It’s movie night and you’re ready to relax as a unit, but you can’t agree on what to watch. You’re trying to find something family friendly – a show that is safe for the kids to watch, that appeals to all ages of children, and still peaks the interest of you and your spouse … sound familiar?
It can be hard to find shows and movies that are family friendly, especially with young children. Just look at the number of R-rated films at the movie theaters these days. There’s a lot out there that’s polarizing for many families. You want something clean that the littles can enjoy, but you also want something entertaining as an adult. We totally get it and have been there as well!
Anytime we come across a family friendly show, we write it down and keep it on hand for those rainy days or movie nights. We felt it was time to share what we’ve come up with, since age appropriate content seems to be getting harder and harder to find these days! These shows went through some vetting that considered the overall message, appropriateness for varying ages, good parent-child relationships worth modeling (at least by the end), and traditional family values. Several of these also offer opportunities for healthy discussions. The list also includes a lot of options that are not “new” since streaming is available for almost anything these days.
Littles (under 10)
- Ada Twist, Scientist
- Numberblocks
- LeapFrog Movies
- Wild Kratts
- Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego
- Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum
- Veggietales (especially the ones with spoofs on adult films)
- Nature Shows like National Geographics
- Design Shows on HGTV and Magnolia Network
- Chopped Junior, Kids Baking Championship, Great British Baking Show Jr.
- Classic Disney and Pixar films prior to 2015
- Turbo
- Is It Cake?
- Brainchild
- Magic School Bus
- Lego Masters
- Looney Tunes
- How to Train Your Dragon
- Rise of the Guardians
- Kung Fu Panda
- Madagascar
- Swiss Family Robinson
- Parent Trap
- Chronicles of Narnia
- Nanny McFee
- Adventures in Odyssey
- Anastasia
- The Secret Garden
- The Little Princess
Middles (upper elementary to middle school)
- Anne of Green Gables
- Remember the Titans
- Star Wars
- Star Trek
- Shrek
- Treasure Planet
- A Series of Unfortunate Events
- All Creatures Great and Small
- Doctor Who
- The Librarians
- Mandalorian
- Everwood
- Fuller House
- Boy Meets World
- Flubber
- Princess Diaries
- When Calls the Heart
- Heartland
- Pride and Prejudice
- Lord of the Rings
- The Hobbit
Bigs (Jr High to High School)
- Chariots of Fire
- Courageous
- Fireproof
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Marvel shows
- Harry Potter
- Once Upon a Time
- Detective shows like Psych
- History Channel
Do you have a favorite family friendly show, movie or game we should know about? Drop the name in the comments below – we’d love to add it to our running list! Or if you’re looking for something that avoids watching a screen, try one of these family friendly podcasts and be sure to let us know what you think!
