If you have kids of your own, you know that the ideal of raising kids without any screen time is basically mission impossible. However, you also know that kids can get something good out of watching TV as there are plenty of quality educational shows, witty cartoon series, and classic animations to choose from. So, if you are determined to shield your spawn from those mindless YouTube unboxing videos or ones where other kids are demonstrating their new toys, instigating the want into your own kid, here’s our list of the best kids’ TV shows that aren’t just for entertainment, but also for learning something new.
We hope that this list will cater to the needs of even the pickiest little audience members, and to ensure that the choices are truly varied, we’ve included TV series from various decades, genres, and forms. From such classics as the Tom and Jerry Show and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? to modern gems such as SpongeBob Squarepants, each show is unique in its own right. Of course, if, say, SpongeBob’s main purpose is to entertain, then our other submissions, like Curious George, are explicitly educational shows. However, they are made in such a brilliant way that no kid would even suspect that they are, basically, lessons in disguise!
So, scroll down below and check out our contenders in the best kids’ TV shows list! We are pretty sure that you yourself grew up watching some of these, and rewatching them again might be a pleasurable experience. With the ones you’re about to watch with your kid for the first time, though, we think you’ll find them entertaining, too. So, go ahead, and make your choice!
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#1 Avatar: The Last Airbender
2005-2005 | 3 seasons | 61 episodes
Avatar: The Last Airbender is an animated action-adventure fantasy series that ran on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. Avatar's world is inspired by Asian cultures, and in this world, certain people have telekinetic powers allowing them to control one of four classical elements - water, fire, earth, and air. Then there's the Avatar - the chosen one who can control all of the four and whose mission is to keep a peaceful balance among the nations. This Avatar is Aang, and together with his friends, they set out on extraordinary adventures to restore said balance. The series is ingenious with the excitement it creates, the nice moral messages it gives, and, of course, the most loveable characters in the most unexpected situations. Some critics even named Avatar one of the best animated series ever, and we couldn't agree more!
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35points
#2 The Tom And Jerry Show
1975 | 16 episodes
Tom And Jerry's exploits could be added to a list of basically any list mentioning TV shows, as the duo, in various incarnations, has been gracing our screens from the '50s right up to this day. The Tom And Jerry Comedy Show, though, ran for half an hour and included two segments of our favorite pair's antics and also a Droopy cartoon right in the middle. Unfortunately, this Tom And Jerry embodiment lived only for a couple of months in the '70s, but the episodes were later added to syndicated Tom And Jerry packages.
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30points
#3 Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
1969 - 1978 | 3 seasons | 41 episodes
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! is an animated comedy series created by the legendary animation studio Hanna-Barbera. The series revolves around a team of four teenagers - Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, and Velma - and their dog Scooby-Doo, as they travel around in their van, The Mystery Machine, and solve various mysteries. Each of the characters is loveable and memorable, especially the titular Scooby! Their adventures are grand, the jokes are hilarious, and there's not a thing to criticize this series for!
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29points
#4 The Magic School Bus
1994 | 4 seasons | 52 episodes
The Magic School Bus is a cartoon series based on books of the same name written by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. The series, same as the books, centers around a teacher called Miss Frizzle, her class, and the eponymous school bus. Together they go on exciting field trips where they discover interesting locations, creatures, time periods, and so much more! These fantastical field trips enabled the show to keep both its entertainment value and be an educational show, presenting various scientific topics to children.
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29points
#5 Curious George
2006 - 2015, 2018 - | 15 seasons | 198 episodes
Curious George is an animated comedy series based on the children’s book series of the same name by Margaret and H. A. Rey. Here, the Man In The Yellow Hat, an unorthodox museum employee, takes care of his pet monkey, the eponymous George. George is a wonderful creature - a relentless adventure seeker whose curiosity is never satisfied. Through George’s inquisitiveness the kids watching the series learn all kinds of interesting things, so Curious George isn’t just something for passing the time, but also a fun opportunity to learn something new.
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26points
#6 The Looney Tunes
1930 - 1969
Looney Tunes, an animated comedy short film series, marked the Golden Age of American animation. Looney Tunes, together with its accompanying series Merrie Melodies, introduced to us such iconic characters as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Wile E. Coyote, Marvin The Martian, and plenty, plenty more! Each of these characters had their own skits assigned to them, but it was Bugs Bunny that eventually stole the show, becoming the leading rabbit of the universe. And, if you're into classic animation, Looney Tunes is basically a manual to the genre!
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25points
#7 Phineas And Ferb
2007-2015 | 4 seasons | 129 episodes
Offbeat and very original, the animated series Phineas and Ferb might have never seen the light of day if not for the persistence of its writers - it took about 16 years of pitching the concept to various networks before securing a run on the Disney Channel. This cartoon follows Phineas Flynn and his stepbrother Ferb Fletcher on their summer vacation; the boys embark on a new grand and impossible project every day. To make it even more unique, the boys own a pet platypus Perry, who's an undercover detective. Definitely a show that never gets boring!
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25points
#9 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated
2010 - 2013 | 2 seasons | 52 episodes
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated is the eleventh incarnation in the Scooby franchise. Mystery Incorporated returns to the gang’s early days where they are still solving mysteries in their hometown, just the villains are way more outlandish than they were ever before. Another unexpected thing in the Mystery Incorporated series is that it is a continuous story with character arcs continuing from episode to episode. Also, it might just be a bit darker than other Scooby-Doo series, paying homage to the classic horror movies and seeking inspiration in H. P. Lovecraft’s works.
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23points
#11 SpongeBob SquarePants
1999 | 13 seasons | 271 episodes
So, it's a sponge living under the sea in a pineapple, hanging out with a starfish, a crab, a pet snail, and a squirrel. And that's just to name a few odd characters from SpongeBob SquarePants, an animated series that became a real phenomenon throughout the years of its run. Created by the legendary animator and marine science educator Stephen Hillenburg, this series is full of imagination and the most unbelievable adventures experienced by the weirdest characters. It was, and still is, something completely different compared to all the rest of the animated series, mostly because of its originality that stems from an unexpected setting, ingenious characters, and the beautiful message underneath it all.
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22points
#12 Clifford The Big Red Dog
2000 - 2003 | 2 seasons | 66 episodes
Clifford The Big Red Dog is an animated educational kids’ series based on Norman Bridwell’s book series of the same name. The events in the series take place on the fictional Birdwell Island, where a young girl, Emily Elizabeth, and her huge red dog, Clifford, live. Clifford gets into various adventures with other dogs and animals, mostly because of his larger-than-life personality, but always comes out of it having learned something new. It’s a great educational show where kids learn interesting things without it being too obvious.
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22points
