Below I introduce a few of our favorite shows for elementary school aged kids and link to their official YouTube channels. Many children still enjoy the shows I highlighted for preschoolers, so check those out even if your kid is a bit older, as well as this page on where to access German-language video content. I’ve linked to YouTube for ease of access, but keep in mind that these shows are also available via German broadcaster sites and apps. If you are a confident German speaker yourself, I’d recommend checking out the broadcaster sites, as they are completely ad-free and do not have as many of the safety concerns as YouTube does.
Ideas for older kids:
KiKa A mix of shows for kids from preschool through teens. Older kids may be ready for Schloss Einstein, a long running show with an ensemble teen cast (target audience age 10-14).
Checker Welt Entertaining nonfiction segments for school children, where a moderator explores a specific topic like gravity, skateboarding or swimming. Most are 24 minutes, but a few are 15 minutes or special feature-film segments.
Wilde Tierwelt Entertaining nonfiction segments for school children, where a moderator visits and learns about a specific animal. There are series on house pets, wild animals and ecosystems around the world. Most segments are 24 minutes, but there are some that are shorter.
ARD Kinder und Familie The ARD’s main channel for children’s content. There is a lot of current content, including whole episodes of series for older kids, tweens and teens. A few examples: „Tigerenten Club about sports, shows about growing up (Rumors, Glow, Home Sweet Rome) and animal shows (Tiere bis unters Dach, Mein Pferdesommer).
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