When it comes to the movies that are considered a G or PG rating, most of their content tends to be inappropriate on varying levels. There are few movies worth watching together as a family anymore, and fewer still worth exposing young children to. Then you get into the argument of what age is even appropriate to have your child watch movies. I know several people who do not promote television-watching for their children (and themselves), and therefore do not engage in watching movies. Just looking at the television trends, it used to be that sitcoms and movies were geared for elementary school-aged children and older. Toddlers and preschoolers were left out. It has taken several years of innovation and the input of family-friendly entertainment that deemed more content suitable for the youngest crowd of television-watchers.
As a parent of a soon-to-be kindergartner, I have watched many, many movies with my child. In the beginning, I stuck to 10-15 minute videos or television shows filled with comical antics by other babies and young children, puppets, and basic cartoon characters. It was only after the age of 3 1/2 that movies were even something to hold my daughter’s attention. It surprised me that many of the “popular” new children’s movies were not even geared toward children at all - and were instead riddled with adult humor and situations that she didn’t even understand. What’s worse, that which she didn’t understand became part of her vocabulary, mannerisms, and role-playing. Given this, I have sifted through the scores of movies that exist, and have come up with the following list of those that make the cut for ages 3 and above:
- The Care Bears Movie
- Nim’s Island
- Veggie Tales (any of their movies)
- Meet the Robinsons
- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
- Finding Nemo
- Mary Poppins
- Tinkerbell
- Barbie (any of the movies)
- The Jungle Book
- Chicken Little
- The Lion King
- Cinderella
Of course, there are many other movies out there that hold universal appeal, starting at around age 5, where certain evildoers are not perceived as scary than if younger children were to watch:
- Cars
- Alladin
- Robots
- Pinocchio
- The Little Mermaid
- Sleeping Beauty
- Snow White
- Bed Knobs and Broomsticks
- Alice in Wonderland
- Charlotte’s Web
- Annie
I fully believe that by the time a child is 6 years old, they are able to watch any G-rated movie just fine. PG is debatable, depending on your family’s preference. Minor cursing, violence, or more in-depth topics abound, and that’s not even talking about PG-13! What it all comes down to is what you want your children to value. We as parents are in charge of what they watch, because of the content’s ability to alter their thinking and dictate how they interact with others. So finding quality entertainment is definitely worth your child’s future.
