17 French shows for kids on Netflix

netflix shows

We recently jumped back on the Netflix bandwagon.  I had cancelled our account last summer because we just found we weren’t using it.  We get regular TV by antenna and my husband set up a Digital Video Recorder using an old desktop computer and Windows Media software.  (There are probably easier ways to do it now, but if you’re interested in how he set it up in 2013, you can read that here.).

We got Netflix the first time around and again this time because we’re looking for French content for the kids to watch.  They watch one 20-minute show six days per week as part of their screen time.  We’ve successfully used DVD’s from the library and movies that we have at home, but wanted to open up a few more options.

Unfortunately, Netflix’s search functions are as bad as ever.  It still is not possible to search for content with audio in a specific language.  So, I’m stuck looking at the show and clicking the button in the bottom right to see whether French is available:

netflix button

In short, it’s a big pain.  So, if you’re looking for French content on Netflix, let me save you some trouble, and give you the list of 17 kids’ shows that I found in October 2016 that have French audio available on Netflix Canada.

Important notes about the list:

  • Age recommendations and links are from Common Sense Media so you can get the low-down and assess the appropriateness of the show for your family
  • This list is not meant to represent ALL shows available – just the ones I was able to find in writing this post.  It locked me out of my account because I was clicking on too many things, so I had to stop the compilation.  If you have shows to add, please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the post. 🙂

Ok without further ado, here’s a list of 17 French shows for kids on Netflix:

One other tip to make recommendations better

An improvement I have noticed since the last time around is that I can change the language on one profile to French without it changing it on all the profiles.  So, I set up a separate profile called “En français” and chose the kid option and French language option for that profile.  Now, my husband can still see his profile instructions in English, but the recommendations that show up in the En français profile are more likely to have French audio available.  Not guaranteed, but more likely and that’s a start.

I know my list is not complete.  What shows would you add to it?

 

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10 thoughts on “17 French shows for kids on Netflix

  1. That’s a great list! Thank you. We found these videos with French subtitles on the American Netflix- Heidi, The Long Long Holiday, and Masha and the Bear. I like the category “Audio and Subtitles”. Once you click on it, there is a subcategory where you can narrow your search to French audio or subtitles.

    • Thank you so much, Kate! I did not know you could do that. I even chatted with a Netflix rep online asking how to find content by language and he didn’t even mention that option. 🙂

  2. Peppa Pig is french! My daughters are obsessed… and in French Immersion! it’s been awesome for an easier vocabulary and for the most part speech is slow enough for them to understand.

  3. Mouk is a great one, and in French. My kids adore it and so do I! It teaches them about a new country and culture with every episode.

  4. Duolingo shows how to filter for available audio choices on Netflix. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a way to filter for things that are original-language French (or other).

  5. The Magic Schoolbus is available in French. My 6 year-old loves it and it’s very educational! Minimonsters is also available in French, both liked by my 3 and 6 year-olds.

  6. This is soooo helpful, I have been trying to figure out how to get French TV for the kids for a while. My son loved watching France 4 on holiday and I couldn’t seem to get it here. This is as good. Thank you!

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