TV Shows for 5Yr Old Girl

So she basically does not like, shows that are for her age.

I was talking with my Daughter's 1st Grade Teacher once. A VERY seasoned well experienced Teacher who has gotten many awards as "Teacher of the Year" etc. She said- that she CAN tell, which kids watch "teen" or Pre-Teen shows at home. Because, their behavior and emotional development, reflects that.
She said, it is sad... that they, at this age, do not have a "child's heart" anymore. They are, already jaded. And they don't even know what that means.

I also spoke to a Pediatric Endocrinologist once, and he said, he always asks the patient's parents, which shows their child watches and what kind of posters their child has on their wall. Environmental influences... can and may tie into a child's accelerated emotional development, and it not being, congruent with their age and development. For better or worse.

I love Backyardigans. We watch lots of the PBS shows. There are several are aimed at school age kids (on in the afternoon usually) as well as the ones aimed at preschoolers. My 5 year old says Sesame Street is too young for him but he still will watch it with his little sister and seems to enjoy it. We got The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock on DVD and the kids love them (and my husband and I enjoy them too). I have also seen Fraggle Rock on one of the kids channels.

Scratch all those shows. Hook her on shows like the animal planet or the history channel shows. Don't let her fill up her brain on junk shows.

To the best of my knowledge there aren't any. There are acted shows for toddlers and preteens, but for the 5-7 & 7-10 age groups, it's all animated UNLESS you hit classic TV (i Dream of Jeanie, Bewitched, Mr Ed, Adams Family, Brady Bunch, Little House, etc.)

We switched from cable to netflix. These are the shows my 8yo watches

- Pink Panther
- Bugs Bunny/Roadrunner
- Little House on the Prarie
- Walking with Dinosaurs
- Eureka
- Doctor Who
- Kipper
- Fireman Sam
- Veggie Tales
- Spider Man
- Transformers
- Phineas & Ferb
- Universe
- Blue Planet
- Wallace & Grommit
- Fraggle Rock
- The Muppet Show
- Inspector Gadget
- Magic Schoolbus

I'm having a really hard time wrapping my head around the fact that many mother allow their young daughters to watch those teenage girl shows. I find them hideous! Where we used to live during the first half of the school year, the girls in my daughter's kindergarten class had no idea who these teen girls were as the mothers did not allow them to watch that and kept things age appropriate. That made my job much easier!

The second half of the school we moved near Philly. *sigh* The mothers here find it wonderful that their daughters watch teenage girl shows and think they're wonderful role models! NOT! My daughter came home talking about how she has a new BFF. She never knew what that meant until moving here. She was never that concerned with her appearance and dress until moving here. She comes home singing songs that her girlfriends on the bus sing from those teen shows about how they want a boyfriend and other inappropriate things for a kindergartner. I detest it! I have to have conversations with her explaining how to be her own person and how those things are way too old for her and to enjoy being 6 because soon enough she'll have to grow up and get a job and have more work to do. Blah. It seems to be working as she is a more independent girl. I also told her it's ok to be a leader and set a good example on what is good and what is not. She has been telling her friends this and not always popular but she sticks to her guns. Good for my independent little girl!

What I do at home is use the parental controls and block everything that is not appropriate for my 6 year old triplets. Anything older than them needs to have a PIN entered. I also DVR shows that they like and will play those for them. I also buy DVDs that my kids like and that I approve of.

For your daughter, it sounds like she's trying to be too big for her britches. I would definitely have a long and firm talk with her. If there's nothing on TV or DVD that she likes that you do not approve of let her know that she will go without, period. She is only 5 and needs to act like 5, and that is that. Kids grow up way too fast to give in to peer pressure and what the TV melds out minds into believing.

There are shows like Word Girl and the Power Puff Girls, Martha Speaks, My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake. I'd tell her, "Take it or leave it!" and then tell her to go read a book or color, lol.

Good luck!

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

How about PBS shows? They have a lot more than Sesame Street these days. There is Arthur, Cat in the Hat, Dinosaur Train, Sid the Science Kid to name a few. I wuold gear her more towards the educational program than the purely entertainment shows. Magic School Bus is also an excellent program and there are books that go along with the episodes.

In my opinion, new TV stinks for kids.
Both of my kids absolutely loved I Love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver, Andy Griffith Show, Dick Van Dyke show. Mr. Ed. They liked Little House on the Prairie too.
I was surprised that some kids who came over had zero interest in watching many of those shows because they weren't in color. However, before long...they were laughing.
If you want something a little more modern, check out Wishbone. It was a series on PBS and my kids just loved it.
Wishbone is a dog and he's a real dog...very talented. The story lines blend with literature. It's pretty cool.
I'm sure you can buy them on DVD, but I found this one on youtube.
These are some of my kids favorites.
My kids loved history and had great imaginations.
Schoolhouse Rock is another thing that I watched growing up and I've purchased several sets for kids b-day presents, etc. They are animated, but the songs are so catchy, a kid can't help but learn.

Check them out and have fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIac28Ro2tU

k

absolutely, stick to your guns...those older shows are soooo obnoxious & create mouthy kids!

Try nature-oriented programming. Try going without tv!! Try substituting music for tv! With my daycare, we watch 1 show/day....if that! It works & we're all happy....

Only read a few of the responses, so forgive me if I am being repetitive! My first reaction is: Too old for cartoons? Are you kidding me?! I watched cartoons until I was in high school, I think! :) My kids (ages 4 and 6) enjoy Tom and Jerry and Garfield.
If she doesn't want to watch shows that are appropriate for her age, why don't you explore some wholesome alternatives like playing outside in the sprinkler, practicing words or reading/being read to, coloring with fancy markers, making a terrarium, playing matching games, creating a scrapbook, etc. The last thing you want to do is allow her to watch TV shows like iCarly or Spongebob that promote attitudes and behaviors that are just not appropriate for a child of her age. (Actually, I don't see the value in these shows at any age!) I did read the response of the person who mentioned that teachers can tell who watches these programs by their behaviors, and so can I! The kids who displayed poor behavior in my child's kindergarten class were those who watched those shows.
Don't be afraid to turn off the TV! THere are plenty of alternatives and you will be glad you did.

Here are the choices my daughter has:

PBS
Nick Jr

Mythbusters (Discovery Channel)
How it is Made
Wipe Out
Animal Plant (only if it is talking about the various dogs/cats nothing that is disturbing)

If she does not like what is allowed then the TV goes off, I try to give a choice of this or that, if she wants neither then she does not get to watch TV. I will not let my daughter watch something that I feel is not for her age.

We also do the movie thing if there really is nothing on and I need to get a good 30-60 mins of house work done.

Sorry...kids for the most part are too sassy and grown on most shows and I don't want mine modeling their behaviors.

I'd put the TV on a PBS channel, Animal Planet, Discovery. something that will educate her. And if she doesn't like anything I'd turn it off. Our PBS station has Arthur, Sid the Science Guy, Sesame Street, Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies, Animal Exploration with Jarod Miller, Word Girl, Jane and the Dragon, shows that get kids thinking and have good role models.

Old TV shows are great, too. We had I Love Lucy on one day and my little guy, 27 months, was laughing so hard and so loud at it he got the rest of us laughing. Shows like Little House on the Prairie that show life in a different era are good, Liberty Kids are cartoons about our country's fight for freedom, so kids learn history while watching. Schoolhouse Rock is now a classic and so fun! All of these are available on DVD.

Get to the library and check out some books for her to read, and take a look at the DVD's available there to check out. Ask the Children's librarian what ones they'd recommend. TV and/or computer time should be limited to an hour or so a day and monitored. Have her earn her TV time. Watch the shows with her and talk to her about them. Ask what she learned, use the examples in the shows to get her to think about how she would react to the same situation.

Hide the remote, give her TV choices to enrich her rather than just vegging out in front of it, and encourage her to step away from the TV and do physical activity, read or make crafts.

I cancelled cable because my 4 & 5 yr old wanted nothing but icarly, hannah montana etc. I was upset when I saw the saturday line up that said "Today will be dedicated to all the kissing shows". So they showed all the episodes of kissing. I couldn't believe it so we cancelled cable. It was the best thing we did.

Now we get movies from the library. We also have HD antennae. There is old school shows like brady bunch, cosby, leave it to beaver. They really have grown to like these shows. But honestly my tv is on maybe for an hour every few days. They play & do crafts & have no interest in tv anymore.

Has she seen "Between the Lions" on PBS? Great show if you can get past the idea that you're watching puppets. They live in the library and each 30 min episode they read two books and teach phonics from that book. My 2 yr old used to watch it daily (now we don't have tv. Strangely I miss it)

My kids love watching old tv shows with me- Brady Bunch, Andy Griffith, I Love Lucy - they just don't make stuff like that anymore.

we have a 4 year old, and here are the shows that are most often on at our house:

Doctor Who (any we can get our hands on, from the 70s to current, although we haven't let her watch any of the newest episodes, I think they're too scary, and she told me River Song is better than the Doctor b/c she uses guns. Not cool to me, the Doctor's best asset is his ability to use words to get out of situations)
Sarah Jane Adventures
Mythbusters
How it's Made (on the Science Channel)
Food Network
The States on the History Channel whenever it airs.
iCarly (sorry, I love it!)
Max and Ruby
Backyardigans
Jake and the Neverland Pirates
Olivia
Looney Tunes
Scooby Doo
Anything Disney/Pixar
Little Bill
Rugrats

My almost 6 y/o loves Nick Jr (formerly Noggin), The Hub (Jem, Gi Joe, Transformers, Fraggle Rock, etc), she will occasionally watch Sprout or PBS kids and Disney Junior.

You are the parent, you tell your child what she can and cannot watch - PERIOD. Even SPonge Bob is a cartoon I steer my child away from due to the vapidness, stupidity and adult humor of the cartoon... iCarly and other tween/teen shows - yeah, not in my household.

I allow my almost 6 y/o to watch a lot of adult shows and movies with us - but with my 100% participation so I can answer questions or explain things as they happen. We also watch a lot of the Science Channel, Animal channel, HGTV/DIY, etc.

My daughter (6) loves cartoons, but one non-cartoon show she likes is Dino Dan. It's sweet and somewhat educational.

I wouldn't allow iCarly or shows like that.

Hayao Miyazaki's movies are... incredible. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayao_Miyazaki

I know you asked about TV, but these movies are so fantastic they are worth mentioning. As are many of the Pixar flicks (mine are in a Wall-E phase right now). Also, my kids have actually reached the age where animal documentaries are interesting, so we've been watching all sorts of fascinating stuff.

My daughter likes Betsy's Kindergarten Adventure because she is 5 and will be going into Kindergarten this next school year, so she can relate. She feels like it's less "baby-ish," eventhough it's still a cartoon.

I let her watch America's Funniest Home Videos and Wipeout, but we've stayed away from the tween shows.

My 5 yr old daughter is exactly the same way. she loves Hannah Montanna and Good Luck Charlie and Zack and Cody, but mostly b/c her 8 yr old brother watches them. We have had to limit those shows lately so what they have been watching is Scooby Doo and Tom and Jerry. She does also like Max and Ruby, Strawberry Shortcake, etc Sometimes I will tape shows on the DVR to keep when there is nothing good on, or I put a DVD in. She also like Dora but is getting to where she thinks she is too old for that as well. Try Scooby Doo and Tom and Jerry, you can get a $5 DVD of them at Target or can still find them on Cable.

My daughter watched movies more than TV shows at that age. And she would watch the same movie over and over. If you have a DVD player, this might be an option. Some that got a lot of play with us:

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
the Lion King
Finding Nemo
Monsters, Inc.

I'm not a ton of help since our little guys (both 5) still love cartoons like Sid the Science Kid and Arthur, but they just got hooked on Between the Lions (not animated). As you can tell, we are big PBS fans in our house. The only other channels we let them watch (usually with us) are TLC - they love Cake Boss - and the Food Network. Last fall's fave was Worst Cooks in America (very cute when explained by a five year old) and now we love Chopped. I suggest asking her about what interests her and find real TV that fits - there are lots of cool "how things are made" or "where weather comes from" shows on the more educational networks...

We don't do tv so no recommendations on current shows. But the Planet Earth Series (done by the BBC) is AMAZING. And you can watch 15 minutes, shut it off and head outside to play. Jean Michel Cousteau also has a set of CDs about the oceans that is great.

I LOVED Schoolhouse Rock - the old ones. I don't know about the new ones. You can get them on video.

Phineas and Ferb, Fish Hooks, Good Luck Charlie, ANT Farm, Pair of Kings, Dino Dan, Wizards of Waverly Place, Suite Life/On Deck, Imagination Movers

My daughter watches Strawberry Shortcake,My Little Pony, Phineas and Ferb, Shake it up, Bubble Guppies, Olivia, Suite Life on Deck,etc. As long as it's rated G she won't be exposed to all the "bad words" like shut up , stupid and idiot:)

Have you watched iCarly with her? It's a pretty cute show and I don't remember ever hearing anything that might be objectionable to a 5 year old girl. There's a Tiny bit of romance and it's all very innocent. I found it more slightly-upsetting that Carly's dad is away in the military, and where's her mom!?
How about old episodes of Full House or Family Matters? They come on everyday here.
I think if you watch With Her, any show she's interested in is ok. As long as you're there to help her understand, or to mute or turn it off if it's scary, for example, or to let her know it's ok to close her eyes, tune out, turn it off on parts she doesn't like. Usually kids I know aren't Just watching, they are also lego-ing, playing with dolls, etc., and they look up at the good parts.

I teach fours and fives at preschool and they really like the backyardigans (i love them too! They sing great and have imaginative adventures - it is animated). They all love scooby doo too. Charlie and lola is another good one. They're all still animated, but they have more advanced and interesting story lines than blues clues or something like it. I can't think of any real ppl shows that are super appropriate for five year olds. I think she will like the ones i listed. Lots of times you can get them at the library on DVD. PBS has some great ones too!

A few weeks ago my DD (5) came to me and said (in reference to her cousin's Justin Beiber party) "Mom, I am a little worried about going to her party...you know because of Justice Beaver...it's pretty silly."

Love filled my mom heart. :)

We happily don't have cable. DD watches PBS. She likes most of them still.
(I have banned a few. ;))

What she is really into right now...Angelina Ballerina, Animated Anne of Green Gables, and Word Girl.

She still LOVES Charlie and Lola, Arthur, Clifford, VeggieTales, Max and Ruby...can't think of the others...

We go to the library and that has opened a love of all things daddy loved growing up. All the old Disney (Chip N Dale, Dark Wing Duck) shows are being enjoyed here lately.

I loved watching the Disney family movies when I was little.

Ooh-I forgot one of her most helpful favorites! Punky Brewster! :) <3

My soon to be 6 year old is also TV obsessed. She could wath TV morning until night but fortunately she is in school most days so it is limited. Anyway, the show she requests most right now is Power Rangers which can be see on Nick on Demand. As for daily programming she most enjoys PBS Kids which is a great alternative to Nick Jr & Disney. Most of the shows are educational although I think all are cartoons but I watched cartoons until I was like 10 when I was a kid. Her favorites are Word Girl & Wild Kraft Brothers. Both are wholesome and teach lessons. I have watched ICarly & Hannah Montana and I don't see any redeeming qualities in these shows. She is the oldest in our house so the longer we can limit exposure to these pop cult faves the better.

I would tell her that she's too young for other TV, and if she's too old for cartoons, guess TV will just have to be turned off for a while!

What type of cartoons is she "too old" for? Blues Clues I get. But have you shown her things like Foghorn Leghorn, Looney Toons, Tom and Jerry? I'm not a particular fan of them, myself, because of the repeated violence they show, but they're a world better than things like Spongebob and iCarly!

I have the same exact issue with my 6 year old. All her old fav's seem too babyish for her and it drives me crazy that iCarly and Victorious are kind of her only options. And to make it worse, our 3 year old is now watching those shows! Our kids are gone at school or summer camp ALL day, so they do not get a lot of tv time, but they are watching what your daughter is. If they say any words I don't like such as Stupid, Hate or Hot (as in, someone is good looking) I immediatly explain that is not acceptable at our house and if they use those words, there will be no more tv.

Good luck! Just wanted you to know you're not the only one in this situation!!