Parents' Guide to

PBS Kids

By Dana Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Simple and safe; a great first site for preschoolers.

Website http://www.pbskids.org
PBS Kids Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this website.

  • PBS KIDS Web: Screenshot #1
  • PBS KIDS Web: Screenshot #2
  • PBS KIDS Web: Screenshot #3
  • PBS KIDS Web: Screenshot #4
  • PBS KIDS Web: Screenshot #5

Community Reviews

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age 5+

Based on 25 parent reviews

CSMContentDefault
CSMContentDefault Adult
January 10, 2021
age 9+

Nature Cat needs to be removed!

My kids have enjoyed PBS Kids but the show "Nature Cat" is not allowed in our house. Nature Cat is a crybaby, brat, mean to his friends, and is a horrible influence on children. Either change the show and Nature Cat be nice, or just remove it completely. Also, Caillou was removed. THAT'S A RELIEF.
HD2
HD2 Adult
January 14, 2020
age 2+

Somewhat decent

Some shows such as pinkalicious are a bit hard for me to watch. I have 2 boys who watch pbs kids alot and one pinkalicious makes up so many words. My boys are 1 and 2 and in the word learning stage,so it doesnt help much when they gravitate towards words that don't even exist. Two, I have an issue with the lizzo commercial " feelin good as hell" by lizzo , who gets played occasionally. With children who are learning how to speak this isn't very comforting at all to a mother and father of two and one on the way.
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What’s It About?

PBS KIDS, designed for kids 4 and up, is the home base for all of PBS Kids' offerings. The site features games, videos, and other activities that center on popular PBS live-action and animated show characters such as Noah and Thomas. Rotate the show wheel to choose your favorite character, and you'll be taken directly to their page; you also can browse the site by video or game.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (25 ):
Kids say (25 ):

This educational site for preschoolers shows what PBS does best: provide basic lessons involving favorite PBS TV characters in an easy-to-use format with voice-over instructions. Organized by show, including Caillou and Arthur, there's much to do here, including watching videos, playing games, and printing out activities to do offline. With your help, your kids can play games based on a favorite character, or you can choose certain skills for them to work on, such as letters, numbers, shapes, Spanish, and more. That said, there's so much here that it can be easy for kids to get lost or feel overwhelmed. Kids may need some help and guidance to navigate through what PBS KIDS offers.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about all the skills preschoolers learn every day - and which ones are available on PBS KIDS. Even figuring out how to operate the computer mouse is a milestone. Whether it's by watching Sesame Street on television, playing a game online, coloring at preschool, or playing their own make-believe games at home, there are so many ways for young children to grow.

  • Even the youngest computer users can get used to the idea of computer time limits. Explain to your child why you're setting limits for them and why you want to sit with them while they're first learning how to navigate even a very safe website such as this one.

  • Take the learning offline and talk to your kids about their favorite shows and games.

Website Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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