As I’m sure you all know, in a pinch, TV can be a lifesaver. Until recently, whenever N gets to watch a videito I’ve had to scramble to find an age-appropriate show in Spanish, which can be surprisingly hard if I don’t already have a specific show in mind! So I thought I would put together a cheat sheet for some of the great young kids’ programming available in Spanish on Netflix right now. This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list (and I excluded some programs that we sampled and I didn’t like), but at the very least it’s a good start. If you have any programs to add, feel free to note them in the comments!
Where available, I’ve included links either about the show or to the show’s site, including free episodes available online (not all are in Spanish). All of the shows I’ve included below are aimed at younger kids (rated TV-Y, which is appropriate for ‘all children’ or TV-G, which is for a general audience, including children), just in case your little has an active imagination and is easily frightened, like N, who walked out of Moana a few months ago and still talks about the scary “tummy guy” (aka Maui, the “demigod”).
TV-Y & TV-G
Atención Atención (this is a huge crowd favorite and features some of my kids’ favorite songs, including “Había un Sapo“)
The Magic School Bus N has the books in English, which I find exhausting to translate, so it was a huge relief to find the show in Spanish!
Home: Las Aventuras de Tip y Oh It turns out that Netflix has a bunch of kids’ programming available in Spanish. The Adventures of Tip and Oh has been described as a “coming-of-age buddy comedy,” taking place in Earth’s “newly-combined human and alien culture” following the movie “Home.”
Octonautas This is a British children’s show that follows the undersea adventures of an underwater exploration crew living in an undersea base.
El Taller de Julie Muppets AND Julie Andrews? Yes, please.
Tayo the Little Bus is a South Korean series following Tayo, a little bus, who is learning his route in a big city filled with other happy vehicles. I know it sounds a little weird, but the show is a big hit.
Justo a Tiempo focuses on the adventures of Justin, who encounters problems of the everyday preschooler variety and learns to resolve them in his imagination with his imaginary friends, Squidgy and Olive.
Space Racers This one is pretty cool and more STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) intensive than your average show. The show’s creators work with NASA and the US Space & Rocket Center to provide accurate science and space technology information. Throughout the show, the Space Racers Cadets travel the solar system and explore space.
Pocoyó is a British-Spanish program about Pocoyó, a 4-year-old boy, and his his friends Pato (a duck), Elly (an elephant) and Loula (a dog).
El Chavo is a Mexican children’s show based on a live-actionTV series El Chavo del Ocho, which may be why some of you find him so familiar.
Fabuloso Vocabulario is the creation of a Netflix-Jim Henson Company partnership featuring four baby animals that are intended to help toddlers with their vocabulary skills.
Curious George (Jorge el Curioso) N loved Curious George and for almost a year this was all he watched. There are a few movies available to watch with a well-loved character.
Viva el Rey Julien is touted as a prequel to the Madagascar franchise.
La Abeja Maya As a kid, my husband actually used to watch a Czeck program featuring Maya the Bee, so it was a pleasant surprise to see a version available in Spanish as well!
The Furchester Hotel (Elmo & Friends) E is currently in the throes of an Elmo phase and speaks/understands very little English (she basically knows ‘park’ English—“mine,” etc.) so it’s a huge win for us to to find good quality Elmo in Spanish on the few occasions she gets to watch a video.
Luna Petunia was inspired by Cirque de Soleil and follows the adventures of Luna Petunia, who lives in the real world, but can transport herself to a magical land known as Amaze.
Puffin Rock An Irish show following a young puffin and her little brother as they navigate life on an island on the Irish coast.
The Hive is about the Bee family who, along with friends and relatives, live in the Hive.
El Grufalo is based on a children’s book El grufalo (Spanish)
If none of these are to your (or your kids’) liking, here are a few more for your perusal:
Ever After High Hechizo de Invierno
Barbie: Life in the Dream house
Rosita Fresita
Pororo, el pinguino pequeno
Disney’s The Three Little Pigs
Las Aventuras de Chuck y sus amigos
Mickey and the Beanstalk
The Prince and the Pauper
Kazoops!
Winnie the Pooh
Lego Friends
Tinkerbell & friends (various movies)
Cars Toons
Ositos Carinositos y Primos (CareBears)
Masha y el Oso
Las Historias Espeluznantes de Masha
The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That
El Amanecer de los Croods
VeggieTales en la ciudad
Littlest Pet Shop
Ask the Storybots
Beat Bugs
Clifford
Little Baby Buns
Bob Zoom
Robocar Poli