In our homeschool, we absolutely believe that technology and screen time have their place! Today, I’m sharing some of the homeschool TV shows that we use to supplement our curriculum and unit studies. We call them “learning shows” and often the kids will pick one of their favorites from this list when its time for me to make lunch or dinner. However, I also dig through most of these when I’m creating unit studies, so that I can pick out episodes that pair well with our topics.
Cyberchase
In this show, three kids solve math problems to save a cyber world. We watch on the PBS Kids subscription through Amazon prime. This show is best for older elementary schoolers, but we’ve found a few episodes that work for younger students as well.
The Magic School Bus
This classic is one of my favorites! I will use any excuse to show an episode of this show! Ms. Frizzle and her (mostly) eager class explore almost every science topic you can think of. For your older elementary schoolers, here are a set of worksheets to go along with every episode! I have purchased many of these on Prime Video, although Netflix currently has one season available too.
Liberty’s Kids
This show unpacks the founding of the United States in a way that’s easy for young kids to understand. In the show, three children tell the events of the American Revolution from their points of view. Students gain an appreciation for the perspectives of multiple sides of the conflict. I have a set of worksheets available for this show, as well! You can purchase the complete series on DVD, or find the episodes on YouTube as well.
Word World
In this show, the names of animals and objects take the shape of those things. We enjoy this show for reviewing phonics concepts. It’s a great one to reinforce skills that you have already learned and practiced. We watch through the PBS Kids subscription on Prime Video.
Super Why!
Using fun, colorful characters that each have a different job, this show teaches kids to apply literacy skills as they travel through a classic story to solve a mystery or answer a question. They’ll work on rhyming, spelling, and other reading strategies, and have lots of fun while they’re learning. We watch this show through the PBS Kids subscription on Prime Video.
The Cat in the Hat Knows a lot About That!
Nick and Sally board the Thingamajigger and go on all kinds of adventures with the Cat in the Hat to explore science concepts. Since each episode has two 12-ish minute halves, I love using them during a lesson to introduce or reinforce a concept. The topics are a bit all over the place, but I found a surprising amount of episodes that fit in really well with our birds unit study!
Weird But True!
This show on Disney+ follows a young adult brother and sister as they learn about science and history concepts. Along the way you meet real professionals and watch interesting experiments unfold. Our favorite episode is the one on tornadoes.
Leap Frog
We have a big set of the DVDs that we keep in our minivan for road trips and other long drives. Literacy and Math skills are exciting through shows like Phonics Farm, Math Adventures on the Moon, and more!
Carmen Sandiego
For action and adventure loving kids, Carmen SanDiego on Netflix is a great way to get an introduction to different countries. Carmen travels the world trying to outsmart the V.I.L.E. Organization. V.I.L.E attempts to steal important artifacts, and Carmen works to stop the heists or return the stolen items to their homes. Along the way, you’ll get a small taste of the places featured in the shows.
Where’s Waldo?
This is another of our favorites for getting an introduction to other countries and cultures. The Where’s Waldo? show on Peacock follows Waldo and Wenda as they are sent on worldwide missions by Wizard Whitebeard to solve problems and thwart their nemesis, Odlulu.
Bonus Shows!
I just couldn’t leave these homeschool tv shows out, even if they didn’t make my top 10!
Cosmic Kids Yoga: We absolutely love these episodes on YouTube when the kids need to get moving, but we want to keep it calm.
Brain Breaks: Great for rainy days and unit study supplementation, searching YouTube for a subject + “Brain Breaks” gets kids up and moving, and you can usually find them on any theme or topic you’re learning.
Bo on the Go: This adorable active show on Netflix immerses kids in a story and gets them moving!
Sci Girls: From PBS kids, we often find an episode to add to our science unit studies! We watch these on Amazon Prime! This show follows girls making a difference in their communities using science.
Reading Rainbow: I couldn’t forget this classic! LeVar Burton takes us on interesting adventures related to great picture books! We watch these on Amazon Prime!
What did I leave off the list? Did I miss a TV show thats a staple in your homeschool? Let me know your family’s favorite educational shows in the comments!
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