Why Disney Channel and Noggin Are Great for Toddlers and Preschoolers

When I was younger, I swore that I would not let my children watch too much television. As my child gets older, I have revisited this decision. I stayed home with my toddler this summer and had the opportunity to watch many quality educational programs. The truth is that there are almost too many channels to watch. My top two choices are Noggin and Disney Channel. Here are some programs to check out during the daytime hours of 8:00 am and 4:00 pm when bigger kids are in school.

The best channel around is Noggin because there are quality programs and no commercials. Noggin also uses informative mini-programs such as songs, how to cook, counting, and finding patterns to fill in the times between typical programs. Two programs stand out for increasing the preschooler's exposure to the Spanish language and the diversity of animals and locations in different parts of the world. These programs are "Dora the Explorer" and "Go, Diego, Go!" Although one might assume that the former is for girls and the latter is for boys, both shows appeal to boys and girls. In some ways, the Diego program is a little bit more sophisticated when he rescues animals in trouble, but the older toddler can grasp the adventures that he takes. The Dora plotlines are a little more diverse because she can explore anywhere and she doesn't have to focus only on rescuing animals. She might be going to a birthday party or to Polar Bear Mountain. Other programs that are great for older toddlers are "Blue's Clues", "Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Farm," and "The Upside Down Show." My daughter's favorite is "The Upside Down Show" because these two wacky guys from Australia teach great themes while acting wacky. Older children (ages 4 and up) can get a lot out of "Pinky Dinky Doo" as they start to read; Pinky is a great storyteller who focuses on plot sequence and character development.

The Disney channel known as Playhouse Disney also has great programs for toddlers. Some of the programs are parallels to the Noggin programs. For example, the program "Handy Manny" is about a handyman who speaks Spanish and works in a shop with a collection of talking tools. Other great programs on Playhouse Disney are "Little Einsteins" and "The Wiggles." "Little Einsteins" is a cartoon that focuses on classical music. The tikes in the cartoon provide introductions to music using names of composers and showing their portraits. There is also a set of musical notes often displayed. This is a more complex introduction to early music skills. "The Wiggles" resembles a variety show with many diverse characters, some in costumes as cartoon-type characters and other real-life characters in fancy getups. This show focuses on different themes, but music and information are weaved throughout. Much of the footage takes place on the stage or on the beach. As you move into the middle of the day, the Playhouse Disney will turn to programs like "Hannah Montana" and "Cory in the House." The channel will not play a full day of preschool programs. However, between the different Disney channels, there is always something to watch.

Check out your local programming. Spend some time getting to know the programs before choosing the most educational ones for your toddler to watch. It is not good to let the TV play kids programs all day, but if your toddler is moving around and just tuning into programs from time to time, TV can be fun and stimulating.