The Best Free Kids Shows and Movies to Watch in Canada Right Now

This post was updated on April 24, 2020.

Screen time is inevitable. You're reading this on a screen right now. Hi there! 

Screen time can be very practical, obviously, because maybe you need a moment to shower, to cook a meal, to catch up on work or to even take a nap or exercise.

And if you're a kid, it can be useful, too.

Sure, you could worry about increased screen time right now, but kids are most likely using their screen time to be creative, game, socialize and watch videos. And I'm not saying you can't still have caps! Because that's still important.

No Screen Time — In This Economy?

Nowadays, you're indoors for such long stretches that screen time is probably going to have a bit of an uptick in your house — which is scary, because you don't want to hear Peppa Pig or Paw Patrol for 12 hours straight. So what do you do? 

Well, if you're carving out some time to watch TV or a movie with the family, or you need something fun and educational, movement-oriented and safe for the kids when you can't be around, I've compiled this robust list of gems that are going to keep kids and adults entertained. Trust me, you are not going to lose your mind watching any of these with the little or medium-sized ones, either. 

And that's a win if I've ever heard one. 

Get Movin'

One challenge for some families is movement breaks for kids. Maybe the weather isn't great and you haven't left the house, or perhaps there's just too much work to do or you don't have a lot of outdoor space close by. This Get Movin' collection is basically designed with your needs in mind. And adults will benefit from it too, because we need to move, too. To be honest, I have the freedom of leaving my house for isolated walks and even with those I'm feeling mighty stiff. Did you hear that? That was every joint in my body cracking. 

Shows like The Moblees, Daniel Tiger's Neighbourhood, The Adventures of Napkin Man and plenty more in this collection are interactive, educational and designed to get kids up off their butts and on their feet. And show me one person who finds Daniel Tiger annoying — I'll wait. 

Watch our entire Get Movin' collection here.

School's Out, But Is It?

You know how some parents sneak vegetables into food? Well, that does work sometimes. So-called "edu-tainment" is a little different and can often be not that fun, and kids can very often see right through it. So I'm not here to suggest that watching a docu-series about how threads get put on spools is going to win over kids, tweens and teens. But here are some options that will. 

Learning about animals may not seem math-level educational, but does that really matter right now? Sit down with the kids for Secret Life of Farm Animals, Bondi Vet, The Wild Canadian Year and a variety of wildlife documentaries from The Nature of Things. (Or just let them view solo — I promise these will keep them plenty entertained, and you'll probably here them say "woah!!!!" a lot.) 

Check out our It's a Wild, Wildlife collection here. And for families who are extra curious, you can find more family-friendly docs here.

Shows and Movies That Won't Make Parents Lose Their S—t

Parents know the shows that are banned in their homes. Everyone's got one. I'm not even going to mention that little boy's name in fear of triggering you. 

So, our collections are very focused on being good and will not make you feel compelled to have a private cry in your bathroom or pantry. 

The Family Films collection has favourites like Kung Fu Panda (1 and 2!), Garfield and many more hours of truly family-friendly viewing that everyone in your house will enjoy. 

And for the little ones, we have kids collections for National Pet Day and Earth Day with episodes from Big Block Sing Song, Addison, Furchester Hotel and more. You can find our Family Films collection here! And if you want some great stories about pets and the earth for kids, they're here and here.

Still need more? No problem. Leave me a comment below and I'll float some more ideas your way. Or if you want to do some browsing, you can do that, too.