Gentlemommy Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 I think my 9 year old is finally ready to move on from the PBS cartoons lol. We have Netflix, which is what they watch mostly. They are allowed an hour per day of screen time. My six year old also watches with her most of the time. What I'm finding is that all of the shows that are marketed to this age are full of sassy/unkind kids, or 12 year olds focused on dating/getting a boy/girl friend. I'm not ok with that, honestly I'm much more likely to let her watch something with violence over this syrupy tween garbage. I let them watch Lab Rats today, with me watching and it was terrible. The whole show was one little boy (he looked 13???) changing himself from 'nerd' to 'cool guy" to win a girl. The worst part was that his DAD was the one that gave him the advice and helped him in the end to change his clothes, swagger, and ultimately get the girl to notice him. Wth??? Not the message I was my girls to get. My dd is not at all interested in boys like that, she still loves boys as play mates because they are willing to climb trees, get dirty, and play roughhousing, active games. I want to keep that for her, there will be time enough later for her to see them as 'boyfriends'. To give you an idea, her favorite shows now are Call of the Wildman (😳lol), Cake Boss (this one annoyed me), and any wild animal documentary. They also love old Tom and Jerry, Woody Woodpecker, type cartoons. We need some non cartoon options....any suggestions??? This is hard and honestly I don't want to have to screen 44982923734 shows because I HATE the tween, teeny bopper shows. 😣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicianmom Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 (edited) * Edited May 23, 2022 by musicianmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renthead Mommy Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 It is still a catoon, but my kid loves Class of the Titans. They are a bunch of high school kids who are decendants of greek gods and hero and are being trained by Zues, Hera, Hercules and a bunch of other gods to fight Kronos who is always trying to take over the wirld or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 [shudder] Lab Rats! Aaaack. I agree it's an awkward age - so many shows are poorly done. What about shows like Mythbusters, the United Stats of America, stuff like that? SciGirls? It's on PBS, but it's not a cartoon. We like that one, here. Fetch (Ruff Ruffman). Have you seen all of the Jeff Corwin shows? Oh, and the one about looking for treasure on underwater ships - what is it called? Treasure Quest? I have a 10 year old boy, so his interests might be a bit different, but the above have been good ones. Also, Avatar - the cartoon series was good. He liked Star Trek TNG, too. And he's just started watching Dr. Who, though I'm not convinced about that one. :) He liked Merlin, up until season 3, at which point it was too dark for him. I'll be watching for more ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renthead Mommy Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 Also before the A Team movie came out, we made my then 2nd/3/rd grader watch the first few episodes of the TV show. He ended up loving it. Try looking into 80's series like that. Macgyver was on instant play for long time, don't know if it is still there or not. And that one where he jumped through time and every show ended up with him realizing he was in another time period and saying "Oh Boy". eta: Remembered it, "Quantum Leap" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 Teen Titans, Batman Beyond, Spiderman, DS9, I don't know. I don't really care that much, as they watch little enough TV. Right now most of their screentime is going to watching minecraft tutorials and playing same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 We don't have TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 We don't have cable so it's Netflix and such here Myth busters Documentaries How it's made Scorpion (crime show) Numb3rs (crime show) Anime Poirot Sherlock My boys are 11 and 14 right now. They watch very little TV over all. They would rather be on computers. Lately they've mistly been watching Anime on Netflix and on Crunchyroll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 The 12 year old likes Top Gear and Star Trek. That's about it. He rarely watches TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 My DD9 loves HGTV and the Food Network, as well as Mythbusters, Nature, Top Shot, Pawn Stars, and American Pickers. Fortunately, it seems that Netflix and Amazon Prime have at least some of these available most of the time-we just lost the Discovery and History stuff, but gained HGTV and Food Network stuff. What she DOESN'T like is Animal Planet-too much sensationalism and making animals seem mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Closeacademy Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 At that age it was: The Harry Potter movies Marvel movies the new Spiderman and Avenger's cartoons Ninjago documentaries about animals mainly wild cats Since the early part and now working toward teenage, she's switched mainly to anime that I've approved. But she also likes Oddities and the prepping shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 I feel like the best "tween" show I've seen with my kids is The Sparticle Mystery, which was a CBBC show. My kids were obsessed with it for awhile. Other stuff... Doctor Who Mythbusters The Amazing Race Phineas and Ferb Project Runway Regular Show Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 I agree with the Avatar cartoon series. That is a good one. My kids usually watch Star Wars Clone Wars when they have TV time. They also like The Voice and The Amazing Race. They sometimes watch Pokemon. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 My soon-to-be 10yo likes My Little Pony and Rachel vs. Guy Kids Cook-off; not much else. Oh, and Animal Planet's Too Cute shows. :ack2: (Really, that show is *too* cute. But she is very much into cute baby animals.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 We don't have TV. I assume you mean, in the context of this thread, that your tween doesn't watch anything then, no shows at all? Because, LOL, I am driven infernally insane by my kids' friends who proudly proclaim that they don't have a TV...but watch way more TV than my kids do with 24/7 access to their iPads and computers...which obviously aren't TVs but transmit television programming nonetheless... Anyway, I think it's an odd badge of pride for some people. Not that this frustrates me or anything... :leaving: My kids love Mythbusters and cooking shows. They like Dog with a Blog. DS11 likes to watch DH's car shows with him. They will all watch anything on science or history. Documentaries lure them in, even ones too boring for me. LOL They love that show Brain Games. The one sitcom we watch as a family is The Middle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lulu* Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 We are also a netflix only family. The Disney channel shows drive me nuts as well. Beyond the overall annoying-ness and constant stereotypes, what I hate most is that almost all the laughs are at the expense of a character on the show. I tell my kids everytime they ask why they can't watch those shows everyday that life is funny enough on its own; we need to laugh with people not at them. For that reason we save the Disney shows for when I need the tv to function as babysitter. (The two situations that come to mind are when the kids are sick but feeling well enough to start annoying each other and on the rare occasion when we get stuck at church much longer than usual I will let them watch on the IPad.) Non-Disney shows my Tweens love: Mythbusters Clone Wars My Little Pony Avengers (newer cartoon series) Leverage (seriously, Sister loves this show beyond reason) Slug terra Off Limits Hogs Gone Wild Nova Dr. Who Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lulu* Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 Okay, I just checked her list on Netflix and I missed a few: Young Justice Ruby Gloom Cupcake Wars Transformers Prime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 Well, my very first thought when I saw your thread title was... Lab Rats. It's a cute show- kids with bionic powers? That's fun and completely unrealistic. Why I was going to recommend it was because of all the tween shows out there (and we watch a lot of them) this one stands out as the least relationship focused. There are the occasional episodes about someone wanting to date someone, but for the most part the show doesn't go there. Sure, it's cheesy, but there are SO many other shows that are far worse. Dog With A Blog is also that way- being lighter about dating. Yes, there's some relationship stuff, but the teen girl isn't always boy crazy and is presented as an intellectual girl who actually enjoys school and learning. We're actually quite enjoying the new show Girl Meets World right now. The relationship stuff has come up, but the characters seem to have chosen to be good friends rather than explore their feelings, and I appreciate that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Once Upon a Time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Avatar - my tween and teen still watch this even though they've seen every episode more than once (dh and I actually watch it often with them, too) Merlin Robin Hood Once Upon a Time Phineas & Ferb Gravity Falls We also all watch a lot of HGTV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypatia. Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 10 year old DS1 and 8 year old DD1 watch: My Little Pony Star Wars The Clone Wars (going to start Rebels soon) Doctor Who Star Trek (finishing up Voyager right now) Ninjago and some obnoxious cartoon on Netflix called Zig and Sharko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Ds watches America's Funniest Videos, Food Channel, Mythbusters, The Middle, Dr Who. That's about all I can think of. Oh, he also likes Wipeout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 The kids rarely watch tv, but we have a very large collection of Japanese anime, complete Dr. Who seasons, and bunches of movies in general on DVD. TV aimed at that age group is so badly done. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 My kids are still very much into Wild Kratts. They don't watch much TV, though. They love Animaniacs on Amazon Prime and we own a few seasons of Horrible Histories. TBH, my littles watch more TV (still not much) and if they feel like watching, they'll watch in passing. Usually, they spend most afternoons and into the evening playing outside or making up plays or crafting random and weird things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlemommy Posted October 27, 2014 Author Share Posted October 27, 2014 I forgot we love Mythbusters and How It's Made too...I'll look into more of the food network shows...Cupcake wars was a hit here. They still love the Kratts Brothers. Our problem is that while we have lots of great movie ideas, they don't normally have enough time to watch a movie...only one hour of screen time means they each can pick a show of their choic, or agree on one longer show. We do watch full movies on Friday nights or the weekend...however I need some shorter shows for during the week. We do have an iPad with some games, but they don't alwasy want to play those either... I find it sad and frustrating that there are dozens of shows specifically geared for this age, and so many of them really suck. 😒 There are so many ways to appeal to kids in that age range without resorting to shallow, sassy, and sexy characters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 I assume you mean, in the context of this thread, that your tween doesn't watch anything then, no shows at all? Because, LOL, I am driven infernally insane by my kids' friends who proudly proclaim that they don't have a TV...but watch way more TV than my kids do with 24/7 access to their iPads and computers...which obviously aren't TVs but transmit television programming nonetheless... Anyway, I think it's an odd badge of pride for some people. Not that this frustrates me or anything... :leaving: My kids love Mythbusters and cooking shows. They like Dog with a Blog. DS11 likes to watch DH's car shows with him. They will all watch anything on science or history. Documentaries lure them in, even ones too boring for me. LOL They love that show Brain Games. The one sitcom we watch as a family is The Middle. Oh, this is so true! My SIL says they don't have TV in this way, but her kids have more screen time than anyone I've ever seen. They watch everything. They use Netflix, and Hulu, and internet sites, and rent/buy movies all the time. We haven't had satellite or cable since 2004, when DS was born. But we have computers and other devices, so I'm not comfortable saying we don't have TV. We do, it just comes into the house through a different means. The kids still watch shows. And one more vote for whoever mentioned the Sparticle Project or Mystery (can't remember which is called) - DS loved that one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Shows my kids loved but I have no idea if they are on netflix: Monk Full House Phineas and Ferb Cupcake Wars Cake Boss Ace of Cakes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Current favorites here are Stargate SG1, Chopped, we still love Hannah Montana, Dirty Jobs, MacGyver, My Little Pony (which drives me bonkers). We no longer have cable but we loved Iron Chef, Good Eats, and the wonderful Food Network Challenges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 That's about when we moved on to old sitcoms: Dick Van Dyke, Get Smart, I Love Lucy, etc. Also, some of the Star Trek series. (We loved Star Trek: The Next Generation.) I'm not as familiar with the current shows for that age group, since my kids are older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AprilTN Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Leave it to Beaver Psych (for teens) Say Yes to the Dress Barbie Life in the DreamHouse Phineas and Ferb Dogs 101 Globe Trekker House Hunters House Hunters International Little House on the Prairie Martha Stewart Living 19 Kids and Counting The Munsters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelAR05 Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Adding "Annedroids" on Amazon Prime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 my about to be 10 year old likes Doctor Who Good Eats Jumanji Adventure time anything by David Attenborough Cosmos (the new one) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Youtube videos of people playing video games. Most annoying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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