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

No gender bollocks. Netflix particularly bad for this. I have to check everything from the beeb as well as they are wokiefied too.

I look for relatable stories, that will teach my child subtlety about the world around them, no slapstick please.

TV for children should reflect the world around them in a positive light. I would like to see a programme with real people, varying nationalities, accents, home set ups, disabilities, educational needs etc. All together, not like Mr Tumble where children with disabilities only seem to have other friends with disabilities 🤦🏻‍♀️.

Something engaging which will also Hopefully be educational.
Humour.
Something fun and light hearted.
Relatable characters which portray life experiences realistically.
Covers topics and interests which children enjoy and which will help them throughout life.

For me it has to be suitable for a broad age group them both my children can watch - educational - but not rammed down your face, I love to watch programmes about our planet and other languages - something like an up to date Dora the explorer would be fab

No adverts
British accents
Educational content whether that be academic related or showing positive mental health, relationships, problem solving etc
Short episodes
Calming colours not too stimulating
Simple storylines
Humour to make it enjoyable for me to watch with them
Characters that are good role models

Something where the characters speak properly (unlike Bing and his stupid Rainybow!), characters not to be as moany and whiney and for them to be more interactive and educational - a programme to help teach spelling, phonics etc, my daughter loved Yakka Dee! When she was learning to talk

Female main characters, not just in supporting roles.

Smart, brave and ordinary looking female characters.

An educational element.

Not princesses.

Anything that educates, teaches about equality and being a good person and doesn't use silly voices or stupid noises all the time.

Stories where the female is daring/ funny/ naughty/ does exciting things - apart from Peppa (who isn’t particularly likeable) the male characters always have these parts. The females are ‘kind’, insipid and boring.

I have a young teen ds.

I look for original content, 'a day in the life of' type programs since the schools careers service has collapsed. Fiction with a decent plot. Positive, optimistic, global, cheerful.

I actively avoid trans issues, rap music, anything derogatory to any group.

If I had a choice I would like to see fewer adverts - especially around Christmas time for toys and games that I cannot afford - not that the children really want.
Educational - and relevant to where we are now with the cost of living crisis, King Charles coronation, climate change and how we can help - along with funny (not slapstick) to take our minds off the world outside.

My DC are young teens now, but I work with younger children.

One of the best programs for keeping small children entertained is Come Outside.
It explores the world around through the adventures of Aunty Mabel and her dog Pippin.
No adverts, not shouty at all, and informative. Obviously as it's from a while ago (90s or 00s I think) it is a bit outdated. But something similar.
Definitely UK accents, few adverts.

For me it needs to be:

Watchable for adults too - Hey Duggee does this well, some shows are just tedious or unwatchable after a few episodes

Informative, tell kids about the world around them. I think Octonauts does this very well with the emphasis on a new place or creature each episode. I'd like to see more documentary style programing suitable for young kids.

Age appropriate. My kids are 5 and 3, I don't want them being shown adverts or suggestions for tv shows which are suitable for 10 year olds

Ethical without being over the top. Yes, tell my kids about why it's important to care for the environment. Yes, tell my kids that different people have different bodies/families/beliefs, and that this is normal, and what they will encounter in the wider world.

Encourage critical thinking and making their own decisions about what they choose to believe in. Encourage wider discussion, and for children to ask questions.

Not just a thinly disguised method for selling toys to children - Paw Patrol I'm looking at you here.

It should be possible to toggle on/off Autoplay the next episode. It should also be possible to toggle on/off the 'are you still watching?' prompt. Nothing worse than being elbow deep in the washing up bowl and hearing 'mommy it stopped!' from the living room.

It should tell good stories, and be high quality. My kids love the Julia Donaldson adaptations, especially the Gruffalo, and will watch them repeatedly. I enjoy them too, because the stories are lovely and the animation is beautiful. I loath Cocomelon for the same reason as a PP, the characters are wierd looking, the animation is jarring and the songs are repetitive and dull. There is a lot of that kind of dross on Netflix.

I think those stories should come from all over the world too, tell stories from other cultures, as well as having a good range of British culture. Less American accents. Again, Octonauts does this well.

Definitely less stimulating things for young children

Shoes that teach things and repeat a lot e.g using the same songs , introducing new words etc.

British accents especially RP British accents which are slowly being erased from children's TV

TV that shows other real babies and toddlers as little ones love watching themselves on TV

Things that teach other languages and teach about other cultures (not just European)

Child friendly history and mythology stories

Something enjoyable for all the family. Girls being the lead characters more of the time, not just a token female-kids loved octonauts and go Jetters when they were younger, and in many ways they were good programmes, but it used to annoy me that a high proportion of the characters were male.

My daughter is 1 and I look for the following:

-Sign language if possible so she can pick up signs.
-Good role models - e.g not like Peppa Pig who fat shames her dad!
-Encouraging speech, this is something we struggle with.
-Diverse cast.

No adverts
Keeps them engaged
Educational is good (eg my son loved numberblocks and learnt loads while both parents were working during the first lockdown) but moral messages shoehorned in gets annoying
Diverse characters/people in the show
Balance of male/female characters, with female ones just as likely to be in charge and not defined by having eyelashes
Positive role models
Storylines that can relate to real life (but see above about not needing to shoehorn moral messages into everything)

I’d like kids tv programs to model good behaviour and open up the world for my children - show them people and places outside their everyday experience. It would be nice to think that tv was teaching them rather than reducing their concentration span. I also want shows that I can bear to watch with them and which make us laugh

Programmes made in the UK. Gentle stuff for littlies like The Clangers rather than cheapo computer- generated cartoons with no soul.

And no beating over the head with preachy messages.

In my experience most children like naughty characters rather than bland ones. Just the same as adults!

I noticed the Sky Kids advert when looking for any new series.What caught my eye was the lovely bright fun colours.As our 5year old Grandson was coming to stay for 2 days, I downloaded a number of options including Minions 3.By far the most popular programme is Morph.We all watched every 2 minute episode and found them entertaining.Children often have short attention spans so Morph is good in that way.Programmes that make the whole family laugh together are brilliant.Having some that are teaching children without them realising is good too.No adverts helps keep them focused.Well done team SkyKids.

Something which grabs and keeps their attention, and it suitable for before school, the school holidays, and a bedtime programme to wind down.
I'd like to see things about good diets and eating, basic arithmetic and spelling, nature and out planet and how it is changing.

The father NOT to be an incompetent fool (like in waffle, Peppa etc).

No snarkiness, sarcasm etc.

Kids have plenty of time to be scornful and cynical, I appreciate relatable upbeatness and positivity!

My older kids LOVED “I can cook”, Mr Maker, Octonauts, Do you know, Absolute Genius, and In The Night Garden.

I like programmes with positive messages surrounding the roles of men and women, good behaviour, diversity and so on - everything that will help my daughter become a happy, positive member of society.
She’s four and I like her to learn something from a programme, it’s great when she starts reciting random facts but above all I want her to enjoy it.
I want programmes to be visually appealing - The Snail And The Whale has to be the most gorgeous animation I’ve ever seen for example - and watchable for me. A surprising amount of programmes are impossible to watch for a parent!
Shows that work on two levels, kid and adult, are my favourite kind.