From companies putting work-from-home policies into place to school districts across the country shutting down, COVID-19 is officially taking its toll on everyone -- whether youāre sick or not (and we sure hope youāre not!)
So if your house needs to freshen up its Netflix queue, look no further.
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We asked around for some of the best parent-endorsed picks when it comes to Netflix offerings.
Of course, some of these might just be ānew to youā rather than brand new to the streaming service, but either way, they just might get you a hall pass, excused from your millionth viewing of āFrozen 2,ā or whatever the heck is playing on a loop at your home currently.
1.) "Beat Bugs"
No, unfortunately, the Beatles themselves don't star in "Beat Bugs," (well, that might seem obvious, considering we only have two Beatles still alive). But we are here to -- happily! -- report that the "Beat Bugs" series is all based on Beatles songs, so needless to say, the music is more than tolerable.
"Plus, now my girls like listening to the real Beatles, too," one mom said.
So, not only are you providing good entertainment for your kids, but youāre instilling a love of classic rock, as well. Wins all around!
2.) "Leap!"
āLeap,ā which is voiced by Elle Fanning and Maddie Ziegler, among some other recognizable names, is seriously cute. Despite the main character, our protagonist Felicie, using some questionable judgment at times (going out with a friend the night before her ballet audition, lying about her identity to get into ballet school in the first place) -- oh, and not to mention her audacity -- she auditions for āThe Nutcrackerā with no formal dance training!
Yes, all jokes aside and despite those things that we sometimes LOL about, itās still a gem of a movie.
The music in āLeapā is beautiful and the message is touching. Also Iām convinced Nora has some kind of neurodiverse condition, such as autism, perhaps. But no one even makes a big deal of it, so we give props for promoting inclusion.
The ending is the absolute best part. āDance offfffff!ā
3.) āShrek: The Musicalā
Surely we, as parents, have all seen -- and maybe even grew up with, depending on our age? -- āShrek.ā Itās a classic.
But have you seen the musical form?
Whatever youāre remembering about the 2001 DreamWorks version, this is about to get even better.
The musical is brought to life, quite literally, by Brian dā Arcy James. Donkey (Daniel Breaker) will crack you up just as much as Eddie Murphy. Although this one isnāt new or new to Netflix, we were surprised just how many parents hadnāt seen this one yet.
4.) āRalph Breaks the Internetā
Wreck-It Ralph is back!
Luckily, you (and your kids) didnāt really have to tune in for the first movie in order to follow whatās going on here.
Video game bad guy Ralph and fellow misfit Vanellope von Schweetz must risk it all by traveling to the World Wide Web in search of a replacement part to save Vanellopeās video game, āSugar Rush.ā
Things take quite a few twists and turns from there, as they tend to, but we promise you and your children will be giggling along for this one -- all the way to BuzzzTube.
5.) āThe Princess and the Frogā
Who doesnāt love a Disney princess?
Tianaās not like the other girls -- sheās hard-working, ambitious and fierce in a way thatās uniquely her. One day, she wants to open a restaurant in New Orleans. Her dreams are paused slightly when she meets Prince Naveen, and youāll have to see where things go from there. Disney just does things right.
6.) "Masha and the Bear"
"My kids think this is the funniest show ever," one father of three said.
Authorās note: My kids would back this up!
This Russian animated series is about a girl named Masha, and tells the story of a lively little girl who lives near the forest, where she has many wonderful adventures with her best friend, a bear who used to be in the circus. The animation is adorable and it appears to be entertaining for all sorts of age groups.
7.) āWord Partyā
If weāre going to come under fire for any selection on this list, it might be āWord Party.ā OK OK, weāll admit: these songs will get stuck in your head. For days, or maybe even weeks on end. And theyāre not always the best of songs. But āWord Partyā does have something kind of intriguing and enticing to it, although we canāt put our finger on what exactly that āitā factor really is. Toddlers seem to love āWord Party,ā so if you need to get that load of laundry folded, pop it on and there you have 30 free minutes. Also, the show really does try to teach valuable lessons, which is nice. One day they talked seemingly all episode about wearing underpants, and the next thing you knew, my otherwise-resistant-to-potty-training 2-year-old was all in on wearing hers. Thank you, āWord Party!ā
Finally, just a note: Donāt get all smug on me, readers. Iām not suggesting you plop your kids down in front of a screen all day -- or even every day. But if youāre like a lot of us, you can probably admit that TV happens. Sometimes youāre traveling. Or youāve just had a new baby and youāre adjusting to life with a new person who has unpredictable needs. Sometimes COVID-19 strikes. Or maybe youāre stuck inside because of the weather. There are a bunch of reasons why you might throw the TV on for an hour, so we thought weād offer some alternatives if youāre stuck on the same shows or movies.
Now that thatās out of the way, tell us in the comments below: What did we miss? What are you watching at home with your kids? Have you forgiven Netflix for pulling Zootopia? (We havenāt!)