10 Netflix Titles for a Summer Brain-Power Boost

School may be out, but learning doesn’t have to be. We challenged our daughter to pick a chapter book of her choice and finish it before school starts back up again in a few weeks!  Her reward: five bucks (plus we know she is keeping up her newly acquired reading skills). With summer in full swing, most kids don’t want to even think about schoolwork and are enjoying their days off outside of the classroom. One of the ways to introduce some educational programming is to stream on Netflix! We got rid of cable last year and only use Netflix to watch our favorite shows – so much more economical and they offer such a variety of shows. And for those days you want to beat the heat and just chill in your home –  introduce your kids to something new with Netflix – whether it’s a documentary about dinosaurs or the moon, you can keep your little ones’ brains active all summer long.

10 Netflix Titles for a Summer Brain-Power Boost

For Your Older Kids:

I love to get these suggestions each month from Netflix as part of their Stream Team.  All of these shows sound really great and I think I have only seen bits of Secret Yellowstone.  I can’t wait to watch Walking with Dinosaurs and When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions with my daughter this week!  We like to have family movie time quite a bit and make popcorn and usually a bowl of ice cream makes it way into our lap.  Personally, I think this is her favorite part of “family movie time!”.

Want even more brain-boosting titles? Our friends at Common Sense Media shared 12 age-appropriate documentaries that encourage kids to explore worlds they may not normally encounter, all currently streaming on Netflix – check out the list here.

For Your Little Ones:

My daughter has watched The Magic School Bus and absolutely loves it and we have watched The Great Mouse Detective several times as well.  Both are wonderful for your younger children and I look forward to checking out these other recommendations from Netflix.  Enjoy!  Do you have a favorite program?

1. The Great Mouse Detective
2. Busytown Mysteries
3. LeapFrog: Math Adventures to the Moon
4. Turtle: The Incredible Journey
5. The Magic School Bus

Crafts: Story Cubes:

One of my daughter’s favorite bedtime activities is playing with a set of cards that only have pictures on them.  I purchased them for her years ago but they are still one of her favorite games to play with me.  Basically, we take turns looking at the illustrated cards and tell a story. The stories we come up with can be pretty funny as the illustrations have pictures of a gnome, witch, brewing pot, princess, etc. These storybook cubes offer the same opportunity to be creative and make-up your own stories and images.   Create these story cubes to give your kids the chance to activate their imagination and come up with their own storybook adventure – maybe even write the stories down to practice their writing skills! Have fun!

Strawberry-Yogurt Swirl Popsicles

There is nothing better on a hot summer day than eating homemade popsicles!  These strawberry-yogurt popsicles could even be eaten for breakfast as they are so healthy and boy would my daughter think that was the coolest thing – popsicles for breakfast!  Also perfect for an afternoon snack or dessert.  These sweet treats are not only delicious, but are filled with brain-powering ingredients, like berries and Greek yogurt – click here to learn how to make your own.

So have fun this summer with the kids and remember to check out these programs that you can stream on Netflix to help keep your children’s brains working while having fun.  What a perfect combination!

Note:  We are part of the Netflix Stream Team and received a year-long subscription to Netflix but this does not affect our opinion in any way – we are big fans of the programs and shows they offer!

What are some of your favorite programs you stream on Netflix?