Moms Talk: Appropriate Shows & Movies For Kids

Each week the Mentor Patch Moms Council answers a question on parenthood posed to them by readers or another member of council.

This week's question is:

People often talk about shows, movies, music etc. that are bad for children. However, I don't see as many recommendations for things that are good.

What are some TV & movies that your children enjoyed that you would recommend to other parents as good and appropriate for children?

Devone Lansing:

My kids are young (7, 6, and 3 - the baby isn't allowed to watch TV) and I really try to limit their screen time as much as I can.

That said, they LOVE old cartoons like Tom and Jerry and Looney Toons and some newer ones like Wild Kratts and Dinosaur Train. They also love Little House on the Prairie and musicals like Annie and The Sound of Music.

No one can turn down a Disney movie once in a while, either... The Little Mermaid and Lady and the Tramp are classics that my kids like.

Their dad introduced the older two to Star Wars recently - I'm not sure how I feel about that, but they think it's the most exciting thing ever. Good vs. Evil is always a good story, I guess!

Melanie Majikas:

It's hard to make blanket recommendations because kids are so different.

When I want to research movies for my kids, I use commonsensemedia.org. Great reviews.

Donna Milnes:

My grandkids are little boys -- ages 5 and 3 -- and their favorite shows are Fireman Sam on the Sprout network and the Disney Cars movies.

As Grandma I have learned all the names of the cars and watched the movies over and over. The first movie was about making friends and doing things for them. The second movie is more of a spy, good guys verses bad guys story but the good cars prevail in the end.

These are about the only shows that they will sit still for and watch as they are always on the move and playing out these shows with their toys.