A bit of a different blog post today but it’s something that is so important to our family, and to anyone who has kids in their house watching tv and movies.

OK, I’m not against a bit of action, or a bit of screen time. However, when kids are being fed nothing but “destroy the bad guys” “fight for revenge!” “kill!!” it makes me wonder who on earth is in charge? What happened to the good old fashioned, wholesome movies we used to watch as kids??

At the time of writing this, my little ones are 3 and 7 and we love our Friday movie nights, but it’s honestly getting hard to find stories that are age appropriate and non-violent. So, I’ve done the legwork for you and come up with a list for preschool and young school aged kids. This list will continue to grow as I find more, and please share your go-tos!

Please know, these aren’t just movies I’ve googled, we’ve watched them all… for market research purposes of course (many of them over and over again). The links I’ve provided will help you find each one quickly.

HOT TIP: Free services like SBS on demand, ABC iview, Tubi and YouTube Kids have so many things on offer they are definitely worth a look. If you are paying for streaming, rotate subscription services to get fresh content. Simply put one on hold while you start up another one, rinse and repeat.

Preschoolers

• The Peanuts Movie

• Winnie The Pooh

• Giggle Bellies Monster Trucks (youtube)

• Octonauts

• Fantasia

• Beethoven

• Curious George

• The Little Rascals

• The Snowman (youtube)

• Horton Hears A Who

• The Aristocats

• Julia Donaldson Adaptations (Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, Snail on the Whale etc)

Early School Age

• Homeward Bound

• Wall-E

• Ballerina

• Fly Away Home

• Honey, I Shrunk The Kids

• Milo & Otis (youtube)

• A Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

• Paddington

• Mary Poppins

• Stuart Little

• Bee Movie

Finally, here is a brilliant resource I want to share with you. If you have kids in the house and they watch tv/movies or use devices, then you need this site too.

I was told about this by our early learning Occupational Therapist and it’s been eye opening to say the least:

COMMON SENSE MEDIA - reviews and recommendations

Happy Movie Night!!

PS: These Bare The Label Silicone Snacky Cups make such great little movie night snack packs! I throw in things like berries, choc pieces, nuts, mini marshmallows. Perfect portion size for the kids, .

(I hope this is obvious, but please ensure the snacks are age and child appropriate. Popcorn is not advised for kiddos under 5.)