Choosing Age-Appropriate Movies & Cartoons for Kids
The best things in life are Filter-Free.
While the above statement might ring true in plenty of cases, you might want to do a rethink when it comes to what your child is watching. Filtering out content they should not be seeing at a particular age, is a must in these times. An age when too much content is being thrust in front of us each day.
Can’t seem to find that remote control to tune into your favourite show? There’s a good chance your child got hold of it before you came home. Rather than helplessly wondering what it might have been that they watch, it would help if you became a version of Net Nanny yourself!
Luckily for you, we have some stellar tips on how to choose age-appropriate content for children. Let’s begin, with some tips on choosing the right movies for children.
Choosing Movies for Children: Key Considerations
All set to get your kids to watch a cinematic gem of your choosing? You might want to first keep the following points in mind.
Consider Age Appropriateness
As a parent, you will have to face the tough task of deciding whether a particular movie is age-appropriate for your child, or not.
To do: You have to take factors like age and maturity of your child in consideration, when creating guidelines and standards for what they can and cannot be exposed to. The idea is to choose content that aligns with your family values, while at the same time allowing them to learn more about the world they live in.
Choose Movies that nurture their Creativity
Is the movie your child watching, encouraging them to think ‘Out of the Box’?
Movies are a great way to fuel that spark of creativity already present in children, and turn it into a raging fire! Choose movies where there are no bounds to imagination. When they navigate through fascinating new worlds, their limits of imagination will be stretched further.
Pick Movies that impart important Life Lessons
Ever leave a cinema hall feeling like you have ‘learned’ something?
To do: Movies that impart strong moral lessons are a perfect pick for the impressionable minds of children. Tip: You want to choose a movie that has a moral lesson that children will be able to pick up easily, not one that has deep meanings that only adults can fathom.
Read the Reviews
There’s more reason to read reviews of movies, than you might have thought.
To do: You want to scan those reviews so that you can identify movies that are rated PG (Parental Guidance). Also, those that have violence, language and scenes of a sensual nature. For instance, you might not wish to let children under 13 watch PG-13 movies.
Watch Previews
There’s a reason that trailer exists, after all!
To do: Watching the previews of movies, can help you get a good sense of what the full-length version will entail. Tip: Plenty of children’s movies are based on books. By reading the book first, you can get a sense of what to expect in the film.
Choosing Cartoons for Children
Looking for good cartoon movies for children? While cartoons might make for some of your most beautiful childhood memories, not all cartoons children watch these days are beneficial to them.
Here’s a look at how to make the perfect choice of age-appropriate cartoons for children.
Take their Age into Account
Just like in the case of movies, age-appropriateness is on the top of the list where it comes to searching for the perfect cartoon, too!
To do: A younger child should not be watching the same cartoons that an older one does, given the difference in their brain maturation levels. Note: It is best that children below two years, not be exposed to screens of any kind.
The Right Genre
The genre of films you watch is important to you, and it is the same with your kids.
To do: You want to choose the right genre of cartoon your child will be watching. From that Funny Cartoon for children most of us choose, to Fantasy Cartoons, there is no dearth of Good Cartoon Movies for Children. You might want to pick ‘The Avengers’, if your children are fond of superhero movies!
The Right Type of Simulation
Are you so focused on Characters and Plot, that you forget entirely about Simulation, when it comes to choosing age-appropriate cartoons for your kids?
To do: Some cartoons present Fast-paced Scenes and intense Sound and Lighting effects, to capture the attention of children. While they might be addictive, all that Hyperstimulation that children are exposed to while watching them, is undesirable. Instead, you want to make them watch cartoons that have slower rhythms in the Narrative and Presentation of Images.
Cartoons that reflect Diversity
Did you know that those classic cartoons that you grew up watching, like Cinderella, have been criticized for their lack of diversity?
To do: We have to make sure that our kids see themselves through the characters on screen, in a positive light. That is why we need to put effort into choosing cartoons that reflect the diversity of the world we live in.
Observe the Values Reflected in the Cartoons
Be it a funny cartoon for children or a dramatic one, what are the values it offers your kids?
To do: You want to ensure that the cartoons that your kids watch, promote only positive teachings. The thing is, children often internalize the behavior and attitude of their favorite cartoon characters. In doing so, they go so far as to imitate their words and reactions. Hence, it becomes imperative that we make sure that those characters espouse only the strongest moral values.
You can rest assured that when it’s Movie Time at EuroKids, we only show your children carefully-selected content that is age-appropriate, be it movies or cartoons. We hope you encourage your kids to watch age-appropriate content that teaches them valuable lessons, without depicting negative behavior of any kind.
