Looking for the perfect show to watch with your tween? Check out some of our family favorites – here are 11 shows that are age appropriate and entertaining for both adults and kids!
From our marriage & parenting contributor, Mary Carver.
11 Shows to Watch With Your Tween
My daughters are 12 and 6 years old, and while I know that age gap won’t always seem so large, it feels insurmountable at times.
Times like my annual quest to find matching outfits for family photos.
Times like figuring out a vacation plan that will be fun for everyone.
And, for sure, times like deciding what TV series to watch next.
I get asked often about good shows for tweens because this stage encompasses such a wide range of ages.
So finding something to watch that’s not too baby-ish but also not too mature is tricky.
But because my girls are close to that age range (technically, tweens are aged 8 to 12), and we love watching TV as a family, I am constantly answering this question for my own family—and am happy to answer it for you, too!
Here are eleven TV shows that your tweens will love—and won’t drive you crazy to watch along with them.
The Baby-Sitters Club
Based on the beloved book series by Ann M. Martin, this show features middle school students who start a business and develop friendships.
This newest iteration is smart, modern, and sweet.
My girls and I all loved it and can’t wait for another season. (And my 12-year-old decided to give the books another chance.)
Watch on Netflix.
Diary of a Future President
A Cuban-American middle school girl journals about her life, growing up to eventually become the president of the U.S.
I’ve only watched the first episode of this show and have heard later episodes have some more mature themes better for older kids, but I did like what I’ve seen so far!
Watch on Disney Plus.
Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street
Gortimer and his friends are suburban middle school students who go on adventures with a smidge of magic and occasional melancholy, learning life lessons that are thankfully not heavy-handed.
This is my family’s number-one favorite show.
Watch on Amazon Prime.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
If you and/or your kids like the original High School Musical movies, you will likely love this new scripted series as well.
It’s about a group of high school students putting on the HSM musical, and they just happen to attend school in the building where the HSM movies were filmed.
It’s sweet and funny and as melodramatic as you’d expect a group of theater kids to be.
Watch on Disney Plus.
Holly Hobbie
Middle-schooler Holly lives in a small town but she has big dreams (and big feelings).
This is a super sweet but relatable coming-of-age show for tweens.
And I loved it so much I wouldn’t let my girls watch a single episode without me!
Watch on Hulu.
Just Add Magic
Three friends find a magical cookbook and work together to break curses and solve mysteries that plague their town and families.
This show is super cute, and I especially appreciated the focus on friendship and family (instead of romance, which sneaks into so many shows for kids!).
Watch on Amazon Prime.
Just Roll With It
A newly blended family learns to “roll with” the changes, both in their family and in the show, where the audience gets to rewrite the script and make the actors do crazy things in the middle of the episode.
Watch on Disney Plus.
Phineas and Ferb
I know some kids resist animated shows as they get a bit older (as do many adults!), but this one is just so funny.
Is it also formulaic and predictable?
Of course.
But it’s nonstop gags and jokes, many of them with references you’ll find even funnier than your kids do.
Watch on Disney Plus.
Sydney to the Max
A widowed dad raising his middle school daughter remembers his own middle school years.
If you are approximately my age (and therefore the age of the dad on this show), you’ll love the flashbacks to childhood in the early nineties.
Watch on Disney Plus.
When Calls the Heart
This drama about the Canadian West in the early 1900s is an original Hallmark show, based on a book series by Janette Oke.
We don’t watch it in my house but every single conversation I have about shows for tweens involves someone else saying their tweens love this show.
So, if you like this genre, give it a try!
Watch on Hallmark Channel (and catch up on earlier seasons on Netflix).
The Who Was? Show
Do your kids love reading the Who Was history books?
Do you love sketch comedy shows?
Then have we got a show for you!
This sketch comedy series features goofy but educational bits about historical figures, and it’s really a lot of fun.
Watch on Netflix.
Honorable mentions and sneak peeks:
If your kids (or you) prefer reality or competition shows more than scripted series, I recommend LEGO Masters (Hulu), Brain Games (Netflix), Floor is Lava (Netflix), The Big Family Cooking Showdown (Netflix), World of Dance (Hulu), American Pickers (Hulu), and Home Town (Hulu).
And stay tuned for my review of a couple shows I discovered while preparing to write this post. Both The Letter for the King (Netflix, for older kids) and The Healing Powers of Dude (also Netflix, probably good for any tweens) look incredible, and I can’t wait to watch them!
For more shows your family might enjoy, here’s The Ultimate List of TV Shows for Tweens and 24 Diverse TV Shows for Kids & Tweens.
What shows do your tweens like watching?
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