Children's TV

Greenville, S.C. – October 06, 2026 -- South Carolina's Kindergarten Readiness Assessment measures children across four areas: Social Foundations, Language/Literacy, Mathematics, and Physical Well-Being, placing social and physical development alongside early academic skills.

Independence matters as much as letters and numbers

At Archway Academy, a Greenville-based early childhood education provider, President Tami Nix says preparing children for kindergarten means building independence alongside academics. "We're doing the academic piece, but we're also working on the whole child," Nix said. "Reading is important. It is the foundation for learning, but children need to have all those pieces together as we prepare them for kindergarten."

Allston – October 05, 2026 -- First Chapters Preschool has opened an 8,000-square-foot flagship location at the new Enterprise Research Campus in Allston, Massachusetts, offering eight age-based classrooms for children from infancy through Pre-K. The center is already serving families living and working in the surrounding area.

First Chapters is part of Babilou Family, which has run early education programs for more than 20 years and operates over 40 centers across New England under brands including Little Sprouts, Heartworks and Building Blocks.

Atlanta – October 05, 2026 -- GoNoodle, the movement platform used in 88% of U.S. public and private elementary schools, has launched a new video and nationwide contest tied to Warner Bros. Pictures Animation's The Cat in the Hat, which hits theaters November 6.

A new video teaches kids the movie's invented movement language

The video, titled Let's Speak Thinglish!, teaches children the wordless body-percussion language used by the Things in the film. Created with the movie's choreographer, Christopher Scott, the lesson walks kids through Thinglish terms for "hello," "goodbye," "yes," and "no," then has them invent their own Thinglish names. The video is available on the Dr. Seuss channel on GoNoodle.com alongside the platform's existing library of Dr. Seuss content.

Nashville, Tenn. – October 01, 2026 -- Minno, a Christian streaming platform for kids, has premiered a new animated series called Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids: Jesus Stories, with a companion book arriving October 13 and a screen-free audio version also available on the platform.

The series launched October 2 and expands Minno's existing Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids franchise, which already includes more than 65 animated episodes, a Bedtime Stories series, a Learning Series, music, holiday specials, and bestselling books translated into Spanish, Portuguese, and American Sign Language.

Shelton, Conn. – September 30, 2026 -- Timex has launched Timex Tales, an AI-powered storybook app built to teach children ages 5 to 10 how to read a traditional analog clock, using Google Gemini technology.

A Timex survey found 2 in 5 kids struggle with analog clocks

The company commissioned a survey showing that two in five children ages 6 to 9 struggle to confidently read an analog clock, a gap Timex says its new tool is designed to close.

Stories personalize learning through a cast of animal characters

Using Google's Nano Banana image generation, Timex Tales creates personalized adventures where children follow characters including a tiger, dolphin, penguin, dog, and axolotl through settings like castles, cities, and outer space. The stories teach kids to distinguish hour and minute hands, tell AM from PM, and link time to daily routines like morning and evening.

Chicago – September 28, 2026 -- Two new picture books from the Princess Penelope's Purse of Preposterous Things series hit shelves on November 3, 2026, expanding a children's media franchise built by Emmy-winning creator Angela C. Santomero.

"Bunny Lala's Big Song" and "Pirate Argh's Treasure Hunt" arrive from 4U2B Books & Media, an imprint of Loyola Press, following the success of the show's earlier titles and its YouTube Kids series, which has drawn over 12 million views.

Santomero built her career on Blue's Clues and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood

Santomero, also known for creating Super Why!, developed Princess Penelope's Purse of Preposterous Things as her latest project. The franchise now includes four books total after this release.

New York – September 23, 2026 -- Janie and Jack closed out New York Fashion Week with its first-ever runway show on Saturday, September 19, at The Crosby Street Hotel in New York City, presenting its Fall Collection alongside a 12-look capsule curated by British fashion journalist Louise Roe.

The presentation, called The Louise Roe Edit, blended American heritage with English countryside style through tailored suiting, statement dresses, heritage plaids, cable knits and outerwear on children models.

The Louise Roe Edit features eight girls' looks and four boys' looks for fall

Roe's curation combines florals, gingham, cable knits and tailored pieces meant to reflect countryside weekends, first days of school and family celebrations. Roe has a personal history with the brand, having dressed her eldest daughter in Janie and Jack clothing when bringing her home from the hospital.

Shenzhen – September 18, 2026 -- ugee has launched the ArtPlay Pad, a children's drawing tablet that converts 2D sketches into 3D models and physical objects, available starting September 15, 2026, through the company's official shop.

EMR pen technology aims to replicate pencil-on-paper friction

Unlike most kids' tablets that rely on capacitive pens, the ArtPlay Pad uses professional-grade EMR (Electro-Magnetic Resonance) technology with 16K pressure sensitivity, paired with a paper-like anti-glare display and full palm rejection. Amy Yuan, ugee's Global Brand Director, said the goal was to solve three problems: the slick, unresponsive feel of glass screens, the gap between flat drawing and 3D thinking, and eye strain from prolonged screen use.

Los Angeles – September 17, 2026 -- KidsTopia, an AI-powered kids platform, has earned the kidSAFE SAFE CERTIFIED Seal, a global child online safety designation awarded after a review of its chat, reporting, and AI safety practices.

The service is operated by Inculab plus, a company spun off from LG U+. KidsTopia had previously held the lower-tier kidSAFE LISTED Seal before advancing to the SAFE CERTIFIED designation.

KidsTopia operates in 11 countries including the US, Japan, and Korea

The edutainment platform lets children play, learn, explore virtual spaces, and interact with AI characters. It is currently available in 11 countries, including Korea, the United States, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.

Quincy, Ill. – September 15, 2026 -- Choosing a child's first dance class involves more than matching a birthday to an age bracket, according to insights from Dance Expert Cindy Vancil-Haxel of Vancil Performing Arts Center in Quincy, Illinois, featured in a HelloNation article.

The piece explains that a child's introduction to dance can shape how they feel about movement and learning in a studio setting. While age helps guide class placement, interests, maturity, comfort with groups, and readiness to follow instructions matter just as much.

Children often show movement and music preferences before ever entering a studio

Some kids gravitate toward structured activities, while others prefer imaginative movement or high-energy music. Recognizing these preferences can help parents pick a beginner class that feels engaging rather than intimidating.