Songs launch lessons in charming preschool musical.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 2+?
Little Baby Bum</a> franchise, which features several lines of toys and products for kids.</p>
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Any Positive Content?
courage to try new things. Kids engage in guessing games and practice for a stage presentation. They rarely get things right at first, showcasing the importance of <a href=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/"/articles/how-can-i-use-media-to-teach-my-kid-perseverance">perseverance.
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Products & Purchases
very little
Series is a spin-off of the Little Baby Bum franchise, which features several lines of toys and products for kids.
Educational Value
a lot
The series provides lessons on creative expression through music and dancing. The teacher introduces a new word or concept related to music, like rest or melody, and engages in explanation, providing examples and answering questions from children. Each episode has an interactive moment where kids are encouraged to guess the lesson by identifying the corresponding sound. Characters look to the camera, encouraging interactivity from the viewer. Social-emotional lessons are related to the central musical theme or how kids interact with one another: taking turns guessing, providing support when one makes a mistake, and displaying overall model behavior.
Positive Role Models
a lot
The children are helpful, kind, respectful, and supportive of each other. When it's time to guess the "Secret Sound," they patiently take turns to propose answers and try to understand the other's train of thought when their guess is wrong. Mia has a younger sibling and is mindful of explaining lessons to him and including him in conversation. Characters show curiosity and excitement about learning and being in school. The teacher is always present, mediating lessons and encouraging children to keep practicing and trying.
Positive Messages
some
Series highlights music as a powerful tool for learning. Episodes use musical elements to introduce positive messages such as overcoming shyness, working together, and having the courage to try new things. Kids engage in guessing games and practice for a stage presentation. They rarely get things right at first, showcasing the importance of perseverance.
Diverse Representations
some
The main character comes from a traditional White family, but others have single parents or same-sex families. These characters appear in every episode watching their kids perform but have no active role. There's representation of egalitarian friendship between diverse characters in class, but it's narrow, as half of them are anthropomorphic.
Parents need to know that Little Baby Bum: Music Time is a spin-off the British YouTube series Little Baby Bum. It combines classic brand elements like its characters and nursery rhymes with a story and lesson in every episode. Following Mia and her friends as they take classes in music at a daycare center, kids learn to identify sounds and their sources. It offers opportunities for active participation by engaging directly with the audience to guess the "Secret Sound." Kids will recognize the updated character designs from the Moonbug YouTube channel and meet new ones like the music teacher, Miss Timberly Wimberly. They'll also meet their classmates' caretakers, who include single parents and same-sex families. The focus on teaching music allows kids to further engage with the catchy tunes they love and learn important lessons like practicing, working together, and taking turns to speak. At the end of the episode, kids perform the song they learned for an audience of parents, inspiring kids at home to do the same.
Learn about music and singing together in this gentle series
Gentle animation, different kinds of kids (shy, loud, excited, curious). Each song has a music-related lesson attached, like tempo, loud/quiet, different instruments, singing together etc. My kid adores these songs and characters. There is also a Chinese song and a Punjabi song.
Our little one loves this show. We even cheer her up by singing one of their catchy jingles (“too-oot-son!” “It’s muuuu-siiiic time!”)
Basically, every episode is about a different element of music — rhythm, melody, volume, etc.
The nursery rhyme remakes are all great, the characters are all adorable, and the animation is very relaxing (no fast cuts).
Highly recommended for little ones!
What's the Story?
Each episode of LITTLE BABY BUM: MUSIC TIME sees Mia and her friends arrive at school, where they engage in fun activities together until the teacher calls their attention to a "Secret Sound." Kids take turns guessing what object/animal/instrument makes the sound they just heard, encouraging viewer participation. After a few missed turns, they get it right, and the teacher talks about a musical element connecting that sound with the episode's lesson and the music they will learn to sing. Kids ask questions to understand the concept and uncover the social-emotional theme of the episode. When they're ready, they take the stage in a presentation for the parents and the audience.
Fans of the original YouTube song clips won't be disappointed by this charming musical adaptation, which expands the universe of the characters to a colorful class even parents will want to attend. Little Baby Bum: Music Time features a simple structure narrative that doesn't feel boring, lessons that don't feel lecture-y, and moments of interactivity that truly encourage participation. While it may be better fit for a slightly older audience than the one that follows the brand on the video-sharing platform, younger kids are bound to be engaged by the music clip at the end and want to watch the next. There's a missed opportunity for greater representation of different ethnicities with more human characters in season 1.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the benefits of music and how it makes them feel. Ask them what their favorite songs are and what they feel when they hear them.
Children in the show perform a new song every episode. What does it take to prepare a presentation? What are some things you can do to learn a skill?
Notice how all characters have different families -- how would you describe a family? What is the most important thing you believe families should have?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Fernanda Camargo
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
