What do you look for in kids TV? - £200 voucher to be won

[CeriMumsnet]

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Parenting can often feel like a juggling act so it’s a relief to find a TV channel or show that will keep your children occupied and entertained while you get on with your to-do list, and a bonus when it’s educational and rewarding too. With this in mind, Sky Kids would like to know what it is you look for when it comes to the TV that your kids watch.

• Post your thoughts and stories on kids TV in the thread below to the entered into the prize draw
  
• One lucky winner will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice.
  

Here’s what Sky Director of Kids Content Lucy Murphy has to say:

‘We’re so excited to announce the launch of our brand-new linear channel. Millions of our customers already love watching our huge range of Original shows on-demand but families with younger kids have told us that watching on linear channels is an important part of their day; so, we’ve listened and expanded our Sky Kids offering at no extra cost.’

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw.

MNHQ
Insight T&Cs apply

[Creamcakesandpastries]

British accents!! And proper language modelled clearly

Educational content: numbers, colours, letters, challenging vocabulary [explained], integrated facts on different topics such as geography/history/art/science/nature, different languages [explained], key words written on screen

Characters interacting positively with eachother and learning good life lessons, but without being too sickly sweet or outwardly preachy

Quality animation and [voice?] acting

A bit of humour for the parents?! (eg Bluey and Hey Duggee)

Probably just me but no annoying background music (eg Pablo and Love Monster)

Characters not using rude or bossy tones of voice which children may copy (eg Peppa Pig)

I have a toddler and we only watch CBeebies, but have seen most episodes of everything now so would love to find some wholesome British stuff to watch elsewhere!

[sharond101]

Something quality that teaches them about life rather than a fabricated fantasy or unreal situation.

[HelterSkelter224]

Something that encourages interaction. I don't really have cartoons on as my little one just becomes entranced by them but shows Like Miss Rachel are great to encourage interaction. My 15mo will clap and sing along, and when I give her instructions that Miss Rachel gives "put it on put it on put it... ON!!!" she knows what I'm saying so she's actually actively listening instead of passively taking in like she does with cartoons.

Diversity - children from all backgrounds and family situations including LGBTQ+ families.

Shows that aren't too stimulating such as cocomelon. Another show that just hypnotises my daughter to the point that switching it off is like snapping her out of a trance. Shows that allow her to invest in the characters (she LOVES upsy daisy from In The Night Garden).

[mapleandpecan]

A British version of Miss Rachel.

Teaching other languages.

[ThisMustBeMyDream]

No idea what a linear channel is.
But what I look for is no use of foul language. My kids don't need to hear it thanks.
Other than that, not much. They are 10 and 7 so they watch what they are interested in which keeps them entertained.

[DerangedViper]

No adverts

And something that'll keep then quietly occupied for a while (so I can do something else uninterrupted)

[MrsBargain]

• Diverse characters
• Relatable story lines
• Working mums
• Humour

• bluey does a lot of these points brilliantly

[PuttingDownRoots]

My children are slightly older. They want...

• a good storyline over a reasonable number of episodes.
• diverse characters
• factually correct information
• no adverts!!

[1cupofmilk]

A simple relatable story on each episode, that somes to fruition, doesn't roll over onto next episode. Can easily be picked up if they miss an episode or watch out of sequence.

Memorable characters and an animal/pet.

[Teapleasebobb]

No ads or age appropriate ads and browsing options.
Nothing worse than scrolling through the viewing options with the children to see scary stills of a horror film or series!

[Theimpossiblegirl]

No adverts
Positive role models
Age appropriate entertainment

[torthecatlady]

Correct English being used and no Americanisms. A diverse cast.

[Sarah84848484]

Slower, less jarring voices! Something that’s fine to be watched while other things happen in the house around them

[Dinneronmybfpillow]

Slow pace and softer colours. Cocomelon is banned in this house, so jarring and mental. Bluey is great, lovely and natural looking. DD loves Show Me Show Me too, I think because it's quite natural.

No bloody unicorns.

[BristolMum96]

Educational and not annoying for me!

[blackforesthotchoc]

Something I can watch 15 episodes in a row of without wanting to tear my eyes out. The really great ones tempt me to watch them when the kids aren't even there - I'm looking at you Sarah and Duck and Bluey!

[thinykinny87]

Teaching without preaching.

[Shesasuperfreak]

Good moral message

No nasty words like calling someone stupid or even a bully in the show using insults such as four-eyes etc.

Re-watchable. So stuff that they might not get on first watch as my children like to rewatch shows over and over

A good adventure or horror themes for some episodes to mix it up.

No hinting at sex, boyfriend, girlfriend, or political agendas

[WeWereInParis]

Humour

No incessant singing (I have blocked cocomelon from our Netflix account for this reason)

No gender stereotypes

[CatNamedEaster]

No sexist stereotypes. Even some kids dramas/comedies made today will show crap like boys/men being hapless/clumsy/naughty and the girls/women being responsible. Really pisses me off.
Diversity. One of DS's favourite programmes when he was 6-7 was Apple Tree House and after the saccharine blandness of Topsy and Tim it was a relief to see a kids programme reflecting a wider range of society in a way that looked realistic rather than tick-boxy.

[Celeryfavour]

No cartoons. Real people modeling healthy friendships and relationships, but nothing too gritty. A safe channel where nothing unsuitable is going to pop up.

[Silvergone]

The best kids tv I’ve ever seen was Maddie Moate’s “Do You Know?”

We want no violence, and nothing unkind for my child to quote. I had to ban PJ masks because my child was imitating all of the villains’ insults.

No political brainwashing eg a ‘trans’ child talking about how fulfilled they are to be wearing a skirt, or where every character has a strong different regional accent yet they’re all supposed to live in the same village.

My child ADORED farming documentaries. We watched one by the BBC (Buzz and Fizz) so many times we wore out the dvd and had to replace it. Also loved car wash documentaries.

Children don’t want cartoons of villains bashing each other up, that’s so nasty (and dated). They want facts about the things they’re interested in like vehicles and farms and toilets and electricity.

[DazzlePaintedBattlePants]

No adverts.
No American dross - the US does some great programming (the original Sesame Street, anyone?) but not the commercial shite.
No adult agendas - looking at the trans nonsense.
Yes to those random documentary type things they love watching.
A good magazine show, like Why Don't You? would be great!

[frogface69]

Interesting documentaries. Mine would have liked to see how seaside rock is made, things like that. Informative without being preachy.
cartoons, etc are fine but do they have to be so bright even the clothes the presenters wear are so vivid. The colours are jarring and distracting. Hated singing as well unless it was the mice on Bagpuss. That was a favourite.

[Iam4eels]

Inclusion as a matter of course rather than a plot point. One of my DC is autistic and usually when they see autistic characters the autism is their entire point. They're rarely "Jay who likes cooking, is good at art and is also autistic" instead it's always "Jay the plot device whose sole personality trait is autism".

Diversity and children/families from all backgrounds, circumstances, walks of life, etc. It's important for children to see themselves represented and for that representation to be portrayed as normal rather than something odd or unusual. No stereotypes.

Don't shy away from difficult concepts but explore them in age appropriate ways. Children aren't stupid, they know about death and divorce and bad things happening in the world. Bluey does a great job of this.

Accents, especially regional accents. Not everyone speaks RP English or English with a South East accent. Again, it's important for children to see themselves represented and there are a wealth of accents in the UK.

Behaviours and interactions that children can emulate, positive role models, and core values of positivity, problem-solving, exploration, and inclusion.

It should be entertaining but also quality, something the whole family can watch together. If I'm having a sit down I want to be able to dip in and out with what they're watching. I'd like to not want to stick pins in my eyes while doing so.