 | 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. |
Recess
- ABC
- Genre: Kids' Animation
Common Sense Media says
Engaging cartoon celebrates playground time.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that there is very little to worry about in this show. Although sometimes minor rules get broken and the characters are a slightly idealized group, overall the series is thoughtful, funny, and insightful.
What's the story?
RECESS abounds with clever insights into a child's perspective. Whether facing a school bully, a math test, or a forgotten permission slip, the kids band together to solve problems creatively and thoughtfully. Each kid is different, and yet they love and rely on each other's differences. The biggest guy isn't tough at all, but instead a poet and a ballet dancer. A petite girl is the toughest of the bunch and watches professional wrestling. Another girl is a genius but loves kickball, and the one African American main character is a tremendous athlete. The rest of the kids on the playground are given labels, such as Guru Kid, Upside-Down Girl, and the Diggers (twin brothers who dig holes all around the playground), and yet rather than represent generic types, they celebrate children's unique preferences and peculiarities.
Is it any good?
The kids' mistakes create the show's most humorous situations, and viewers laugh because they understand the daily ups and downs these cartoon kids go through. The main characters may represent an ideal group of friends rather than a group that might actually be found on a typical playground. But Recess delights in presenting the obsessions of childhood, which kids sadly outgrow as self-consciousness kicks in, as perfectly normal.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the different kinds of people that make up their kids' school. Is it better to try to be all the same, like "The Ashleys," or all different, like the main characters? Which of the main characters does your child admire most? Another potential discussion topic is school rules and the ramifications of breaking them.
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Recess
This show is okay. I only watch it a little
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AGE
A Show to Watch Together!
This is one of the few animated shows that everyone in my family enjoys. My children (ages 5 & 7) think it is hilarious. My wife and I find the ideas behind the stories quite effective as discussion starters or reference points for issues my kids deal with from time to time. I am even using some clips to illustrate points in a religion class I teach.
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AGE
Classic
Ha I'm 13 years old and I still love this show!
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AGE
Recess Rules
RECESS RULES!!!!!!!!!!! It's a great cartoon for anyone!
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AGE
Great program
A great show for kids. Each episode is 15 minutes so younger viewers can stay with it. The shows have a teaching point put in situations that kids can relate to. Definitely a show my kids could watch by themselves.
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AGE
This Whomps!! (Not!!)
Great Show... I watch it all of the time. A little exagerated sometimes.
I guess its because its a cartoon.
(Ex: The show when T.J. Almost got expelled because of the word whomps.)
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AGE
Meaningful and fun...
Unfortunately, in today's generation, children's cartoons hardly teach any good morals. Recess was a cartoon back when Disney Channel used to be "Disney" and when it used to teach actual lessons and taught good morals. Now, I'm not saying that every cartoon should teach a lesson, but we need more of this type of cartoon: something with meaning. Recess was fun, clever, and imaginative. The characters are relate-able and understandable. If they did something wrong, they eventually end up correcting their mistake and they learn a lesson in the end. To be honest, I can't even find one bad trait from this show. Really, it's good.
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Kid, 12 years old
July 27, 2010
AGE
5 and over
i loved it since was 4 on toon disney and disney channel
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| Topics: | friendship, great boy role models, great girl role models |
| TV rating: | TV-Y |
| Network: | ABC |
| Cast: | Andrew Lawrence, Rickey D'Shon Collins, Ross Malinger |
| Genre: | Kids' Animation |
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