Watching CoComelon and Guidance on Early Childhood Development

Question: I’m a parent of a 2-year-and-3-month-old daughter and would greatly appreciate your guidance on early childhood development. I would like to know if using educational content such as CoComelon and Ms. Rachel is beneficial for her learning at this age. How can I make sure she’s engaging with these resources in a developmentally healthy way? Additionally, I’m looking for recommendations on physical activities that can support her cognitive skills and brain development during this crucial stage. Thank you for your time and all the work you do to support parents and caregivers.

Answer: We appreciate your question! Watching YouTube shows like Ms. Rachel or CoComelon is popular for children your daughter’s age. Our Center of Excellence team has answered a question in our Q&A Portal in the past on Ms. Rachel, which you can check out here: Watching Ms. Rachel: How to Advise Parents of Infants and Toddlers. In that response, we describe how Ms. Rachel uses appropriate ways to engage young children in learning, such as call-and-response, repetition, slow pacing, and songs that caregivers can do along with their child. In this response, we focus more on the research on CoComelon, as well as how to support your toddler’s development through non-screen activities. 

What is CoComelon and why do toddlers like it?

CoComelon is a children’s YouTube channel that was created in 2006. Videos are made in 25 different languages, including American Sign Language (ASL) and can be found on multiple global streaming platforms. The original creators of the YouTube channel sold the company in 2020 to a company called Moonbug. CoComelon has a large merchandise empire, with plush toys, sleepwear, toys, and snacks branded with its characters. 

Child development experts have been critical of CoComelon for having too fast a pace, features that capture a child’s attention but don’t let it go, and shallow educational content. It is not rated as highly as other shows (such as Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood or Ms. Rachel) in terms of educational value. 

There isn’t any research studying whether CoComelon has a positive or negative effect on toddler development, but there are a few things you can do during any show to make it more educational for your toddler:

• Sing along with the songs, encouraging your child to sing or fill in words they know.
• Make hand gestures along with songs, and have your child copy you or take turns.
• Ask questions about what your child is seeing and what the characters are doing. Tie what your child sees on the screen to something that they do in real life.
• When it’s time to transition off the screen, play something that builds on what they watched (for example, if the characters were playing with blocks, bring out some blocks to play with in your home). 

If your toddler is watching videos on YouTube or a streaming service with ads, point out the ads when they appear, and help your child skip them. (If you want a service without ads, we recommend PBS KIDS). 

Offline activities that promote healthy child development 

Pediatricians recommend play as the #1 thing you can do to promote your child’s language, social and emotional skills, and learning. Play doesn’t have to be “perfect” – it’s whatever gives your child joy and lets their mind take the lead. Toddlers enjoy a few different play patterns:

1. Make believe: encourage them to pretend that they are get an animal, doctor, fire fighter, chef, etc. or play with figurines. This helps them be flexible thinkers and handle emotions.
2. Construction and problem-solving: hands-on activities like shape sorters, puzzles, and blocks help toddlers with fine motor skills and visual-spatial thinking
3. Language-based play: This can include shared storytelling, book reading, or singing together
4. Active play: Toddlers build motor skills, build confidence, and organize their emotions by moving their bodies indoors or outdoors. Trips to playgrounds, walks around the neighborhood, or dance parties are all free ways to get active play. 

It’s normal for parents to run out of play ideas, especially on days when you are stuck indoors. Think of things you used to love to play with as a child, or keep a few play idea lists handy, such as: 

• Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child: Brain-Building Through Play: Activities for Infants, Toddlers, and Children. 
• Vroom
• Zero to Three: Play Activities for 12 to 24 Months | ZERO TO THREE

References

• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2022, December 14). Brain-Building Through Play: Activities for Infants, Toddlers, and Children. 
• Parlakian, R. (2022, April 29). Play activities for 12 to 24 months. ZERO TO THREE. 
• Tolentino, J. (2024, June 17). How CoComelon captures our children’s attention. The New Yorker. 
• Vroom. (n.d.). Vroom: Early learning for children from birth to age 5. Bezos Family Foundation. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
• Young Kids and YouTube: How Ads, Toys, and Games Dominate Viewing | Common Sense Media. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2025. 

Age: 2-3

Topics: CoComelon, early childhood, child development, pacing of YouTube kids shows, educational YouTube kids shows

Role: Parent