As far as we are concerned, children are quite allowed to enjoy some screen time once in a while. But please, let it be about something. And that is why we have listed the best educational children's series for you. In short, children's series about nature, sustainability, science or technology that really teach our kiddos something - and that are a thousand times better alternative to YouTube Shorts.
Educational children's series and TV programmes, including on sustainability
Together with our followers, we have compiled a great list of educational children's series on Netflix and NPO (and some other streaming services). The tips below are for children of primary school age, from grade 3 onwards. Some tips are specifically for very young children, in which case we have added it.
Sustainable viewing tips for children
- Working with Floris (NPO): animal expert Floris Göbel travels across the Netherlands to help as many animals in shelters as possible.
- Ask the Storybots (Netflix): five curious little animals seek the answers to children's big questions, such as: ‘Why does it become night?’ and ‘Why do I have to brush my teeth?’. Also suitable for young viewers!
- Beast Brigade (NPO): forester Tim goes into the country with two toddlers to give nature a hand. For young viewers!
- Foresters wanted (NPO): Forest ranger Tim is too busy. That's why he is looking for help. In this programme, children can show they are fit to be foresters.
- Brain Child (Netflix): bacteria, emotions, social media and much more - explaining the science around us in an original and accessible way.
- Brainstorm (NPO): in this programme, you will learn all about the fascinating workings of your brain and mind, together with test pilot Janouk Kelderman and brain scientist Job van den Hurk.
- The Magic School Bus (Netflix): endless adventures full of science and fun. Fun for young viewers too!
- The tasting kitchen (NPO): wisecrackers Pieter Hulst and Willem Voogd dissect all kinds of products and investigate how they are made.
- Earth Challenge (NPO): presenter Klaas van Kruistum and astronaut André Kuipers take you on an extraordinary voyage of discovery through the history of our planet.
- Emily's Wonder Lab (Netflix): science enthusiast Emily makes everything fun with cool activities and impressive home experiments that provoke thought.
- FreekTV (YouTube): YouTube channel of biologist Freek Vonk with lots of animal videos.
- Freek's wild world (NPO): the Netherlands' best-known biologist travels the world in search of the most extraordinary animals.
- The Clockhouse (NPO): every working day, children can learn something about the world around them. They also have a special On the ecological footprint (series) and a great podcast series.
- Youth News (NPO): the daily news, but for kids. There is also a Jeugdjournaal podcast!
- Knor (Pathé): For her ninth birthday, Babs receives the piglet Knor as a present from her grandfather from America. Her parents are not too happy about this. Only on the condition that Knor takes a puppy course is Babs allowed to keep him.
- Koos the Koala (YouTube): Koos the Koala inspires children to take good care of our earth. Koos is a sweet and brave koala who lost his home due to deforestation (to about seven years old!).
- The People's Library: in this library, children may borrow a living book. These ‘books’ are people with a special story.
- Stitches & Punctures (NPO): Jurre Geluk and Emma Wortelboer test how much different animal stings and bites hurt. To find out, they take turns letting another animal sting, prick, pinch or bite them.
- Studio Snugger (NPO): show programme in which at lightning speed topics from world education pass by. In the studio, the central question is whether it is true or not. Is it ‘gibberish’?
- Welcome to history (NPO): In this comic, historical talk show, Dorine Goudsmit receives her guests who have been dead for centuries. Almost every famous Dutchman passes by in a (supporting) role. Also great for adults!
- Waku Waku (NPO): a Dutch television quiz about animals and nature. Who hasn't grown up with it...
- Wild Neighbours (NPO): All over our country, there are conflicts between humans and animals: with beavers, gulls, wolves and pigs. Gabriel Martina, better known as Wildebras, comes to the rescue as an animal advocate and shows how we can live together.
Your favourite children's series on Netflix or from another streaming service?
Hopefully, this list will give you enough responsible TV-watching material for another while. And remember: let children watch as much as possible on a big screen, at an appropriate distance, and minimise screen time on tablets and smartphones. Are you on holiday, travelling or at a restaurant and can't manage that for a while? Then the 20-20-2 rule is important: after every 20 minutes of screen time, children should look into the distance for 20 seconds before starting a new round of viewing. A handy aid to this is this alarm clock (Works tremendously well, I speak from personal experience!). And make sure your child plays outside for at least two hours a day to experience enough daylight. This will keep your children's eyes healthy, that is important. Do you have another golden tip for an educational children's film or series? Let us know, we will add to this list with love!
More kid tips from thegreenlist.nl
- Also see: This handy list of sustainable children's clothing brands.
- Also see: This is how to find the best second-hand children's clothes.
- Also see: educational podcast tips for kids!
Photo credits: Ksenia Chernaya (Pexels).
