A new resource for early childhood teachers, caregivers and whānau is providing a safe space online for pre-schoolers to engage with a range of stories and songs made in Aotearoa. KIDOGO Junior is the creation of NZ On Air, who wanted to bring tamariki shows into one easy-to-discover place on YouTube.
On KIDOGO Junior you can find great shows such as Toi Time, Kiri and Lou, Bigsies and Littles and Buzz’s Epic Little Missions, along with songs to get tamariki learning and moving from many well-known children’s entertainers. The channel features curated playlists, and collaborations with the likes of Suzy Cato and Music with Michal. Te reo Māori, local landscapes, and familiar and relatable Kiwi themes sit at the heart of the KIDOGO Junior offering.
Rogue Productions makes Toi Time for children aged 0-6 years. Executive producer Charlotte Purdy says the inspiration behind Toi Time was a desire to make a show that reflects modern Aotearoa to the youngest viewers. Charlotte has two young children, and her lead producer is a former primary school teacher.
“I think it’s important for tamariki to see content that reflects their world as we know this helps develop their confidence and contributes to a healthy sense of identity”
Charlotte receives messages from teachers grateful for the NZ-themed educational value of Toi Time.
“Our content covers educational/curriculum objectives including basic numeracy, literacy, science, arts and technology. But also we have themed episodes including Matariki, NZ Native Birds, Kapa Haka, plants, geography, tikanga and te reo Māori. We also add in hygiene and safety messages such as the importance of brushing teeth, washing hands, even normalising the use of asthma inhalers - we try hard to reflect the world of kids under six years old growing up in Aotearoa.”
All of the content on KIDOGO Junior has been made with Kiwi kids in mind.
Having a safe corner for local kids’ shows on YouTube felt like an important piece of the puzzle according to NZ On Air’s Head of Funding Amie Mills.
“Our Where Are the Children’s Audiences research has been telling us for many years now that Kiwi kids’ are migrating to YouTube. Last year, 69% of children were using YouTube daily. I have a six-year-old and a two-year old and I’ve seen how teachers and kaiako use YouTube in learning spaces so we wanted to make it easy for them use local songs and stories in their mahi.” says Amie.
In creating the channel on YouTube, NZ On Air was mindful of making it a safe experience.
“We encourage teachers, caregivers and whānau to either use the YouTube Kids app, which is a child-centred environment with specific safety and privacy features, or to use the parental control settings on YouTube. This means creating a child account, this helps limit what children are shown and supports a more age-appropriate viewing experience.” said Amie.
New videos are uploaded to KIDOGO Junior every week. Most of these have also appeared on local platforms, like TVNZ, Three or RNZ, so they adhere to New Zealand broadcasting standards. Additionally, as new content is added to KIDOGO Junior it is tagged as ‘made for kids’ which ensures that YouTube recognises content for children. This means only age-appropriate ads and watch recommendations are served to children watching KIDOGO content.
Amie says the videos are joyful, smart and have a Kiwi sensibility and playfulness that global content just doesn’t have.
“Stories and songs on KIDOGO Junior have Aotearoa New Zealand in their DNA. Seeing our people and places on screen is one of the most potent ways that tamariki can understand and relate to the world around them and their sense of self. It speaks to what it is to grow up in New Zealand.”
NZ On Air is keen to encourage early childhood teachers to use KIDOGO Junior.
"There’s so much there to spark the imagination and connect to learning. We know many teachers have subscribed and are already using these shows like Toi Time and Music with Michal in their classrooms and early learning centres, which makes us confident that KIDOGO Junior has a place in the early learning environment. If you’re going to be showing music and screen stories then it makes sense for them to be local,” says Amie
Teachers could use the channel to support mat-time music, movement breaks, te reo Māori learning, local storytelling, Matariki activities, or conversations about New Zealand places, people and experiences.
The NZ On Air team will be at the Early Childhood Conference in Wellington, 31 July - 1 August, visit their stand to find out more.
You can find KIDOGO Junior here. You can also follow KIDOGO Junior on Facebook or Instagram to find out about new content or hear from the creators, and sign up to receive a monthly newsletter from NZ On Air about new children’s content here.
KIDOGO Junior also has a big sibling channel KIDOGO which is made for primary school-aged children.
