Children begin to identify the sounds that surround them since they were born and when they are young they have great facility to learn new languages. If we want our children to learn English we can do it while having fun, helping us with resources such as stories, songs or cartoons.
We have talked with Saioa, educator and teacher of English in a school in Bilbao, about best children's entertainment series for children to learn and perfect the language. Students of all ages and levels pass through their classes, from Infant to sixth grade of Primary School, so they have extensive experience in the subject.
These are the series that recommends that our children watch in English. Did you know them all?
For the little ones
For younger children (Early Childhood Education and first Primary Education courses) who begin to come into contact with this language at school, we must resort to cartoon series with short chapters, between five and ten minutes long.
When choosing the series in English, the teacher take into account two factors mainly:
That the characters don't talk too fast
That the vocabulary do not contain too much "slang"that is, colloquialisms
In Babies and more Growing up in a bilingual home helps to improve the care of children from an early age These are some of the examples proposed by the expert:
Wallykazam
Wally is an adventurer who always travels with his dragon, Norville, helping his friends solve problems. For this it has a magic wand that makes the words come alive.
Teacher He recommends it especially to expand vocabulary, since each day is dedicated to a different sound or letter of the alphabet, and the many words that begin with it are reviewed. You can see all the chapters in this link of its official site.
Maisy mouse
Maisy's adventures are based on a series of children's books created by British illustrator Lucy Cousins, and narrate the adventures of this little mouse and her group of friends. We can find all the chapters of this series on its official YouTube channel.
Saioa He recommends it to us because each chapter is dedicated to a different theme (the seasons of the year, farm animals, bedtime ...), which helps children learn vocabulary from the hands of nice and colorful characters.
Arthur
This is a series of cartoons of Canadian / American origin, based on books written and illustrated by Marc Brown. Tell the adventures of Arthur and his friends, and collect everyday aspects of the children's lives. The entire chapters can be seen on their official site, where children can also do related games and activities. We can find some chapters on YouTube.
The teacher highlights her simple vocabulary and catchy songs which are sometimes included in the chapters, and that help to strengthen what has been learned.
Postcards from Buster
Buster is Arthur's best friend, the series we just recommended, but the success of this character is such that he decided to dedicate an exclusive animation series. It tells the story of a traveling rabbit, intelligent, curious and with many to learn.
Saioa He recommends it to us for the amount of fun and curious things that children can learn from the hand of this character, who in each chapter travels a different place in the world through a fun trip full of anecdotes.
Dinosaur Train
This series, known in Spanish as "Dinotren", tells the adventures of Buddy, a young tyrannosaurus adopted by a family of Teranodones, who embarks on a train to meet and explore other territories where all kinds of dinosaurs live.
The teacher the especially recommend those dinosaur-loving children (They are not few!), Because the theme will hook you and help you learn vocabulary while having fun. You can see all the chapters on their official YouTube channel.
Wordworld
This series has been awarded three Emmy awards by the United States Department of Education for their literacy work with preschoolers. In each chapter a group of endearing animals fosters in children the love of words and reading. We can find more information about this series, games, videos and resources for parents on their official site.
Saioa recommends it to us for the agility of the plot, its catchy songs and its funny characters that teach children how to pronounce words correctly.
Sesame Street
Mythical and well-known animation series where children will learn, from the hand of the Muppets, important values such as friendship, love and respect. Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Grover, Oscar, Bert and Ernie, Telly, Zoe, Rosita, Baby Bear and Snuffleupagus are the fun characters that will guide children in their didactic adventures.
The teacher strongly recommends it to us, because It's a classic that never goes out of style and that teaches children a new topic every day.
The series has an official website, with games, videos and space for crafts, and a YouTube channel, where we can see the Muppets in action.
In Babies and more She is Julia, the new character with autism from Sesame Street Little einsteins
This series tells the adventures of four friends who in each chapter embark on a ship to solve a mission, visiting different scenarios to the sound of well-known classical musical melodies, and with masterpieces as a backdrop. These drawings can be seen on television through Disney Junior, and you will also find some chapters on the official YouTube channel.
You can see some of the chapters on the official YouTube channel.
Saioa recommends her for her simple English, which combines catchy songs sung by her protagonists, with cultural and art settings that children learn while having fun.
Super why
It tells the story of four friends who become superheroes and immerse themselves in books, living magical adventures that come true. Among the well-known characters that come to life in each chapter, the children will find the Princess and the pea, the three little pigs or Little Red Riding Hood.
For the teacher, this series is fantastic not only for learning English but because foster a love for reading in children from an early age. You can see its chapters on its official YouTube channel.
Let's Go Pocoyo
We finished our review of the best children's series with Pocoyo, one of the most beloved characters by the little ones. With Let's Go Pocoyo, children will learn basic notions and simple words from Pocoyo and his friends. You can find all its chapters on its official YouTube channel.
Saioa recommends it to us so simple that it is for the little ones to follow the plot in English from this nice group of friends.
Other resources to learn English
But in addition to the series in English, this teacher recommends us to alternate cartoons with simple and catchy children's songs, such as those that can be found on the YouTube channels of Super Simple Songs, or Learn English Kids, of the British Council.
Older children and preteens
For children in the last years of Primary Education and Secondary Education who have been studying English from the preschool stage At school, Saioa recommends that we continue with short chapters of between 20 and 30 minutes, and the same dynamic of animation.
In Babies and more When should children start studying English?Among its recommendations for this age group are the following series:
Phineas and Ferb
It tells the story of two brothers who live a lot of adventures every day during their school summer vacations. Its pleasant, funny and sometimes crazy tone hooks older children. We can find some of its chapters on the official YouTube channel, Disney XD.
The teacher recommends it to us because although the vocabulary that is handled is simple, sometimes they are incorporated technical words that help children expand their vocabulary.
Scooby doo where are you?
Hanna-Barbera mythical cartoon series, in which a group of friends are responsible for solving cases in each chapter, while his dog, Scooby, gets into trouble. Fun series that mixes touches of mystery with comedy and tangles. Some of its chapters can be seen on the official WB Kids YouTube channel.
For Saioa it is a classic that never goes out of style, and with which older children they will learn vocabulary and expressions while having fun with the crazy adventures of this gang.
Martha speaks
This series is based on the children's books of the writer Susan Meddaugh, and they tell the story of Martha, a dog that one day accidentally feeds on a soup of letters and acquires the power to talk to people.
The teacher recommends it to us because of the agility of her chapters (11 minutes long), and the amount of vocabulary children can learn Thanks to the linguistic skills of this lovely puppy. The chapters can be seen through its official YouTube channel.
Other resources to improve English
In addition to the animated series, Saioa recommends that we visit the iSL collective page, where children can find songs and practice "listening" through videos that stop every so often and ask questions. The page also offers other options such as review of tenses or grammatical forms.
Photos | iStock
Acknowledgments | Saioa, from Amatxu's Tales
