Friday, January 23, 2009

Popular Children Shows


Today’s society watches a lot of television throughout the day. Parents come home from a long day at work and turn on the news to see what is going on around the world. Children follow what their parents do so they come home from school or daycare and watch television just like their parents, but what do children watch?

For different age groups there are different shows for them to watch. Preschoolers need shows that teach them shapes, colors, and letters. Blue’s Clues is a great show for preschoolers to watch because it teaches them many things. It is all 30 min. long on Disney, which is an appropriate length because preschoolers get inpatient and can’t sit for a long time. Blue’s Clues covers many aspects of the preschool curriculum and deals with problem solving. What is really nice about Blue’s Clues is that it engages kids through eye-to-eye contact because the guy pauses and breaks while looking directly into the camera hoping the children at home will respond.
Another great preschool television show is Go, Diego, Go! This show is a spinoff of Dora the Explorer. The show uses a variety of Spanish words and Latin America music, which gives children a chance to get a feel of the Latin America culture. The show teaches children about animals that are native in Latin America. The show has an emphasis on cultures, languages, geography, and animals.

SpongeBob SquarePants is a very popular show. It is created for 6-11 year olds, but pretty much every age group watch it including college students. The show’s humor centers on silly situations in daily life of the main character SpongeBob.
The Suite Life of Zach and Cody is on the Disney channel and the recommended age group is 6-14 year olds. The main characters are Zach and Cody, who are twins that live in a hotel. The storylines are funny to kids and deal with topics such as boy and girl relationships. The positive side of the show is that Zach and Cody always make the right choices and resolve their problems in a positive way.

A live-action comedy that is great for teenagers is Hannah Montana. Miley Cyrus plays Miley Stewart, the main character, who struggles of finding herself and fitting in. Miley transforms into a popular singer, which is kept as a secret. This show is great with thoughtful insights into the difficulties of the middle school social scene.

These are just a few of the most popular children shows. There are so many children shows on television that people can’t even name them all. Some shows are appropriate for the age group suggested, while others are violent and should be watched by older children. Parents and older adults should watch the shows before letting their children do in case it isn’t appropriate. Watching shows with your children can help you bond and make you feel like a little kid again!

4 comments:

  1. I remember watching a few of those shows when I was younger. I never watched Hannah Montana--I watched Lizzie McGuire. :)

    I have never heard of Go, San Diego, Go before, and I think that's pretty neat that the show gives children the chance to learn of Latin culture.

    And you're right about SpongeBOb, I still watch it. It's a silly show, but I still like it.

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  2. The whole time I was reading your post, I had a smile on my face, because I have watched many of those programs and still sometimes do. I like that you brought up the fact that children follow in their parent's footsteps and we should keep in mind as to what we watch when we around them. My niece who is going to turn 3 in 2 months is quite fluent in Spanish thanks to Dora. I feel that it is a good idea to expose children to different cultures before they enter the school setting. I was wondering are there any shows geared to different cultures? Thanks for the laugh Barclay!

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  3. I think it’s great how you are blogging about children’s TV. I enjoy watching The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, I find some of the things the twins do to be hilarious. I don’t know why but I find myself attracted to the Disney channel still! I also enjoy watching Hannah Montana. I find some of the humor to be appointed at an older age group. I find it incredible for “Hannah” to go from someone not being able to fit in at school to a girl that is the most popular in the music industry, children can learn from this. Great post reminding us of the past!!

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  4. I enjoyed reading your blog! I think it's great that there are those shows out there for children to watch and actually learn something that they can use. I think Dora the Explorer and Blue's Clues are great for children! However, there are those children shows that all ages watch. My dad still likes to watch Spongebob and my 23 year old sister still likes to watch the Suite Life of Zach and Cody!

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