WHAT'S ON FOR KIDS?
Rounding out another day of ‘mics on mute’ calls and really want to flake in front of the box? We hear you. But what about the kids?
Rather than roll into seven rounds of snap with a side of Uno, why not find something everyone can watch and hit the couch together?
With that in mind, we’ve scoured the streamers for shows for all ages. Because the family that streams together dreams together… or something.
SECRETS OF SULPHUR SPRINGS
A haunted house, a basement full of secrets and intrepid adventurers breaking the rules to solve a mystery - this pre-tween show has a bit of everything, all wrapped up in story. Better yet, the puzzles have enough puzzle for plenty of problem solving chats on the side. All up, everyone at our place was keen to click ‘next episode’.
WHO? 7+ish WHERE? DISNEY+ WHY? BIT OF MYSTERY
MARK ROBER
So many YouTube channels. So much rubbish. Then, there’s Mark Rober. Once an engineer for Nasa, Mark legitimately makes science fun. Elephant’s toothpaste, pools full of Jello, the world’s biggest Nerf gun and a dartboard that moves to catch the darts. That’s just the start. And it’s all delivered with a side of science in a way that has everyone watching.
WHO? 6+ish WHERE? YOUTUBE WHY? SCIENCE AND FUN
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY
Take seven adopted siblings, an eccentric billionaire, a robot mum and an impending apocalypse. Mix in some superpowers and standard teen angst and that’s a recipe for 45 million streams on Netflix. Given a few ‘older’ storylines, Common Sense Media reckons 12+. We reckon we need the Umbrella Academy to fix up some of this virus stuff.
WHO? 12+ish WHERE? NETFLIX WHY? EVERYONE’S A HERO
VAT19
If you don’t like your kids watching wall-to-wall ads, you should probably ditch your internet connection. But if you don’t mind, these are the ads to watch. Vat 19 is like the home shopping channel for cool stuff. Its cast of slightly-too-old-to-be-that-excited types switch gifts and play with stuff to work out how it works. It shouldn’t be fun. But it is.
WHO? 6+ish WHERE? YOUTUBE WHY? COOL FUN STUFF
WALK THE PRANK
Everyone’s seen Prank Encounters, right? If not, check it out on Netflix. This is more of the same, only Disney-fied for kids. Great crew of over-enthusiastic, under-acting kids pulling pranks with ‘Uncle Will’. It’s full of stunt people, fun scares and slimy stuff, the kids will love. But there’s just enough in it to keep the adults tuned in too. Some pranks are laugh out loud.
WHO? 6+ish WHERE? DISNEY+ WHY? FAMILY-FRIENDLY FUN
AND MORE…
If you really need something mindless but watchable, try Floor is Lava - it’s exactly what it says it is. And if you haven’t yet found Lego Masters, go find it. Then get some practice in, they’re making a Kiwi one soon.
Or settle in with a family-friendly sitcom like The Goldbergs (80s family chaos on Neon) or Young Sheldon (80s family chaos on TVNZ) both have the perfect mix of cool kids, nerds and hapless dads to keep everyone entertained.
And if you like your shows more family un-friendly, check out What’s on for Psychos.
LIKING WHAT WE LIKE?
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