With summer right around the corner, homework will soon become a thing of the past—and, like most moms out there, I’m anticipating a lot more TV viewing in my household! As a parent of younger children, I recognize the importance of making available to my kids a wide selection of titles while also ensuring that their viewing choices are age-appropriate. The following shows are a dream for any parent of young children, allowing kids to stay entertained while I remain worry-free!
- Superhero Animated TV
When my kids are in a superhero mood, there’s no shortage of programming to turn to. As a longtime fan of comics and animated TV, I’m grateful for shows like Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series, which have allowed me to introduce some of the heroes I grew up with to my own children. My kids and I also love the Cartoon Network show Justice League, which combines a diverse array of classic heroes and heroines: in addition to Batman and Superman, such figures as Green Lantern, The Flash, Hawkgirl, and Wonder Woman join together to protect humankind. This one’s a household favorite, offering the boys and girls alike characters to look up to—it’ll be a long time before we run out of Halloween costume ideas!
- Classic Cartoons
Other favorites in my household include such timeless classics as the Warner Bros. series Looney Toons and the wacky mystery franchise Scooby-Doo. We also tune in to Nickelodeon’s new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, which gives one of my childhood favorites an updated look! Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants (its most highly rated show ever), along with Dora the Explorer, follow the adventures of their main characters as they encounter new people and places on land and at sea. And to boot, my kids can go to Nick.com to access adventure and puzzle games that allow them to interact with SpongeBob, Dora, and other characters from these series.
- Japanese Animation
My kids also love shows from other countries—and especially Japan, the powerhouse of animation! Fortunately, Nickelodeon offers a wealth of options, including kid-friendly versions of shows originally designed for teenaged audiences, to choose from. Some of my kids’ (and, admittedly, my own) favorites are Dragon Ball Z Kai and Yu-Gi-Oh!.
- American and East Asian Cinema
We’re also currently obsessed with the action-packed American-made series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which not only draws on Chinese martial arts practices (and what kid doesn’t love martial arts?) but also incorporates elements of both traditional American and East Asian cinema techniques, making it a particularly stunning—and educational—viewing experience for the entire family! The series Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, which uses the high-tech computer animation style seen in the films from which it was inspired, is also a favorite in our home.
With the advent of satellite TV, families have access to more viewing options than ever before. Fortunately, providers such as DISH Network make it easy to offer kids the same wide range of viewing choices that adults enjoy. So, the entire family can sit back and relax and enjoy watching television.
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Stevie decided to get DISH satellite service and let her entire family enjoy their own genre of television.