Children really enjoy cartoons when they are younger, when they start getting older their idea of good movies broadens to include more movies that are not animated. Sometimes they seem to fall into this age group.
Now, parents have different opinions and ideas on what movies they would like their children to watch. Not all of us have the same views on what our children should watch. But we are going to figure out some of the best movies for your tweens to watch animated or not! And from there, you can decide what you would prefer for your children.
What is a Good Movie for a Tween?
After my older children turned 8 they had a major interest in Harry Potter, according to Time Out, Harry Potter is a great movie for this age group! Some other movie ideas for this tween age are;
- The Mitchells vs the Machines
- The Baby-Sitters Club
- Queen of Katwe
- The Goonies
- This here is a personal favorite of mine that my children in this age group very much like.
- Adventures in Babysitting
- The Princess Diaries
- Raise Your Voice
- Freaky Friday
- Back to the Future
- As a child I was introduced to this series by my father around this age group and I absolutely loved it!
- 13 Going On 30
- Holes
- This is a great family movie!
- Jumanji
- The Princess Bride
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
- The Parent Trap
- A Cinderella Story
- The Fault in Our Stars
- This movie is pretty sad, but it is a beautiful story!
- The Karate Kid
- E.T.
- The Hunger Games
- Bring It On
- High School Musical
- Cheaper by the Dozen
- Enchanted
- Spy Kids
- Another personal favorite that my children enjoy very much!
- Pitch Perfect
- Ella Enchanted
- School of Rock
- Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
- My Girl
- Ice Princess
- Spirited Away
- Twilight
- My girls are obsessed with this series!
Should My Kids Watch PG-13 Movies at This Age?
It is completely a personal choice for parents to allow their kids under the age of 13 to watch PG-13-rated movies. The PG-13 rating is essentially a guideline to let parents know that there may be some minor inappropriateness.
If you feel concerned about it perhaps you should watch the movie before your child does to see how you feel about them watching it. This will give you some peace of mind about what your child is being exposed to.
The Impact of Movies on Children
Movies can have positive and negative effects on children. Kinderfield offers us insight into some of the benefits of movies for our children.
This includes developing cognitive skills, linguistics skills, inspiration, increased creativity, and it provides entertainment. They can also help our youth grasp complex topics more easily and promote multidimensional learning.
Several studies were done to discover the impacts on children, according to the research studies done by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other academic journals there are also negative effects of watching tv and movies.
This includes negative health and development effects, links to obesity, aggression issues, attention span, and language development issues in children under 2.
How Do Movies Influence Behavior?
There are often times in movies or shows where children are exposed to things like drinking, smoking cigarettes, or using drugs. Watching these risky behaviors in movies can make it seem fun, and possibly veer your child in a direction tempted to try these behaviors.
Violent movies can often make children feel scared and give them nightmares, according to Kids Health, the average American child will see violent acts on TV around 200,000 times by the age of 18.
Acts of heroes fighting or killing bad guys give children someone to admire, but it can also confuse children about right and wrong. Or even make them feel as though something bad may happen to them and this can also have your child showing some aggressive behavior.
It’s important to talk with your child about images they may see so they can understand what is happening.
Watching Movies Together
Research has shown a range of positive effects of watching movies with your children. According to Common Sense Media, the way to reap these benefits is to,
- Focus their attention.
- By pointing out story details, a new word, a confusing situation, etc., you can help your child understand the storyline better.
- Encourage them to think about the order of events.
- This can help them understand cause and effect better.
- Strengthen their understanding.
- Ask the big 6 questions, who, why, where, what, when, and how.
- Make it relatable.
- Have them link circumstances to their own lives to promote their expression of self, cope with feelings, and understand other people better.
- Expand on what kids say.
- This can help them with their conversation skills, teach them about the world, and help you connect with them more.
- Help manage aggressive behavior after any kind of violence.
- Talking with your child about it and what is appropriate can really help.
Should My Kids Watch the Same Movie Over and Over Again?
When children are young they use repetition to learn and master something. It is similar to how adults get better at what they do. Watching the same movies over and over again is not detrimental to your child.
According to experts the reasons why children do this are;
- They are learning
- Repetition is comforting
- Participation is key
Another thing experts agree on is limiting screen time to help prevent some of the issues of too much screen time.
Final Thoughts
Tween-aged children become more and more interested in screen time, particularly in today’s world of technology. While it is not all bad, we need to ensure that screen time doesn’t become a lifeline.
Family time is incredibly important for your child’s mental and even physical health. Family time without a screen. Being present with our kids is one of the most important things we can give to them as they develop.
ALSO READ: Best Ways to Teach Kids to Read
