 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Ni Hao, Kai-lan
- Nickelodeon
- Genre: Kids' Animation
Common Sense Media says
Cultural content, good messages make show a hit.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that preschoolers will be drawn to this well-rounded cartoon that exposes kids to the basics of the Mandarin language and Chinese culture. Kids will easily relate to the stories of 5-year-old Kai-lan and her friends, and they'll learn constructive ways of handling social-emotional issues like fear, sharing, and jealousy. Song, dance, and plenty of interactivity add to this entirely kid-friendly package, and parents can feel good about both its educational quality and positive lessons.
What's the story?
Five-year-old Kai-lan (voiced by Jade-Lianna Gao Jian Peters) is an enthusiastic Chinese-American girl who loves to play with her best friends: Rintoo the tiger (Jack Samson), Tolee the koala (Khamani Griffin), Hoho the monkey (Angie Wu), and Lulu the rhino (Beverly Duan). Whether the group is racing dragon boats down the river, decorating for the traditional lantern festival, or heading out on a backyard safari, Kai-lan's adventures always mix fun with glimpses of her rich Chinese heritage. And when conflict arises, Kai-lan and her wise grandfather (Clem Cheung) are always ready to pitch in and help resolve the problem.
Is it any good?
NI HAO, KAI-LAN blends audience interactivity (ala Blue's Clues) with culturally and linguistically diverse content and thoughtful storylines, ensuring that preschoolers will be both curious and entertained. In each episode, viewers will pick up a new Mandarin word or phrase (starting with "Ni hao," which means "hello"), and basic skills like counting are used repetitively to encourage long-term retention. Stories always reflect some aspect of the Chinese culture, so youngsters will quickly learn to recognize and identify them.
This well-rounded series also wins points for its emphasis on positive messages; parents can feel good about its lessons in interpersonal problem solving. The stories are well crafted for the preschool audience, and kids will easily relate to the conflicts that arise among the friends and learn from the way they're resolved.<
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about dealing with emotions and working out problems with friends. Kids: Have you ever felt the way Kai-lan and her friends did? What did you think about how they handled their issue? Could you try that the next time you're in a similar situation? Families can also discuss their own cultural heritage and how it compares to Kai-lan's.
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
Parent of 2 year old
May 2, 2010
AGE
TAUGHT MY SON TO HIT, STOMP, AND ACT VIOLENT!
My 2 1/2 year old son mysteriously began using violence when he is not exposed to other little kids often to pick it up from them. I could not figure out where in the world he was learning terms like "I'm going to stomp you." He also began hitting and stomping on the floor, threatening to stomp me. I couldn't figure out how in the world my usually sweet little boy was learning to be so angry. Then I watched the show with him one day (he usually watched it w/his grammy/papa) and I heard the characters using these terms and hitting each other. Now my little man has a terrible problem with stomping, hitting, kicking, or acting in a violent manner whenever he does not like something or does not get his way. I think the opening credits of the show should make it very clear that the show is NOT for children under a certain age, because little tikes are not cognitively mature enough to pick up the message. In fact, all it did was TEACH my son the very behavior it was advocating against. I'm a little upset that I now have to un-train my son of this behavior. Hitting and violence is something the parents should teach, not something they learn on a child's cartoon by watching the characters act out in a violent manner. I would not recommend it to any child under 5.
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
Parent of 4 year old
July 26, 2010
AGE
Bad Behavior of Characters Outweigh the Good Messages
I'm so happy to see other parents noticed a change in their children's behavior after watching this, because I did too! My 4-yr-old twins really liked this show, but then I began to notice my son stomping around the house, shouting constantly, kicking his sister, and throwing temper tantrums all the time. When I heard him repeatedly shout "I am SOOO mad!" it rang a bell and I watched Kai-Lan with them and sure enough, he was imitating the terrible behavior of Kai-Lan's bratty friends. So this adorable little show is now banned in our house.
It's too bad though--my daughter loved it, and would clap like Kai-Lan to "figure out...what to do!" And hearing them repeat the Chinese phrases was really cute. I think regarding the show's other characters, parents will just have to see what their children take away from this show. Hopefully it's the good messages!
Was this review useful?
|
|
Adult
April 9, 2010
AGE
Why so much negativity?
I do not like this show! There's always an angry character who is mad, kicking sand, or having a tantrum. Last night my 21 month old daughter was watching and came into the kitchen and said, "I'm really made like tiger!" Why do they always have to have an angry character in each episode? It's so unnecessary!
Was this review useful?
|
|
Parent of 2 year old
May 28, 2010
AGE
Mixed message
My child is starting to act like the characters and it seems that she needs to have tantrums to get what she wants. Not recommended.
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
Parent of 4 year old
May 18, 2010
AGE
Excessive Negative Behavior
We home school our son, and while we lament the lack of social interaction our son gets, the NickJr shows have some good social interactions shows. Initially I thought this show was one of them, but our son began exhibiting anger ALL THE TIME and mimicking the Ni Hao characters. He would constantly stomp through the house kicking things and screaming "I'm Mad" and throwing tantrums. All the while quoting Ni Hao lines. We have banned this show for our son because it teaches negative behavior much more than positive behavior. It is a shame, because the characters are loveable to kids and they like to sing the little ditties they sing. This show needs to focus more on positive behavior than spending 75% of the show on negative with 10% on positive correction and the rest on cultural things. My wife speaks Hokkien Chinese and we appreciate the introduction to Chinese culture. My Wife and I are both teachers and wholeheartedly do not recommend it.
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
Parent of 3 year old
August 28, 2010
AGE
Remove Ni Hao KEEP Dora and Diego
Hate it - It has taught my child to use Im MAD stomp his foot, throw major tantrums (More than a normal), throw things when he is mad (More than a normal), Hit and push other kids (More than a normal).
Was this review useful?
|
|
Kid, 10 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
Oh, no...a repeat of Dora the Explorer!!!
This show is pretty much a complete and total knock-off of Dora the Explorer. Some creepy foriegn kid with a football head and a wierd monkey side-kick. I've seen it all before. She's always saying "Say This!" or something like that, and asking some kind of question to the TV screen. I mean, sure, it IS better than Dora(even though I've only seen one episode of this show), but still, it's a knock off.
Was this review useful?
|
|
Parent of 2, 13, and 21 year old
April 16, 2009
AGE
Even though this, on the surface is a very cute kids show, and in the beginning, I had taped (dvr) all of them for my 2 1/2 year old daughter being she liked them so much, I started to notice that she was picking up the bad little personality quirks of the characters Tolie, and sometimes Rintoo when they act like brats when something goes wrong, or they don't get their way.
Instead of picking up the positive messages and actions from the characters, she picked up all the negative. She would copy their exact phrases and actions...so I know it wasn't just the terrible twos.
We have since erased all the shows, and don't let her watch them anymore. Ill stick with Dora as she doesn't have any bratty acting friends, or shows that don't have their characters throwing tantrums when they don't get their way.
This show would be really great if they took the bratty attitude concept of the characters away.
Was this review useful?
|
|
Parent of 2 year old
May 17, 2011
AGE
Not for toddlers
While the show itself is cute and draws children in, younger kids immitate the negative attitudes of the characters when they don't get their way. Folded arms, saying, "I'm mad," kicking items, and storming away are discouraged (i'm sure) in most homes. A two year old does not get the "big picture" and relates only to what is seen and in turn immiates it. While leaning about different emotions is important, this show is geared more toward older children who can talk to their parents about what they're feeling and how to handle those feelings appropriately. My son no longer watches and he is throwing fewer tantrums and not announcing that he's mad or quits while kicking something with his hands folded.
Was this review useful?
|
|
Teen, 14 years old
April 11, 2011
AGE
Cute, educational, show for preschoolers
My little brothers love this show. I admit that it's a cute show. It teaches you some Chinese (my brothers picked up on some Chinese language), and it has postive messages on how to deal with anger, patience, and more. I know some parents don't like this show because of Tolre (the koala) and Rentoo (the tiger)'s bad behavior, but I think that it does a good job showing kids how to deal with emotional issues. But that's just my opinion.
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Topics: | friendship, great girl role models, wild animals |
| TV rating: | TV-Y |
| Network: | Nickelodeon |
| Cast: | Clem Cheung, Jack Samson, Jade-Lianna Peters |
| Genre: | Kids' Animation |
Review It
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
