What are the best educational TV shows for children ages 4 and 7?

Question

What do you think are the best educational TV shows for children ages 4 and 7 to teach reading and spelling. I grew up on the Electric Company, which was written for the sole purpose of teaching kids how to read and spell. I don't know of any similar shows on TV today. I know Dora the Explorer teaches kids how to speak spanish, and Blues Clues teach kids how things match up. Seseme Street is always a winner when comes to educating kids. BUT, all three of those are geared towards the younger toddlers, 2 through 5 year olds. As they get older they start to loose interest and want something more with a plot or even little variety skits.

Now I bought the Electric Company on DVD and WOW, my older one is sucked in, happily learning how to read and spell. Aren't there any current shows on TV that teach in a similar manner?

Answer 1

dora the explorer?

Answer 2

Sesame street!!

Barney

Mr. Rodger's neighborhood

Reading Rainbow

Wish Bone

(those are the ones I grew up on. They teach you manners, respect, how to be creative, spelling, etc. etc.)

Newer ones that my nephew loves:

Super Why (teaches to spell)

Answer 3

dora the explorer, NOT teletubbies, they will suck the life out of your kid.

Answer 4

I think the best of all time is Sesame Street!

Then, Reading Rainbow is very good for encouraging literacy in children.  That would probably be around the 5-7 age range.

There aren't many that teach spelling.  I think your best bet would be to invest in Leap Frog.  That way your child can interact with the spelling instead of just watching it.

http://www.leapfrog.com/en/shop.html

Answer 5

Some of the current/newer spelling/reading shows that you may not have heard of are:

Reading Rainbow

WordWorld

Super Why!

Between the Lions (between the lines)

Shows to help build Vocabulary are Pinky-Dinky Doo and Word Girl, but they are geared more towards girl viewers.

Hope you and your family enjoy them!

Answer 6

Sesame Street is still the best for me. There are also Barney DVD's that are just good for Kids.