21 educational shows that made kids love learning

In 1969, a giant yellow bird and a cascade of other colorful puppets were introduced to the world when they moved onto Sesame Street. No one knew then, but Sesame Street would go on to be the forever titan of educational programming. With characters that eventually crossed into the mainstream, Sesame Street became more than just a place to learn the ABCs. It was a pop culture icon, and beloved by millions whose first taste of learning was via Elmo, Big Bird, and the rest of the Sesame Street crew.

Arthur ran for 25 seasons before leaving the air, but during that time, the aardvark and his friends in Elwood City taught kids not so much about counting and whatnot but about real-life things like dealing with bad haircuts, the beauty of imaginary friends, substitute teachers, and the highs and lows of what it means to be a kid.

Learning a new language is easier for kids than it is for adults. This is why Dora the Explorer was such a hit. Not only were kids fascinated by Dora’s adventures, her bestie Boots, and the way she stared maniacally at the home audience waiting for answers to her questions, but they were also excited to learn some Spanish along the way.

Not all learning on TV involves the basics; it can also involve niche interests. How many kids grew up to be biologists and zoologists because of their time watching Zoboomafoo?

What Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood taught countless generations, and continues to teach via the modern-day reimagining of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, is kindness. Mister Rogers always led with a calm nature, approaching everything from how crayons are made to solving issues in The Neighborhood of Make-Believe with a level of compassion that made him a hero to many.

If there is one thing kids need to learn early on, it’s problem-solving. It’s a skill that will help guide them through life, and Bob the Builder focused on that while also introducing kids to a very important community helper.

Jurassic Park might have gotten millennials into dinosaurs, but for Gen Z, it was Dinosaur Train. Created by the man who brought a football-head-shaped kid to Nickelodeon in the ‘90s, Dinosaur Train focused on teaching preschool-age kids about the different prehistoric periods, dinosaurs, ecosystems, and more.

PBS had always championed diversity in their programming and continued to keep that up with 1995’s The Puzzle Place. With its cast of puppets that highlighted a variety of cultures, it might’ve been the first time many young viewers got to know more about people from different backgrounds, teaching both tolerance and inclusivity.

Nickelodeon premiered a block of preschool-age programming on its channel in 1988, but it wasn’t until Blue's Clues dropped eight years later that Nick Jr. really hit its stride. The blue pup became the poster child for Nick Jr., and her human pal Steve quickly became a star among tiny TV watchers. While Blue went on to have a couple of different human friends, youngsters still adored the show as it taught them to solve puzzles and sing songs. Years later, Steve Burns helped heal the generation he originally helped raise with a viral video in which he checked in on people in 2024.

Every kid who watched or watches The Magic School Bus wants the same two things: a teacher like Ms. Frizzle and a whirlwind of adventures. No one like Ms. Frizzle could make being sick interesting, but she did just that by taking her class inside one of their ill classmates’ bodies to teach them about the immune system. Her field trips were always insane but never failed to teach in a way that felt like a thrill ride.

Absolutely no one hyped up science quite like Bill Nye.

Music is a great, and pretty perfect, way to teach kids. Everything from counting to simple tasks can be put to song, and The Backyardigans explored that with each episode, not only teaching this and that while its colorful characters went on exciting excursions, but also introducing young audiences to different genres and styles of music with each new episode.

Lamb Chop's Play-Along really helped kids learn to express themselves creatively as the series loved a music-centric moment, along with crafts, and celebrating imagination.

Teletubbies was a trip, and the characters themselves have since gone on to become icons, especially in the LGBTQ community. However, as an educational program, Teletubbies was all about creating an inviting environment that taught kids various things via the videos shown on the Teletubbies' belly screens.

With the success of Dora the Explorer, Nick Jr. decided to tap into another language-based show, and in 2008, Ni Hao, Kai-Lan debuted. Ni Hao, Kai-Lan followed a similar format to Dora, only this titular character mostly had her adventures closer to home. Along the way, she’d teach kids bits of Mandarin along with teaching about different emotions, dealing with family, and more.

There were three reasons kids were big into reading back in the day. Pizza Hut rewarded readers with a personal pan pizza for hitting reading goals, while Scholastic Book Fairs were the cream of the crop every school year. The other reason? Well, kids' love of reading started way before the pizza and fair delights, thanks to Reading Rainbow. LeVar Burton’s comforting presence introduced Gen X and millennials to an evergreen library. Many of their favorite childhood reads stem from the series.

Someone needs to survey millennials who went on to major in English to find out how many of them were avid Wishbone watchers because that little pup made classic literature truly pop.

Gullah Gullah Island utilized music for five seasons as part of the Nick Jr. block in the mid-90s. Leaving the air in 2000, Gullah Gullah Island left behind a legacy of song, culture, and a giant polliwog named Binyah Binyah.

At the start of the new millennium, PBS introduced a new series, Between the Lions. This show promoted reading just like Reading Rainbow had before it, only this time, a pride of lions was behind the magic of reading.

Barney & Friends is one of the most memorable shows of the ‘90s, and that goes beyond just children's programming. That purple dinosaur was everywhere after the show debuted in 1992, and while it ran well into the 2000s, it remains a critical part of what made the ‘90s so grand. As for what it did educationally? It used a lot of similar things other shows did, intertwining the musical aspect to teach, as well as incorporating the pure heart often found in shows like Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. 

If there were an award for most punk rock educational show, it’d have to go to Yo Gabba Gabba! Debuting in 2007, it came about during the emo music boom, and it showed. Bands like Taking Back Sunday and My Chemical Romance appeared to sing silly songs about everything from loving pets to the beauty of differences. The show also had a wild array of other guests like Jack Black, "Weird Al" Yankovic, and Solange Knowles. The show got so big that the characters even appeared at Coachella a couple of times, as recently as 2025. As for what the Nick Jr. favorite taught? Well, a variety pack of things, in its unique way.