Glenn Carstens-Peters photo | Unsplash
By Aaron Earls
With kids unexpectedly home from school, have you exhausted the vault of classic movies on Disney+? Streamed all the family-friendly content on Netflix and Hulu?
While parents should certainly use this extra time with their children to disciple them using free resources like LifeWay Kids at Home, they may also be anxious to find some faith-filled content for kids to watch.
Book readings
Several authors of children’s books have posted videos of them reading their works.
B&H Kids is hosting Operation Storytime on their Facebook page. You can find Dorena Williamson reading her books ColorFull, GraceFull, and ThoughtFull.
Most recently, they had Scott James reading his book Where Is Wisdom?
Also, on his Facebook page, Andrew Peterson is reading through his series The Wingfeather Saga.
If you have a favorite children’s author, check their social media accounts to see if they’re sharing any read-along videos.
Free movies
An animated version of the classic The Pilgrim’s Progress was recently released and is now available for free.
If you grew up watching VeggieTales, Bob, Larry and the gang have tons of content on their YouTube channel, including several full episodes like the classic Larryboy and the Rumor Weed.
Cleaning up content
Maybe you have some of the major streaming services, but you wish you could filter out some of the language or content. VidAngel is for you and it’s free through April 30.
In addition to having content of its own, VidAngel allows you to skip objectionable content and automatically mute offensive language on content streamed from other sources.
Free trials
Many streaming services are offering free trials, some related to the current quarantines. Here are a few that may be interesting to parents.
Adventures in Odyssey
The classic audio drama series from Focus on the Family, is offering a free four-week trial. The Adventures in Odyssey Club has access to audio and video episodes, daily devotions, and other content.
Mr. Phil TV
Phil Vischer, the creator of VeggieTales and the voice of Bob the Tomato, is offering a free month of his new streaming service Mr. Phil TV with videos to teach kids about the Bible and family Bible studies.
Vippee.tv
If you need even more VeggieTales, Vippee.tv is home to new episodes as well as many old favorites. The kids streaming channel also has other faith-based content and has a free week trial.
Other streaming services
Another faith-filled streaming service for kids is Minno, which also has older VeggieTales episodes and more kids content. It is also offering a free week trial.
Faithlife TV has movies and shows for the whole family and is offering a free two-week trial.
Among Christian movie streaming services, Pureflix has a free week, while Crossflix offers 30-days for free.
Browse through their content catalogue of all these services to see if they have things your family will enjoy.
AARON EARLS (@WardrobeDoor) is online editor for Facts & Trends and is currently working from home with four kids in the house and needs to try out some of these services.
I like how you mentioned reading books that could have been posted online. Since we haven’t been able to go to church often during the pandemic, I want to find different ways to help my children’s faith. I’ll be sure to look up stories online that I can read to them to build their faith.