If you’re looking for good movies or podcasts for kids, you’ll quickly land on Kixi. The platform is a streaming service with a very special mission: Because on Kixi there are offers exclusively for children.
Kixi touts “educational children’s movies” on its website. These are selected by an editorial team. At Kixi there is a good selection of offers for children. These include classics such as “The Snow Queen” or stories by Astrid Lindgren as well as new on-screen heroes, e.g. the “Dragon Coconut”. Users can choose from four categories:
Under “Audio” there is a selection of audio plays and audio books. Educational offerings include educational films from the school sector, what-is-what offerings or factual films such as “Der kleine Medicus,” but also learning series that convey knowledge content with a playful character. The offers are sorted by age (the FSK rating applies here) or genre, so that you can quickly find what you are looking for.
Kixi can be viewed directly in a browser via kixi.de, but it also works as an app, via Magenta TV or via other smart TV apps. Registration with an email address is required to use Kixi.
In fact, the selection at Kixi is considerable and well sorted. Children can look, listen and learn there largely without hesitation. Since the app is ad-free, there is no risk that young viewers will click on commercial links or come across content that is actually only intended for adults.
By sorting by age, it quickly becomes clear which offers are also suitable for the youngest. Since the range is very clearly laid out, children can easily find their way around on their own. When on the road, the offline function can be used to access the program even without Internet access.
Even if the offer is safe for children, they need company even with the best program.
Select movies, audios, etc. with your child to make sure the preschooler doesn’t accidentally browse the “12+” category. In addition, it is important to jointly define rules of use and to discuss the content viewed with each other. Children have a lot of need to talk even after watching harmless films and must have a suitable contact person for this.
If you use the free offer first, you should remember to disable in-app purchases. Otherwise, your child will very quickly end up on paid content and may accidentally sign up for a subscription.
When Christmas time, uncomfortable weather and lockdown all coincide, a movie afternoon or evening can be a nice opportunity to cozy up and distract with family.
On Elternguide.online you can find information about film, television and streaming in various articles. We have summarized the most important for you here.
In Germany, there are various streaming providers in addition to the media libraries of public and private TV stations. Suitable programs and films can usually be found in categories such as “family films” or “children”. When choosing, pay attention to the age rating and the length of the program. There are often descriptions and sometimes trailers that offer a glimpse into the film or series. Disney+ offers a particularly wide range of movies for the whole family. FLIMMO has compiled a selection of movies worth seeing for different age groups and the whole family.
Depending on how large your family is and whether your children are different ages, it can be a challenge to agree on a common television program. You can arrange that each person has one wish. From all the wishes you can create a program over several days. It’s even nicer when everyone can agree on one or more films. Maybe there are classics in your family that you watch every year? Celebrate such shared media times and get comfortable. For more tips, see our post Media Rituals in the Family.
Even if you are there as parents, be careful not to forget the time during the cozy movie afternoon. Exercise and other screen-free activities are important for processing what you see and keeping your body fit. Remember the rules you have agreed on for media use in the family.
You don’t just have to sit in front of a device and let yourself be sprinkled. Media offer many opportunities for creative activity with the whole family.
Do you remember the feeling when the day was approaching, when a new episode of your favorite series was on TV, and you planned everything so as to be on time in front of the family TV in the living room? Thanks to media libraries, Netflix and the like, this scenario is largely a thing of the past.
More and more children and young people today watch videos, movies and series online via legal streaming services. This non-linear TV makes it possible to watch when you want with the device of your choice – whether smartphone, computer or an Internet-enabled smart TV.
The range of options is huge: There are paid online video stores like Netflix or Amazon Prime and free video streaming platforms like YouTube with content produced by users themselves. Many TV stations also make their programs available free of charge or, in some cases, for a fee via their own media libraries. Some broadcasters also offer a livestream, via which – as with traditional analog television – the currently running program can be viewed online. Content can be viewed without having to download and save it to your own device. In some cases, it is also possible to download individual movies or series and play them offline.
This wide selection is of course also available to children and young people. If they have their own device with an Internet connection, it’s hard to control what and how much they see.
What is attractive is the wide variety of current and selected series, films and documentaries, which can theoretically be watched at any time of the day or night. It has become normal for children and young people not to have to watch their favorite show at a specific time, as is the case with “normal” television. In addition, a new episode of the favorite series can be easily watched while sitting on the bus or train, for example.
As with TV programming, there are movies and videos on streaming portals with content that is not suitable for children and can scare them. Streaming services must also comply with the statutory protection of minors in the media and adopt the age ratings of the FSK (Voluntary Self-Regulation of the Movie Industry). If there is no FSK rating for films or series episodes, they must make the age ratings themselves and comply with German law.
The criteria for streaming services’ own age ratings are not necessarily apparent. Therefore, be sure to read up on the parental control settings of the respective streaming provider and use the functions and settings offered, such as passwords and PINs.
Set specific time windows during which watching is allowed. Media time should always be just one of many other, non-media activities. If you are not sure how much time your child should spend in front of the TV or laptop, you can find more information here on the website.
Ask your child about their favorite shows or movies and watch them together. Depending on your child’s age, you should watch movies and videos together so that if there is something scary or questionable in them after all, your child is not left alone with it.
Movie night with the whole family can also be a nice shared experience and ritual. Here you can have fun together and get to see how your child reacts to certain content.
