted by movements and sound will love Hi-5. Each show ends with a story telling session featuring the 4 casts while another reads the story.
Click here to watch Hi-5 video clips
Gogo’s Adventure with English
I found out about this cartoon program in a supermarket while searching for an educational program for J years ago. Now the younger K is starting to enjoy the show too. He even requests to watch it after school. Sometimes I can hear K mimicking the script from the show. It’s a good sign as he can learn English and have fun at the same time by watching the program. For J, she is way ahead as she can predict what the character is going to say next in the show – and having a good laugh doing it. Gogo is a fantasy character from somewhere (outer space?) who comes to Earth to learn English. His friends on Earth are Tony and Jenny. After learning some new words, Gogo goes home to teach his friends what he has learned.
