Cartoons with a Purpose: the Best Educational Shows for Kids

Looking for cartoons for your little ones which besides being fun and intriguing to watch will also have some educational message? Good, you’ve come to the right place. Yup, kids love watching TV, or anything that has blinking stuff that move for that matter. A lot of parents seem to think that all animated TV shows are created equal, but you and I know better. In the realm of children cartoons on internet, not all of them were created with the same purpose in mind - some of them are better suited for learning language arts, some are best to learn math, while others are a great beginning to start having some perception of science. Let’s take a look at the best ones meant for each purpose.

Language Arts

• “Word Girl” – This is a great cartoon where the main hero is a girl. She and Captain Huggy Face (a monkey) fight crime together. No worries, no shotguns and blood; the crime is not knowing which is the best word to use in a certain situation. This cartoon runs for 30 minutes and in each episode 4 vocabulary words are being introduced. These four words are used in different situations in the show in order to help kids understand in what context they can be used. The great thing about this cartoon is that besides enriching their vocabulary, also helps kids improve their reading skills.

Math

• “Cyber Chase” – Truth be told, there are not many cartoons on net that promote learning math – most of them are mainly focused on helping kids learn how to read. However, math also plays a huge role in life, and sooner or later, many kids find it difficult to fully understand it. The story in Cyber Chase revolves around a villain who tries to conquer the world, while the cyber kids save the day. But the funny thing about it is that they try to win through solving math puzzles. Cool, right? The topics for every following episode are based on the concepts given by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and strictly follow their recommended learning standards.

Science

• “Sid the Science Kid” – Sid is one very, very curious kid. As he and his friends go to school every day, they find many things around them quite interesting and ask questions. Their teacher helps them explore and find out the answers of their questions by discovering the science around them. While doing so, Sid and his classmates learn how to understand the world around them while also enjoying and having fun.

Social and Emotional Development

• “The Wonder Pets” – This cartoon involves three small classroom pets that when no one is around, save the lives of other animals. Tuck, Liney and Ming Ming receive a phone call by another animal that is in trouble and this is how actually the show starts. After they hear his story, they fly off to save him. The great thing about this cartoon is that it helps kids acquire problem solving skills, team work skills as well as helps them realize the need that when someone is in danger, they need to help him.

While all these are cartoons of great quality and are a great start for your kids to gain some basic knowledge in certain fields, there are some other things you will need to remember to do as your little ones watch cartoons:

• Watch the shows with your kids. The more you interact with them, the better they will understand the lesson and the concept of the show. Also, it is always good to ask your kids some questions as you all watch the cartoon. If they don’t know the answer to your question regarding the cartoon – help them discover it. Plus, you can also help them make predictions as to what could happen further on in the cartoon. Be creative and have fun together!
• Limit the amount of time that you allow your kids to watch TV and cartoons. Although they might be programs of high quality and might contain highly educational contents, it is important to keep their time spent in front of a screen of any kind to a minimum. There are also many other ways to help them learn, make sure to combine their activities.