Disclosure: This post was written as part of my membership on the Netflix Stream Team. All opinions expressed within are my own and have not been influenced in any way.
As parents, we often hear that we should be limiting our child’s screen time. However, as a literacy professional, I know that watching shows gives kids knowledge of pop culture that they will need to draw upon in school. With background knowledge on the Star Wars franchise, for instance, students can make inferences a lot more easily when reading related texts.
We let our kids watch a reasonable amount of Netflix, but they also read quite a bit. One way we have aimed to make screen time more closely tied to learning time is to choose books to pair with the popular Netflix shows the boys watch.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
New this month on Netflix, you can follow the tale of the unlucky Baudelaire children, as they look for a relative to care for them until they come of age to inherit the family fortune. Count Olaf, a distant relative, has some unfortunate tricks up his sleeve to strip them of their inheritance.
Watch the show:
Read the books:
Start with Book 1: The Bad Beginning!
Magic School Bus
Ms. Frizzle is back, bringing The Magic School Bus to Netflix! Get read to learn about science and explore!
Watch the show:
Read the books:
Choose the 9″ by 11″ books (not the square red ones) for the books that combine the most science and story. The books with the red covers typically focus mainly on the fictional elements.
Pokémon
Pokémon has been around forever, but it has not lost its charm over the years.
Watch the show:
Read a book:
My boys devour this Pokémon Deluxe Essential Handbook that shows them all of the different guys they might see in the show. My guys’ favorites are the sloths, of course!
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Your child can’t get enough Star Wars? There are a massive amount of Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated episodes on Netflix to keep your kids busy!
Watch the show:
Read the book:
My choice, this easier read about our favorite bounty hunter.
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