I often hear parents complain that there’s not enough Ukrainian-language content, and even when you do find it and turn on a cartoon in Ukrainian, the next video automatically switches to Russian. Before you know it, your child is fluently speaking Russian — even if the parents don’t use it at all.
This isn’t the only trash in our information space. Cartoons are dubbed from Russian, but the Russian subtitles and similar junk are left in. Cartoons are divided into “for girls” and “for boys.” Characters are given typically Russian names. Or there are those bot-like channels: the description is in Ukrainian, but the content is just generic junk. Please, let’s take responsibility for what enters the minds of young Ukrainians—this is our future, and it will take root.
Why is this important? Because russia is a terrorist state in eternal attempt to eliminate Ukrainian identity. If you are raising Ukrainian speaking child, it’s important to know that content in the Internet is unfortunately often blended with russian. And that’s the reason I wrote this article.
What can be done?
- create Ukrainian-language content (this is my favorite point, and I strongly encourage you to do it—this niche is almost entirely open, there’s demand, not to mention urgent need: people are actively searching for Ukrainian cartoons and content!)
- watch videos together with your child, keeping the situation under control (and don’t tell me kids prefer Russian—they might just want something that hasn’t yet been translated, and often it’s not even originally Russian)
- identify the channels your child watches and launch videos directly from those, rather than from YouTube’s search bar
- create a playlist with selected videos
- install the Video Blocker extension, which lets you block all Russian-language and other unwanted channels
- download videos to your device and avoid watching directly from the internet
- install the YouTube Kids app and add only the channels you approve of.
Youtube Kids
YouTube Kids has been with us for a while, but the content wasn’t filtered properly. If you haven’t encountered this yet, here’s what to do. Install the app, log in through your Google account, and add your child. In your child’s settings, choose what type of content they’re allowed to access.
To make it easier, go to your regular YouTube account, pick channels and videos you like, click the “Share” button, and select “With kids.” This is a great shortcut I hadn’t known about—discovered it only after seriously wracking my brain—so I hope it helps someone.
First, I asked ChatGPT to give me a list of English-language channels suitable for my child’s age and interests, then I reviewed them and added the ones we both liked.
After that, I checked out an article listing Ukrainian channels for children and added the age-appropriate ones from there as well.
Ukrainian-Language Channels for Children: Prynadiyi’s Picks
After digging through YouTube in search of quality Ukrainian content for young children, I’ve compiled a list of channels suitable for my child, across various age groups. It’s important to select appropriate content so that a young citizen grows up with common sense and a solid mind—not to mention a sense of aesthetics and zero exposure to anything Russian. From my perspective, most children’s content is blatantly hideous. And in Ukrainian, it’s almost nonexistent. But there is something out there, and we need it.
Let me also remind you that up to the age of six, any language in the world can be easily introduced to a child through cartoons—do you really want that language to be Russian? Hmm. Don’t be afraid to offer your child content in various languages; it won’t cause confusion. On the contrary, it will build a brilliant future for them.
- Ukranimaua – Here are almost all of my favorite Ukrainian cartoons—Ukrainian in every sense of the word, deeply authentic, to the point of heartache. And don’t tell me it’s just nostalgia.
- uacartoons – Old Ukrainian cartoons.
- KidStory – анімовані книжки для дітей – Clearly the beginning of something great, a beautiful idea and realization.
- Primus Animation – Cool educational claymation cartoons.
- Novator film – The channel of the namesake animation studio with amazing claymation series “My Country – Ukraine” and “Professionals.”
- Книга-мандрівка. Україна – Not exactly children’s content, but excellent animation and a great way to start exploring Ukraine.
- Patron The Dog – Finally, a Ukrainian superhero.
These are the channels I selected for my seven-year-old child. Below are options for younger children.
Cartoons for younger children
- Каю Український – A beloved animated series by many Ukrainian mothers and children, a translation of a Franco-Canadian multi-episode cartoon.
- Янко Гортало – Poems, songs, movement exercises, cartoons, etc.; you can find interesting content.
- Телеканал ПЛЮСПЛЮС – There are also various things; you can find interesting content.
- Першосвіт – Animations for little ones.
- Tobot – A Korean cartoon about Transformers with great Ukrainian dubbing.
- Свинка Пеппа українською – A fun British cartoon about the Pig family.
- Телекомпанія Малятко ТВ – Various cartoons, you can find something interesting.
- LOLka – There used to be cool, authentic, modern animations in Ukrainian. Now there’s Russian content added. Very sad, Lolka.
- Гав-гав-гав – Another wonderful authentic cartoon.
- Пані Калина – Ms. Kalyna worried in vain that her channel wouldn’t attract viewers; such content is very popular among children and greatly needed in Ukraine.
Ukrainian-language content is growing, and this article is constantly updated. If something has escaped my attention, please intervene, and I will gladly add channels that meet my quality criteria. And let us not forget to create high-quality Ukrainian content with our own hands, to collaborate. Because if not us, then who? Also, let us remember to protect children from excessive immersion in the screen world—outside the window, the cooler world still remains.
What to read to children from 1 to 5 years old — read here.
