I first wrote this post when the kids were 6 and 8, and now that they are 11 and almost 13, they are solidly in the tween category, which has opened our family TV time to so many more options. It’s been so fun and bonding. I still love all of these shows, so if you have young ones, enjoy the original recs. Then for those who have older but not “old” kids yet, see more tween family-friendly TV shows at the end!

I feel like I can solidly call myself an expert in a few different categories: 1. flea market shopping/thrifting, 2. sunless tanning, and 3. best family-friendly shows/movies. We have a pretty loosey-goosey Summer TV policy – they get some in the morning while we work (unless they are in camps), and we watch family TV many nights of the week if we aren’t out (we do this year-round, actually). We have found that we care less about the quantity and more about the quality of the shows they watch and want to do it as a family (we hate them on individual iPads). So today I wanted to throw out a few that the whole family likes (for the most part) and some that you might not have seen yet. I have found that the ones that inspire them to do something after they watch the show are the most valuable – craft shows that make them want to make something, science shows that make them want to experiment, or shows that show them how to be kind. TV is just so good these days, you’ll see…

Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show

Jack MacBrayer is a national treasure, and knowing him personally (yes, I’m bragging), I can tell you that he is so lovely in every single way. He pitched this show a few years ago – essentially a modern-day Mr. Rogers and it finally got made. It’s EXCELLENT. It made me cry with how pure its intentions are and then laugh because it’s funny. The world needs more family TV shows like this. Thank you, Jack and Apple TV, for creating such a wonderful family-friendly and legit ENJOYABLE show.

Making Fun

By far the freshest design/competition show on Television. That shot of the dinosaur doesn’t really do it justice. It’s about 6 old curmudgeon carpenters who have to “make” something a child asks them to – like a 16′ unicorn that poops rainbows. They use engineering, welding, carpentry – all different types of fabrication to create these INCREDIBLE inventions. It’s HILARIOUS, and you get the sense that the producers are laughing or stoned when doing the graphics. YOU will love this, not just your kids. I PROMISE. So far, only one season, and the Hendersons are excited for the next.

Weird But True!

This isn’t one that we all watch, but our kids love the heck out of this show, learn a lot, and always want to do experiments afterward. This isn’t one of our nighttime family shows (it’s def more geared for kids), but it’s solid; they learn a lot, and it entertains them.

Brainchild

Another great Science show (with my friend Ali Ward who is awesome). Excellent science in an approachable way for kids.

Get Out Of My Room

Kids designing each other’s rooms!!!! I just discovered this, and I think it’s only one season, but it’s so cute! These two (Hi Claire!!) work with two siblings to make each other’s rooms fully decked out. The whole family started watching this, and it’s pretty darn cute. Warning: they will then want insane rooms, with crazy/fun/expensive ideas. I love how inspired they got after watching it.

72 Cutest Animals

It’s LITERALLY JUST ABOUT CUTE ANIMALS and how their “cuteness” keeps them alive. Y’all, it’s ADORABLE, innocent, and educational.

Making It

THREE SEASONS of wonderfulness. These people are so talented, so creative, and so nice to each other. The hosts are hilarious, and the talent is top-notch. IF YOU LOVE DESIGN BLOGS YOU WILL LOVE THIS SHOW. We have to start it early because they always want to make something afterward.

Before I go: I feel like I can’t publish this post without calling out our other favorite shows that I know I’ve talked about multiple times but want to collect them all here:

1. The Great Pottery Throwdown (6 seasons!) – EXCELLENT, kind, talented, and wonderfully produced. (I’d say 5 and up on this one). Both of our kids wanted to take pottery classes after this, and they did 🙂
2. Nailed It – Less educational, more fun, and hilarious. A cooking show that our whole family LOVES.

3. Blown Away – INCREDIBLE talent and really exciting to watch.
4. Master Chef Junior – Super impressive kids’ cooking competition show that inspires our kids to cook. A fun Friday family night would be to watch an episode at 4 pm and then make a big meal together.

5. Lego Masters – Duh. So fun. So talented. So many seasons.
6. Domino Masters – They tried to double down on the Lego Masters, and it’s good, but trying to find as many people who are experts in dominoes, I think, proved hard for the casting producers 🙂
7. Holey Moley – Brian and the kids love this one far more than I do – lots of falls, silly gags, etc. But the hosts are super funny and, like I said, the kids and Brian LOVE IT. 5.
8. Is it Cake? – Always a hit, and they keep them coming. Funny, wild, impressive 10/10

Best Family Shows For Tweens:

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series

If you didn’t love the movie the first time around (I liked it, but didn’t love it), trust me, this show is EXCELLENT (our entire family loved it, including Brian). The writing is fresh and funny; the acting is so good; it has Olivia Rodrigo (!!!) and fantastic heartfelt messaging (Brian and I both cried during one of the episodes about divorce that was so well done). Great music, a lot of comedians you’d recognize. I would rewatch this right now.

Baby-Sitters Club

Brian and Charlie were less into this, but we all still watched it. It’s sweet, heartfelt, fun, well-executed- just all around better than I could have predicted.

More Grown-Up Shows That We Binged Together (10+)

Modern Family

Can you believe I barely watched this when it came out? What a gift this show gave to families. Hilarious, wholesome (mostly), with a huge variety of life themes and a deep connection to the characters. Sure, the last few seasons were iffy (and a lot more sexual innuendo), but you have 16 seasons of family fun to binge together.

The Good Place

Such a fantastic show, with huge philosophical themes broken down in fun, digestible, and relatable ways. I had no idea it would be this good. We binged it over a year, and I would do it again (might be boring for under 10).

Survivor and The Amazing Race

We get it now!!! These are such great family shows because you get collectively so invested in the story, the connections, the challenges, and it’s something to look forward to every night (we have been bingeing them, based on Marlee and Gretch’s season recommendations – start with season 20 of Survivor!). We still haven’t started The Amazing Race (Currently watching Traitors, which I can’t say is terribly good messaging, but fun to watch).

PopStar Academy

Elliot and I shamelessly binged this in 2 days because it’s so good. It documents the making of Katseye, which is a year-long elimination trial that trains these hopefuls in dancing, singing, performing, and of course, the “it factor”. We got so invested (and sad when our favorite didn’t make it). It was intense, but fun to watch the lengths of hard work (to unhealthy levels, but such is the life of many performers).

The Office

It took until our kids were 10 and 12 to finally get it (we had tried before and the dryness of the humor went over their heads). My goodness, it is a fantastic family watch with some adult innuendo, but for the most part pretty clean. Lots of family jokes and references from years of watching this together.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Brian and the kids loved this (I liked it, but it didn’t hook me). Definitely more for older tweens and teens.

Love On The Spectrum

Sweetness overload! Sometimes difficult to watch due to its extreme level of earnestness, but my goodness, this is the sweetest show I’ve ever seen (and I resisted it for a long time). Brian and Charlie only dabble in it (they are less interested in the raw emotions of strangers, I suppose). So tender and so painfully sweet.

Schitt’s Creek

We just started this! There are some more mature elements, but for the most part just a hilarious fish-out-of-water, haves versus have-nots story that makes us all laugh pretty hard.

Superstore

I didn’t watch this (I don’t love comedies as much as other types of shows), but Brian and the kids did, and it comes up on most tween comedy lists.

The InBESTigators

More for tweens than teens, both my kids loved this (Brian and I didn’t watch – it’s a bit young for us).

Young Sheldon

We started this, and it didn’t hook us at first, but on a desperate night we gave it more of an effort and now really love it. It’s the prequel to The Big Bang Theory, following Sheldon’s childhood, and it’s extremely well done.

Geek Girl

Ok, I can’t attest to this YET, but Elliot and I are going to give it a shot. Read up on Reddit or Common Sense Media if you’re nervous about subject matter – I think it’s more for teens than tweens.

Never Have I Ever

I watched this by myself during lockdown, and I think Elliot is finally ready to watch with me (she thinks she has been ready for a while). It’s more of a high school show, written and produced by Mindy Kaling, and I remember it being appropriate for tweens when I watched it, so I’m excited to give it a go.

Magic For Humans

Hands down, it’s in our top 5 best family-friendly TV shows to watch together. If you aren’t a Justin Willman fan, get on it now. He’s a magician/comedian who does it in a way that is so fresh, fun, irreverent, and pulls the curtain back a bit while blowing your mind. His live shows are incredible as well (for tweens, not for under 7/8).

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Such a fun adventure show that our kids were a bit creeped out by (but they get creeped out easily). Charlie read the series and loved it, so it was nice to have the TV follow-up.

Knowing that our kids are 11 and 13, let me know what we’ve missed! Oh shoot, I meant to put in America’s Got Talent – another one that I didn’t watch a frame of until this year, and now we love it. And I’m sure there are a lot for younger kids that have since come out. Drop them in the comments. xx

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: Revealing My Brother’s Ultra Cozy Family Room (And The Most Comfortable Green Sectional)