Actually I have some of the collection on the list:
Bears: Scout and Amber with their superhero mom Sky, David Attenborough on the fascinating way to explain how could be the Elephant eat salts every night, and some cuteness overload of baby cub African Cats, and the others incredible Disney Nature Documentary!
My kids love animals and enjoy watching nature documentaries– especially when they feature animals! I started making a list of favorites, and gathering suggested titles of nature documentaries from my friends. Although these titles have all been recommended for kids, remember that with nature documentaries, it’s real life: children (or their parents) may be disturbed by some images of predators hunting, catching, and eating their prey, the occasional mating scene, or birth scene. It’s best for parents to view with their children (or preview beforehand) so we can either fast forward through the scary scenes or be available to answer their questions. Here are 29 nature documentaries for kids that are educational and inspiring, and will teach you about life on Earth with phenomenal cinematography and fascinating . This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support!
1. PLANET EARTH
Planet Earth is our #1, absolute favorite of the nature documentaries perhaps because it came out in 2007 when my daughter was 2 and I was pregnant. I had to rest a lot and we would snuggle and watch the box set (we had the David Attenborough version). We were overjoyed when the polar bear mama and her cubs emerged from their icy bed, imitated the baboons crossing the water without getting their paws wet and the silly birds of paradise dancing, closed our eyes when the wolves chased the baby caribou or the great white shark caught its dinner, cried when the polar bear couldn’t get its food… but my daughter’s favorite moment, that had her in belly laughs every time, was the ducks jumping from their nests onto the forest floor:
DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT ANIMALS / CRITTERS
2. AFRICAN CATS
This is a Disneynature documentary that is narrated by Samuel L Jackson. What makes the Disney nature documentaries different is that they tell a story about the animals- in this case a family of lions and a family of cheetahs. Kids are enraptured by the incredible footage, and literally can’t look away from the screen. You can buy it on amazon, or watch it instantly.
3. ANIMALS ARE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE
We picked up this oldie-but-goodie at our library, but you can also watch it instantly on amazon,or get the DVD. This 1974 classic hilariously talks about creatures of the Namib Desert, and your kids will want to watch it over and over.
4. ANTS: NATURE’S SECRET POWER
After watching this in-depth report on ants, you will never look at these tiny insects the same! You can watch instantly on amazon or– we were lucky to find the full film on youtube
5. BEARS
Another of the Disneynature documentaries, this time all about brown bears! We love the baby cubs “Amber” and “Scout” and the fast-paced and exciting story in the Alaskan wilderness. The films from Disneynature are great introductions to nature documentaries if you have kids who aren’t used to the genre. There’s a DVD, and you can stream it on-line. If your kids really like bears, and are at least elementary aged, PBS Nature: Fortress of the Bears was streaming on netflix when I last check, and they also have a DVD available.