Look, Peanuts is timeless, and Apple's Snoopy content is genuinely delightful. Snoopy in Space takes Charlie Brown's dog on NASA-inspired adventures with actual educational content about space exploration. The Snoopy Show is more classic Peanuts vibes—short episodes, minimal dialogue, that perfect blend of gentle humor and emotional depth.

These shows are safe for even your youngest viewers and won't make you want to claw your eyes out during family viewing. The animation is gorgeous, the pacing is calm, and there's zero obnoxious voice acting or cheap humor.

This reboot of the '90s PBS series is a legitimate mystery show that treats kids like they have functioning brains. A ghost haunts a Brooklyn bookstore and releases fictional characters into the real world, and a group of middle schoolers has to solve literary mysteries to set things right.

Why it works: It's genuinely engaging for adults too, celebrates reading without being preachy, and features diverse characters navigating real friendship dynamics. The mysteries are actually mysterious, and the show references everything from classic literature to contemporary middle-grade favorites.

Fair warning: younger kids (under 8) might find some episodes mildly scary, but it's more "suspenseful" than "nightmare-inducing."

From the Sesame Workshop team, Helpsters is basically "what if Muppets taught computational thinking?" A team of fuzzy monsters helps solve problems using step-by-step thinking, pattern recognition, and debugging—all core coding concepts without a screen in sight.

It's genuinely educational without feeling like homework, and the songs are catchy without being annoying (a miracle). If you're trying to build problem-solving skills in younger kids, this is a solid choice.

Based on Jon J. Muth's Zen books, Stillwater follows a giant panda who helps neighborhood kids work through emotional challenges using mindfulness and wisdom. Each episode tackles real kid problems—jealousy, disappointment, fear—with surprising depth.

The vibe: Gentle, thoughtful, emotionally intelligent. It's like the anti-Cocomelon. Some kids will find it slow, but if your child responds to calm, contemplative content (or needs help with emotional regulation), this is gold. The animation style is beautiful too—watercolor-inspired and genuinely artistic.

A young robot sneaks away from his charging station to explore the human world and learn through real experiences rather than just downloaded data. It's cute, it's got heart, and there's a subtle but clear message about balancing screen time with real-world exploration.

The episodes are short (under 25 minutes), the lessons are clear without being heavy-handed, and it's colorful enough to hold attention without being visually overwhelming.

If you loved the original Muppet series, this reboot is shockingly good. If you never saw the original, it's still worth checking out—it's a musical comedy about underground creatures dealing with environmental themes, community dynamics, and creative problem-solving.

The production value is insane (Apple money at work), and the show tackles surprisingly complex themes about sustainability, cooperation, and cultural differences. Plus, the music genuinely slaps.

Apple TV+ is weaker for tweens and teens compared to preschool/elementary content, but there are a few options:

For actual teens, Apple TV+ doesn't have much—you're mostly looking at their general audience content, which means you'll need to vet case-by-case.

Apple TV+ is remarkably clean from a content safety perspective. There's no algorithm pushing endless content, no user-generated material, no comment sections, no ads. Your kid can't accidentally stumble into anything inappropriate because the catalog is curated and finite.

The platform has solid parental controls through Screen Time settings, and you can restrict content by rating. But honestly? Most of the kids' content here is so safe you probably won't need them.

The bigger concern is boredom. If your kid is used to infinite content libraries, they might complain there's "nothing to watch." That's actually a feature—it naturally limits binge-watching and might push them toward other activities.

Real talk: Apple TV+ probably shouldn't be your only streaming service if you have kids. The catalog is too small. But as a secondary option or if you're already in the Apple ecosystem? It's actually a really solid choice for intentional parents.

The content quality is consistently high, there's zero junk food media, and you won't feel guilty about what your kids are watching. Plus, if you're trying to limit screen time, the smaller catalog works in your favor—kids can't endlessly scroll looking for the next thing.

If you're trying to decide between streaming services, check out this guide on comparing kids' content across platforms.

Apple TV+ won't give you the endless content library of Netflix or the Disney nostalgia factor, but what it does offer is consistently high-quality, thoughtfully-made content that treats kids like humans with developing brains rather than attention-span targets.

For families prioritizing quality over quantity, it's genuinely one of the better streaming options out there. Just don't expect it to babysit for hours—and maybe that's exactly the point.

Next Steps: Start with whatever matches your kid's age range from the list above, watch an episode or two together, and see if the vibe works for your family. And if your kid complains there's nothing to watch after exhausting the catalog? Well, that's what board games are for.