I am the mom who will turn on YouTube for my kiddos to sit quietly while I clean, cook, take a shower, and sometimes just to have some peace while I scroll through my social media.
I used to feel shame with this decision, but I realized that my children have learned so much from watching appropriate, educational videos on YouTube and other networks. I’ve seen tremendous growth in their speech, in particular. They’ve learned the ABCs, numbers, and common children’s songs.
However, while searching the Internet for children’s series, it always seems to be a challenge to find Black characters or creators. I’m sure we are all aware of what representation does for our littles, but let me remind you: If my girls never see anyone on screen that looks like them, it sends the message that my girls are inferior to the characters that they do see on screen. I do not want that.
I’ve tried very hard to be intentional about what my children watch. I’ve listed some of my favorite children’s series that have either Black main characters and/or are created by Black creators. I would recommend these shows for toddlers to age eight.
Circle Time with Ms. Monica
Ms. Monica is an early childhood educator that provides FREE circle time lessons for preschool-aged children. In her famous, colorful blazer she discusses the weather, numbers, and letters with catchy songs, crafts, and activities. We discovered Ms. Monica during COVID lockdown, and it was a lifesaver for our family!
>> RELATED READ :: 6 Fun Ways to Celebrate Black History Month with Kids <<
Doggyland
If you love hip hop, this one is for you! Snoop Dogg has ventured into the children’s realm and created a kids’ YouTube series. It teaches children to love themselves through singing, dancing, and rapping. Bow Wizzle, played by Snoop Dogg, and his group of puppy friends are eager to learn and to teach your littles cool nursery rhymes, ways to handle big feelings, and how to share.
Gracie’s Corner
Gracie’s Corner is an animated young girl named, Gracie, who takes well-known children’s songs and remixes them to hip-hop beats, Go-Go beats of the DMV area, and African beats. She also has original songs about sharing, bath routines, brushing your teeth, and managing your emotions. She is absolutely great for a dance party. Gracie’s songs are so fun!
Tab Time
Tabitha Brown is a YouTube sensation who started off as a vegan foodie sharing her delicious vegan recipes with her followers. She has grown into a household name and has created a children’s YouTube series called Tab Time. In it she brings on special guests to help kids live their best lives! Her celebrity guests help her teach children how to eat healthy, how to express their feelings, the importance of trying new things amongst many other valuable life lessons.
Netflix’s Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices
This Netflix series is hosted by Marley Davis who, as a young, elementary student, ran a campaign to find 1,000 books with Black girls as the protagonists to give to black students. The campaign was a national success.
Her Netflix series showcases Black authors of children’s books about the Black experience. Stars such as Common, Lupita Nyong’o, and Tiffany Haddish are featured reading amazing children stories. My daughter has watched all 12 episodes in one sitting!
Finding content with characters that that look like you can be very difficult. We have come a long way, but there is always room to grow. I hope that these Black children’s series can help your children see themselves on screen and to be more accepting, understanding, and tolerant of those that may not look like them or share the same cultural experiences.
>> RELATED READ :: Volunteering with Kids in Dallas for MLK Day of Service <<
If you have other Black television shows for kids to share, please write in the comments below. We’d love to hear about them!
