30 Best Educational Show for Toddlers (Teacher Approved 2022 Guide)

Last Updated: May 31, 2022

Catching a tv show is not like how it used to be. Back in the day, we tuned in on a scheduled airing of our favorite show, and that was it. Nowadays, kids have unlimited access to whatever show they want because of the many streaming options available. This, however, comes with its caveats. 

You need to watch out to ensure that your kid only gets a certain amount of screen time per day. You need to make sure that your child’s screen time is time well spent. One way to do this is to make sure that your child watches educational content.

Here are the thirty best educational shows, as well as where to stream them to help your kid be engaged and get on the learning path!

1. Sesame Street

The chances are high that you also grew up watching Big Bird, Elmo, and their other friends. Sesame Street has a generational appeal. Despite being on air for just a little over half a century, it is still going strong. 

Sesame Street tackles the fundamental skills for toddlers, such as the alphabet and basic numbers. The characters keep the kids engaged, as they appear as puppets and come in different colors. The cast of characters is also iconic as their chemistry with one another is very enjoyable.

Sesame Street is available to stream on PBS Kids, HBO Max, Amazon Video, and iTunes.

2. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Perhaps Disney’s most educational television show, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, is a kid’s show that features the cast of Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and the rest of their friends. They go on an adventure within the clubhouse and ask the viewer for help with problem-solving throughout the episode.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse has a heavy focus on mathematical skills, even going as far as to teach kids about fractions. With Disney’s top-notch animation team and the cast of characters, it is easy to keep the kids entertained and engaged while teaching them valuable problem-solving skills. 

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is available for streaming on Disney+, Google Play, and iTunes.

3) Doc McStuffins

This show is up there in terms of being one of the best educational programs out there. It helps teach kids how to take care of others and health concepts such as being sick, becoming aware of your sickness, and treating it. This, of course, is done in a child-friendly way without getting too graphic or gross. 

Doc McStuffins features a girl named Doc who runs a clinic for animals, diagnosing them through check-ups and treating them. The show teaches your kids how to recognize if you are sick and instructs them to consult with a parent or adult right away. It also tells them how to avoid getting sick and just be careful in general.

Doc McStuffins is available to stream on Disney+.

4) Blue’s Clues & You!

Based on Nickelodeon’s most famous kid shows in the early 2000s, Blue’s Clues & You is the original series reboot featuring the same format but with a more modern take.

The show revolves around an animated blue dog named Blue and a live action-host going on various adventures such as solving puzzles with the help of clues.

While solving such puzzles, the host and Blue ask questions to the audience and subsequently pause for a bit to give the kids time to think and come up with an answer.

While it is not highly interactive as the host and Blue cannot answer back to the viewer, it builds people skills for your child. They learn skills such as answering questions, critical thinking, puzzle-solving, and problem-solving skills. 

This show may also help build your child’s confidence as they will be put into similar situations in the future, such as answering when called upon by a teacher in school.

Blue’s Clues & You airs on television via Nick Jr. It is also available for streaming, renting, or purchasing on media platforms like Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, YouTube, and Google Play.

5) Ask the StoryBots

Ask the StoryBots, proclaimed by Wired and Decider as the best kids show on Netflix, features a good balance of entertainment and educational content in each episode. 

The show features cute tiny robots who ask scientific questions such as “Why is the sky blue?” They answer the same question at the end of each episode via a musical video.

This Netflix Original Series also features guest appearances from Jay Leno, Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Alyssa Milano, and so much more. This helps keep the kids entertained and engaged, given the star power.

Ask the Storybots is available to stream via Netflix.

6) Word Party

If you’re looking for an interactive show for your kids, then Word Party is a good choice for you! Featuring a cast of baby animals, Word Party encourages young audiences to help these bunch of babies get to their destination. 

A series of trivia and fun questions will be encountered throughout the show. Your kids, as the audience, will be tasked to answer them as a form of help to these baby animals. Exciting, right? Not only will your kids learn cool things, but this show will also increase their confidence level and teach them emotional intelligence.

Word Party is available to stream on Netflix.

7) The Magic School Bus Rides Again

This is a sequel to the original kid’s show, The Magic School Bus. In this modern sequel, Miss Frizzle is not the driver anymore. Instead, it is her younger sister Fiona.

This is one of the more entertaining kids’ shows out there. It incorporates a lot of fiction as the magic school bus can pretty much go anywhere, including outer space. The kids riding the magic school bus get to go on various adventures and learn about how amazing science can be.

The Magic School Bus Rides Again can be streamed on Netflix.

8) Dora The Explorer

Since its release over a decade and a half ago, Dora The Explorer undoubtedly remains one of the most precious interactive kids’ shows on television. 

Your kids will surely love this show. It is filled with song and dance numbers featuring characters like her trustworthy backpack and ever-reliable map to accompany Dora in her various adventures. Your child might even learn a Spanish word or two while watching.

Dora the Explorer is currently available to be streamed on Netflix, iTunes, and Amazon Prime Video.

9) Tumble Leaf

Another Emmy award-winning entry on the list, Tumble Leaf, is unique to most shows as a stop-motion animated series. Kids will like the visuals of this show as it features clay-like models for the characters of various colors, shapes, and sizes.

The show tackles friendships and love and gives kids an idea of dealing with such real-life situations. 

Tumble Leaf is available on Amazon Prime Video.

10) Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood

A series reboot based on Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood features a tiger named Daniel Tiger. This tiger has pretty diverse friends, and it helps teach kids about friendship, diversity, being unique, and acceptance of others.

This show approaches such things with jingles and songs to keep the kids engaged, and it also serves as a more fun way to learn. This show is vital in building a child’s early character, so it is highly recommended to include this in the tv shows to watch for your child.

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood streams on PBS Kids.

Top Teachings:
– Friendship
– Diversity
– Confidence / Uniqueness

11) Bluey

This critically acclaimed Australian animated series has come on to the top lists of kids’ shows in recent years, thanks to its addition to Disney+.

Bluey features a family of four dogs, Mum, Dad, Bluey, and Bingo. In each episode, the four dogs play with each other, emphasizing how important it is to spend time playing with your child in their early stages of development.

This show will surely get your child to be more eager to spend more time with you. This also teaches parents to be more patient and invested with their child’s life.

The Emmy award-winning show Bluey is available to stream via Disney+.

12) Sid the Science Kid

Sid the Science Kid is a show that heavily focuses on scientific questions but in a way that is child-friendly and not too complex. 

The level of science discussed on the show is only preschool curriculum level, so your kid should be able to follow and learn about many scientific topics.

To keep the kids engaged, Sid always makes songs and jokes. This show is a good daily dose of science and fun for your child!

Sid the Science Kid streams on PBS Kids.

13) Little Einsteins 

If you feel like your kid needs to get in touch with their musical and artistic side more, you should have your kid try watching Little Einsteins. This kid’s show tends to lean on art and music appreciation to keep the kids entertained and engaged in each episode.

Each episode in Little Einsteins encourages audience interaction by getting the children to pat their knees and sing along to help the characters on the show succeed with their mission. This may develop an early interest in rhythm and singing in your kid, with the Little Einsteins classical music playing in the show’s background.

Little Einsteins is available to stream on Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.

14) Octonauts

Octonauts is a series based on the book series of the same name written by Meomi, initially published in 2006. The children’s show features a group of underwater animals, much like another famous kids’ show.

In most episodes, they explore the vast oceans and save aquatic creatures in danger. In each encounter with marine life, they educate the viewers on the biological facts such as the type of animal, etc.

This show provides an adventure underwater for your kids. It helps them learn about marine life and has a slice of excitement as the group of animals rescue and protect the ocean’s creatures.

Octonauts is available to stream via Netflix and YouTube.

15) Peg + Cat

Based on the children’s book named The Chicken Problem, Peg + Cat features two characters named in the title who encounter real-life problems, most of which are math problems. They solve these problems in a fun and engaging way to keep the children interested and make math problems enjoyable.

The show aims to inspire children to be curious about math and develop an early knack for them when analyzing and solving problems and coming up with creative solutions and strategies.

Peg + Cat is available for streaming via PBS Kids.

16) Wild Kratts

Wild Kratts is a children’s show that is sure to get your kid thinking about essential things like general biology but at a child-friendly level. This show features two brothers who go on adventures tackling different types of animals, their habitats, and how modern problems have affected the animal’s living conditions.

This show introduces a bit of biology to your child while not overwhelming them with too much information that they cannot take in yet.

Wild Kratts is available to stream on PBS Kids.

17) Bubble Guppies

Taking the phrase “school of fish” literally, Bubble Guppies features mermaid-like preschoolers who go to school in an underwater classroom. They learn about science and math through upbeat but also informative songs.

The characters also interact with the viewers, asking them questions and helping with puzzles such as counting and matching objects.

Bubble Guppies is available for streaming on Nick Jr, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu.

18) Word World

Learning vocabulary early on in your child’s development stage may prove to be an advantage. Word World can help with just that, as it helps teach your kid about the alphabet, animals, and everyday objects. Most importantly, it teaches about making mistakes and how to correct them. 

Word World has won Emmy Awards and Parent’s Choice Awards because of its excellence. The show presents itself so that the words come alive; the words are seen as your child’s best friend.

Word World streams on PBS Kids.

19) Dinosaur Train

This tv series features a T-Rex named Buddy who rides the train to take trips to different eras in history to learn about new species of dinosaurs and other animals. Whether or not your child is a dinosaur lover, the fun variety of the design and colors of the dinosaurs will surely grab your toddler’s interest.

This show teaches your kids about different creatures and animals. It also teaches your kid about problem-solving skills, curiosity, kindness, and loving others.

Dinosaur Train streams on PBS Kids.

20) Super Why!

Super Why! is a tv show that helps kids who are about to go to preschool with their use of the English language. This show uses child superheroes to get the kids engaged with learning words, definitions of words, pronunciations, spellings, and the use of words in sentences.   

Super Why! is available to stream on Netflix and PBS Kids.