Black Children’s Shows For Toddlers And Preschoolers

As a black stay-at-home mom, I always looking for new black children’s shows for toddlers and preschoolers that I can introduce to my 3-year-old daughter.

If you have read my previous post on some of the black children’s books that I read to my daughter, then you already know that representation matters to me.

I want my girls to be able to see themselves in what they are reading and watching.

And considering screen time is something that I allow in my home, I want them to know that people of color do exist on the screen they are watching.

As a young girl, I know that I watched shows with little black girls and it made me want to be like them.

From the braids and twists that they would wear all over their head to the clothes that they wear.

Whether we want to admit it or not, what we watch and consume on TV plays a lot into some of the behaviors and things we do.

This is why it is important to see people of color doing positive things on the TV.

Our children absorb what they see so if they are seeing little black girls who are really smart or aspire to be doctors, then it might just inspire the little black girl watching to be a doctor as well.

Here I will dive into some black children’s shows for toddlers and preschoolers that my 3-year-old daughter watches as well as some that I’m hoping to introduce to her.

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How Much Screen Time Should A 3 Year Old Have?

Before I get into the black children’s shows for toddlers and preschoolers, let’s talk about this.

How much screen time should a 3-year-old have?

Is there such a thing as too much screen time for a toddler?

For those who are trying to define what screen time can look like, it is essentially anytime your little one is engaged with a device that has a screen.

Such as watching TV, staring at a computer, or playing on a tablet.

Every time your child engages in an activity that involves a screen, then they are participating in screen time.

But with the society that we live in, it is practically impossible to avoid screens.

From social media on our phones, working on the computer, or just enjoying a movie on the TV, your child is bound to come face to face with a screen very early on.

It is often recommended that children before the age of 2 don’t have any screen time, but that is difficult to do with my baby girl because she has an older sister who engages in screen time.

According to Baby Center, children from birth to age 8 average about two and a half hours of screen media daily.

And that is what is recommended for 3-year-olds.

My daughter definitely has over 2 and a half hours of screen time a day.

She has the Amazon Kids Fire Tablet and she likes to watch shows and play games on there throughout the day.

She is normally on it for just a little while in the morning and then on it a lot more in the afternoon before dinner.

I like this tablet because not only does it keep occupied her at times, but you can set up limits on it and a lot of the shows and games on there are educational and challenge my daughter intellectually.

Most of the drawbacks of screens usually center around brain development, health, and sleep problems.

And as a parent, I worry about that too so I do my best to interact with my daughter and take her to fun places during the day that doesn’t involve screens so she knows that screens are not the only way to have fun.

My daughter’s bedroom does not have a TV in it and her tablet also goes off at a certain every day in the evening so we can start her bedtime routine.

Once her tablet goes off, she also leaves her tablet in our room because we don’t allow her to keep it in her room overnight.

So even though we allow my daughter to have screen time, it does not completely take over her entire day.

Now that we know a little more about how to handle screen time with our little ones, let’s talk about some children’s shows for black toddlers and preschoolers that my daughter watches.

Black Children’s Shows For Toddlers And Preschoolers

Gracie’s Corner

The very first black children’s show that I want to talk about for toddlers and preschoolers is Gracie’s Corner which can be found on Youtube.

This show follows around a little girl named Gracie and is filled with lots of positive and educational songs that your little ones will surely love.

I just recently introduced this show to my daughter and her favorite song so far is the Clean Up Song which is great for involving your little ones in the clean-up process.

Circle Time With Ms Monica

Another great channel that can also be found on Youtube that is really popular is Circle Time With Ms. Monica.

I had heard nothing but amazing things about this educational channel on Youtube that is specifically made for toddlers and preschoolers.

Monica J Sutton is the face of this channel and is an early childhood educator and child behavior specialist.

Whether she is teaching your little ones about the days of the week or making crafts that your child can follow along with, they are continuously learning.

And she makes it fun too by singing songs and playing music that your children can dance to.

I have not introduced this show to my child yet, but since she is 3 now and will be heading to preschool within the next year, I want her to start watching it so she can be more prepared.

Akili And Me

If your little ones love the popular show, Cocomelon, then a great alternative for that show that features black characters is Akili And Me.

Akili and Me is essentially the same kind of show as Cocomelon where the songs are played on a loop with black characters.

My daughter, like most young children, loves Cocomelon, and even though they have been showing the black character, Cody, more, it is nice to know that a show like this one exists with black characters.

You can also find Akili and Me on Youtube.

Blaze And The Monster Machines

The next show that I am going to talk about is actually one of my daughter’s favorite shows and that is Blaze and The Monster Machines.

This is a show that you can find on Nick Jr and Paramount Plus.

So this show is basically about this monster truck and its driver, who just happens to be a young black boy, named AJ.

They go on different adventures where they are challenged and have to use math, science, and engineering skills along the way.

It is such a good educational show that any child would love, but for a little black boy watching, it can be even more to see how smart one of the main characters is.

Doc McStuffins

Along with Blaze and The Monster Machines, another favorite of my daughter’s is Doc McStuffins which can be found on Disney Junior and Disney Plus.

This is one of the most popular black children’s shows out there and most people already know what this show is about.

But for those who are unfamiliar with this show, it is about a young girl who aspires to be a doctor and can talk to and heal her toys and stuffed animals.

My daughter loves this show so much that we got her the doctor coat just like hers and a doctor kit that she pulls out all the time.

I love that my daughter wants to pretend to be a doctor and genuinely enjoys it and this show is definitely the reason behind it.

Motown Magic

Moving away from Disney and Nickelodeon, a cute children’s show for younger black children is Motown Magic on Netflix.

This show follows around a kid named Ben who has a magical paintbrush that plays a lot of the classic Motown songs.

My daughter has only seen a few episodes of this show and when she does watch it, it will get her up and dancing.

Not to mention me as a parent because all the songs they play throughout the show are oldies but goodies.

Ada Twist, Scientist

A relatively new show that came out on Netflix towards the end of last year is Ada Twist, Scientist.

This show is apparently based on the book series by Andrea Beaty about a little black girl who aspires to be a scientist.

Along with her best friends, they conduct science experiments and make scientific discoveries throughout their adventures.

I love that this show features a young black girl wanting to be a scientist because you don’t see many black women in the scientific field.

This show will likely inspire many black girls to want to be scientists and develop a love for science.

I have not have had a chance to introduce this show to my daughter, but if it’s anything like Doc McStuffins, then I’m sure it will be a hit with my daughter as well.

Your Turn

Well, those are just a few black children’s shows that are specifically made for toddlers and preschoolers. I will probably have to come back and add more shows as I come across them, but these are current and what I would want my daughter watching. Let me know in the comments if they are any that you all would recommend that I add to this list and while you are still here, check out my previous post below. Until next time!

• Read More: What To Expect As A Stay At Home Mom

Love,

Just Jass