Hacker Cinema
Tumble Leaf
2013 · TV series · 4 seasons
Created by Drew Hodges
Set in a whimsical land and aimed at preschoolers, a small blue fox named Fig plays each day and discovers adventure, friendship and love around every bend in the path. Children will be enriched by these narratives that promote play, the fun of learning and understanding the world around them.
3 positive1 neutralfrom 4 commenters
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5 comments on Hacker News
I agree, and the "not the first time" I think is key there. Setting expectations I think is crucial. For ours (5yo), we're clear about what he can watch and for how long. We control the device. "Two episodes before dinner" or so. Over time, he learns how this works. And we're not afraid to tell him that now isn't a good time for the TV.
It's not to say we never have any complaints over this, but when we do, it's rare and usually because something else is amiss (hungry, frazzled, tired).
But most instances it's like last night, where we were clear that we had time for two episodes of Tumble Leaf before dinner. At the end of the second one he announced "last one!" and got up off the couch as we picked up the remote.
5yo parent here. Agreed. And sometimes they just need to chill.
I agree with the overall sentiment. Too much screen time is bad. Kids need to get out and play, indoors or out. In our house, it's a lot of biking and playing with friends outside, Legos, Brio, Magnatiles, matchbox cars, or just crafts.
But sometimes they're frazzled, out of sorts, and would benefit from just being able to sit and chill.
So we'll put on something for him that we're comfortable with. Tumble Leaf, Blaze & The Monster Machines, Trash Truck, or the occasional Ghibli movie.
We do not give him a tablet or other portable device. He sits and watches on the couch, we set a expectation, and stick to that.
I think controlling the device is important. Keeping the screen as something we control and not something he carries around seems to allow us better control and helps him understand the limits in play. 90% of the time, we have no fuss.
And it's not bad. In moderation, TV can be just fine. Often it genuinely helps him soothe and relax (Especially if he's been really active and engaged all day), and as you said, helps us get something done. Two episodes of one of his favorite shows is great to help him unwind while we're making dinner.
But we keep time/episode limits as well, and that seems to keep things in balance along with the aforementioned things.
While I find Bluey fun and so does my child, in many of the episodes the children are loud and frantic. I've also noticed my kid whining in the same way Bluey and Bingo do.
In trying to find calmer shows, two I like are Tumble Leaf and Guess How Much I Love You. Tumble Leaf has a stop-motion look and every episodes involves finding and object and using it to solve a problem. Guess How Much I Love You has a watercolor look and is about a rabbit family and pretty calm. I don't enjoy those as much as Bluey, but I enjoy how my kid behaves after watching them.
I'd like to find more like those two if anybody knows any.
Make your own.
There's PBS kids shows in spirit like Daniel Tiger, Tumble Leaf, Octonauts, Llama llama, Bluey, Puffin Rock, and many more.
I watch an episode first to make sure it is something educational and not too "entertaining". I'm personally in the camp that if something is too entertaining, you aren't learning much. i.e. Cocomelon, Sesame Street, etc.
I have the same feelings as you -- most children shows are a bit ... much. Tumble Leaf is a good one. Slow pacing. Other good ones are Puppy Dog Pals, and Bluey (very short episodes). Also, the old VeggieTales episodes are always good, like Rumor Weed or Fib from Outer Space.