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The 20 Best TV Shows for 9-12 Year Olds (Because Your Tween Needs Some Quality Content)
By Emma Singer,
23 hours ago
When it comes to screen time, the tween years can be tricky —namely because tweens desperately want to be more “grown up” than they really are and the struggle to find quality programming that doesn’t expose them to sex, drugs and rock n’ roll far too soon is real. Fortunately, our roundup of the best TV shows for nine to 12 year-olds includes a whole host of thoroughly vetted, age-appropriate content that will appeal to a wide range of interests. Read on and ready the remote.
Content Descriptors: coming of age, family drama, friendship
This TV show from 2020 is a shoo-in for tween girls that’s based on the much-loved young adult book series by the same name, which follows a group of tween and early teen friends who run a babysitting business. You can expect light coming of age drama and exceedingly wholesome content that’s replete with positive messages about friendship and responsibility.
Content Descriptors: coming of age, British drama, horseback riding theme
A group of rather posh kids with a shared interest in horseback riding take center stage in this British drama. There’s competition, rivalry, and dramatized teenage social dynamics—including some mean girl stuff, plus flirting and romance for good measure. That said, it’s all very age appropriate and sure to reel tweens in.
A very young and oh-so adorable Selena Gomez stars in this Disney series about three teens who are secretly wizards in training. Needless to say, this one is sure to be a hit with Harry Potter fans .
Content Descriptors: teen sitcom, coming of age, dance theme
I’ve watched this one more times than I would like thanks to my own 9-year-old’s fondness for corny teen sitcoms. My experience of the show is that there’s a lot of comic banter (think: a ba-dum-chhh a second) between a bunch of sassy teens who like to dance. The humor is all wholesome, though. The real question is whether or not you can handle the laugh track on blast in your living room.
Content Descriptors: adventure, magic, friendship, coming of age
Just Add Magic is a delightful fantasy with a relatively complex plot, plenty of suspense and a decidedly endearing trio of girls who make for excellent role models when it comes to teaching tweens about what real friendship looks like. But most of all, this tween-friendly series gets my vote of approval because it’s actually fun and interesting to watch.
Content Descriptors: violence, peril, scary storyline, mild language
Here, an animated show based on Max Brallier’s best selling book series about a scrappy gaggle of middle schoolers battling monsters in a post apocalyptic world. There’s tons of peril and the survival storyline is inherently scary. That said, any light violence involved is so cartoonish it’s unlikely to cause any nightmares.
Content Descriptors: violence, peril, moderate language, diverse representations, positive messages
This thrilling animated series about a young boy and his spiritual mission to master the four elements is steeped in Chinese mythology and mighty engaging to watch, thanks to an exhilarating blend of fantasy, action and adventure. Parents should know that there’s cartoon violence—namely a lot of martial arts-style fighting—and a good deal of peril. Still, the show will definitely appeal to fans of anime and boasts positive messages about courage and friendship, to boot.
Content Descriptors: eerie mood, dark elements, magic, friendship
The gloomy, almost macabre, mood of this cartoon based on the namesake graphic novel might give you the creeps, but the storyline about a compassionate young girl and the magical creatures she meets and befriends couldn’t be more wholesome. Best of all, the animation is really quite beautiful, too.
If you’re looking for an animated show that’s entertaining and totally harmless (albeit not big on substance), then Phineas and Ferb fits the bill. There are over the top characters, goofy antics and loads of slapstick comedy, but the content is mild enough that younger siblings can watch without you having to worry.
A very charismatic young host delivers compelling lessons about psychology and science in this highly engaging, educational series . The episodes are very well-done and cover everything from neurology to gravity and marine biology in a most relatable way. Bonus: Adults will also find this one interesting to watch.
This one is a TV show based on the exceedingly popular book series by the same name, and it’s an excellent way to introduce tweens to Greek mythology without, you know, traumatizing them with some of the more gruesome elements. That said, there’s no way to entirely remove violence from Greek mythology and the peril is persistent, so more sensitive viewers should proceed with caution.
Yet another one based on a bestselling book series, this live action show starring Neil Patrick Harris is pretty much the definition of macabre. The storyline is very imaginative though, the dialogue is witty and the spooks are relatively mild…at least for kids who can handle a few adult deaths, that is.
Content Descriptors: sexual dialogue, partying, coming of age
An oldie-but-goodie that you might remember if you’re a millennial parent like me—this 1993 Disney sitcom starring Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel is a blast from the past that you and your gen alpha tween might enjoy. That said, the content does get progressively mature with every season, so if sexual innuendo, partying and other coming-of-age stuff are not topics you want your child to encounter before the teen years, you should probably steer clear. (Or at least just stick to season one.)
Your budding Simone Biles is super into gymnastics and totally tweeny. Introduce her to Gymnastics Academy: A Second Chance so she can binge-watch girls her own age excelling at their sport, whilst navigating all that fun social drama that goes down at a boarding school for talented athletes in Australia.
Content Descriptors: science and nature, adventure, peril, interactive
In case you missed it, Bear Grylls is basically this generation's Crocodile Dundee. Hand your kid the remote for an interactive viewing experience that involves choosing which perils he faces on his wilderness expedition (and what amazing survival skills he has up his sleeve to make it out alive).
Content Descriptors: magical themes, coming of age, friendship
Every Harry Potter fan will delight in this live action show—namely because it centers around a group of teens who spend their free time attending secret lessons in an even more secret library in order to hone their unique (and also secret) magical powers.
Content Descriptors: inspiring, coming of age, friendship
This tender and thoughtful live action show about a tween boy with crippling anxiety and the emotional support dog that sees him through is both lighthearted and substantive. It also sheds light on mental health issues and is replete with positive messages about friendship and acceptance.
Man vs. Bee is a comedy of errors that revolves around a down-and-out middle-aged man with terrible luck and a very pesky problem in the form of a bumblebee that relentlessly follows him. There’s a ton of physical comedy but it’s worth noting that the main character’s unraveling—despite the absurdity of the situation—is at times pretty uncomfortable to watch. Nevertheless, tween viewers will be on the edge of their seats and likely laughing all the while.
The content of this heartwarming TV show about two besties is lighthearted, inspiring and positively wholesome. The coming-of-age sitcom is sweet and age-appropriate. However, parents should know that one of the two friends is a teenage girl battling childhood cancer, so the context isn’t entirely happy-go-lucky.
Another winning show for tweens with an interest in all things fantasy and magic, this live action series centers around a select group of teens who have the ability to morph into mythical beings and are given a choice as to whether or not they want to take that form permanently or surrender their powers and stay on Earth with their human families. There’s plenty of intrigue there, to be sure, but ultimately this wholesome show is really just a touching story about friendship and kindness.
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