We’ve had a Netflix subscription for quite a while now, and it’s something that gets used by all members of the family. It’s handy for the children to be able to choose from such a wide selection when they feel like relaxing and watching some TV. We have it on our iPad and also watch it on the main TV via the Xbox. When they are logged in to the kids section I’m happy for Mr Z to be in charge of browsing it and making their programme selections as he finds it easy enough to navigate.
Our summer is a balance of busy days out and about, and quieter days relaxing at home. Last summer the boys spent nearly all of their “at home” days out in the back garden running around but this year the weather has been so much more erratic, and Netflix is just what they need sometimes on a rainy afternoon. Yesterday we were at home relaxing after a busy weekend at the 02 and at Lollibop, and they all brought their duvets and blankets down from their beds and had a quiet hour snuggling down to watch some Pokemon and Team Umi Zoomi.
Netflix is also great for us for getting the whole family together. I love doing movie nights with the kids. We choose a movie, normally one they haven’t seen before to make it more exciting for them, and let them have some sweets to have while watching. Then we gather everyone to come and watch together and it feels like more of an event for them than if they just put on the movie by themselves. There are some great kids movies on Netflix, including Disney, so there is plenty to choose from.
Our Netflix subscription is also a big part of our evenings entertainment once the kids are in bed. We mainly watch series on it but there are plenty of movies worth watching too (my fave was Shutter Island, and pretty much all of the classic rom coms). I love it when we find a new series that is really gripping, we will watch a few episodes back to back each night and really get into it. Luckily my other half & I have mainly the same taste in TV shows. Recently we loved Person of Interest and Continuum, and would definitely recommend those if you haven’t seen them yet! We took our iPad way with us on our holiday to Bluestone so that we could watch Netflix in the evenings (using a cable to connect it to the TV) rather than just having to watch whatever was on the TV and we mainly watched Orange is the New Black each evening. I had heard so many people recommending this show, so we had to give it a try!
There’s a lot of choice available on Netflix, whatever you’re into. Here are some suggestions from our family:
Our Top 10 Kids Shows on Netflix
- Bubble Guppies
- Dora the Explorer
- Charlie and Lola
- Thomas & Friends
- Team Umi Zoomi
- Fireman Sam
- Pokemon
- Sonic
- Turbo Fast
- Rugrats
Our Top Kids Movies on Netflix
- Cars
- Tangled
- Peter Pan
- Up
- Toy Story 3
- Thomas & The Magic Railroad
Our Top Grown up Shows and Movies on Netflix
- Continuum
- Person of Interest
- Survivors
- Orange is the New Black
- 24
- Homeland
- Fringe
- Prison Break
- Shutter Island
Our Favourite Rom Coms on Netflix
- What to Expect when You’re Expecting
- The Back Up Plan
- Clueless
- 10 Things I Hate About You
- Pretty Woman
- Maid in Manhatten
- The Proposal
Community favourites on Netflix
Sometimes there are some brilliant choices out there that I’ve not yet discovered, so I asked the community on the In The Playroom Facebook page what their families most like to watch on Netflix and these are the answers I got
- Breaking Bad
- American Horror Story
- Orange is the New Black
- Nashville
- Justified
- The Walking Dead
And for the kids:
- My Little Pony
- Ever After
- Lab Rats
- Phinneas and Ferb
- Barbie Life in the Dream House
What does your family like to watch on Netflix? If there is a great show or movie that I’ve missed, share your recommendation with us in the comments!
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Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
The walking dead – one of my favorites too.
I know so many people who love it, definitely worth looking at! 🙂
We enjoy watching Netflix too. Team Umi Zoomi, Pokemon and My Little Pony are favorites of my kids. My husband and I really like being able to watch a whole season of a show together when the kids go to bed too. We love House of Cards.
Netflix is fantastic as it can be on so many devices iphone xbox laptop ect so keeps all my kids happy they have great stuff for kids too x