- Most kids' TV programming is lame and not educational.
- "Numberblocks," a British import that streams on Netflix, is a beacon of light.
Like most parents of preschoolers I know, I have suffered through a lot of terrible made-for-kids programming. (Don't get me started on "Peppa Pig" or worse — "Bumble Nums.")
So when my 5-year-old son and I stumbled upon a show called "Numberblocks" during one of our great debates over an acceptable use of TV time, I did not have high expectations.
Reader, this show is a game-changer.
Each 5-minute episode features the delightful Numberblocks, denizens of Numberland, who work together to solve various math-related challenges. The Numberblocks, primarily starring the numbers 1 through 10 but going up to 100 in later episodes, have their own distinct personalities — five is a rockstar with a star for one eye while seven is a lucky rainbow — and sing catchy tunes that will have you humming about addition and subtraction on your morning commute.
The show, which ran on the BBC's CBeebies children's channel for six seasons between 2017 and 2021, is currently streaming on Netflix.
Ever since we started watching — and it's been six straight months of "Numberblocks only!" when it's his turn to choose a show — my son has been obsessed with numbers, number patterns, and basic math functions. We'll spend dinner figuring out simple multiplication or challenging each other to count by 5s or 10s.
The show has also got him finding number patterns and using math to get creative with other toys, especially Magna-Tiles and Legos.
A personal favorite episode in our home is "Step Squad," about triangular numbers (think: the sum of 1+2+3+4+5). And "Heroes with Zeroes," about multiplying by 10, is a real earworm.
But the earlier episodes teach much more simple concepts like even versus odd and basic counting.
I was surprised to learn that the "Numberblocks" obsession is actually pretty widespread among the pre-K crowd. When I mentioned the show to fellow parents in my son's preschool class, it turned out nearly all of their kids watched "Numberblocks," and they, too, were hooked.
We even went to a Numberblock-themed birthday party last weekend.
My mom once told me she got a great piece of advice from my second-grade teacher: "Math with your kids." That is, incorporate math into your everyday conversations. Make it fun. Making tacos for dinner? Have your kid figure out how many total taco shells you need. Shopping for shoes? They should figure out how much each individual sneaker costs.
Numberblocks has made it easy to "math" with my kid. Next time you're in a "Peppa Pig" rut, check it out.