New Year on Netflix for Kids, Tweens, Teens and Families

Another year is upon us and as we struggle to remember to write 2016 instead of 2015 we are reminded that time goes by so quickly. It only seemed like yesterday when everyone was talking about the Y2K bug and how the whole world was going to come to a stop. Much has changed in those 16 years especially when it comes to technology and the way we use it in our everyday lives. The advent of smart phones, tablets, laptops, and streaming technology has forever changed the way we watch and consume movies and television shows. With a video streaming service like Netflix you can now watch movies and episodes of your favorite television shows right on your smart phone or tablet.

This has really changed the way my family and I watch videos and entertain ourselves. For one it has made the family road trip less agitating. In the past we would ask our two children to take books and other activities to keep themselves busy in the back seat while we hit the open road. Usually about an hour into each trip the complaints from the back seat started coming up. Then the arguments would begin which usually ended with my husband getting angry and pulling off to the side of the road to scold the children. No matter how many things we packed for the kids to do they always ended up fighting over something. Now they have their own laptops and tablets to keep them busy along with the books and this had made a major difference.

One of the things they enjoy doing with their laptops and tablets are watching episodes of their favorite shows on Netflix. My daughter likes to catch up on episodes of “Good Luck Charlie” while my son will flip back and forth between episodes of “Pokemon” and “Dragons: Race to the Edge.” For me I may try to sneak in a back episode of “The Walking Dead” if I can get away with it. Streaming videos on Netflix keeps the kids busy for hours, which means no fighting and bickering coming from the backseat. As a matter of fact on our last road trip to Niagara Falls my husband forgot that they were even in the car with us. That is until the battery on my sons tablet began to die and we realized that our car charger wouldn’t work. Then it was back to the usual, “He touched me”, “No, she touched me first.” The peace and tranquility that we were experiencing in the car was broken. If only we had made sure we had the proper charging cables none of this would have happened. My husband offered up his suggestion that during the daylight hours they should read their books and save the movie watching for when it gets dark. Not a bad suggestion for our future road trips.

We are not sure where our next road trip of 2016 will take us but we will be sure that the laptops, and tablets will be fully charged and we will have the proper charging cables with us.

Our family can not can relate more to this than The Croods – you know, the prehistoric crew whose every day is a new adventure (or disaster) – because while our stories may differ from the dark ages, the family hijinks remain the same.

Take a page from the Croods book (er, cave drawings) and tell us what new adventures your family will embark on — including those new shows you’ll be watching on Netflix — in the New Year.

The Croods’ Best Family Adventures

Every step out of the cave is a new adventure for The Croods, but we’ve compiled a few of our favorites. You can watch all of their pre-hysterical adventures now on Netflix.