Have a toddler who just can’t stop singing "Wheels on the Bus?" Chag Holland, who writes about being a stay-at-home dad of two at cynicaldad.

We’re a musical family. Even though we’re not the most talented people in the neighborhood, we still love to sing, play instruments, and play silly games like Name That Tune. So it’s only natural that we gravitate towards children’s television that involves music. Below are a few of the music-related children’s television shows my family have enjoyed in the past or are currently enjoying:

The Wiggles
This show was my daughter’s favorite when she was small. She loved the music and skits. I couldn’t stand it and would cringe every time she asked to watch it. I was extremely happy when she finally outgrew it.

Hi-5
A show with upbeat techno-flavored music, lots of dancing, and silly skits around a certain theme, Hi-5 was my son’s foray into the world of television. He loved the songs and the puppets, but he loved the Hi-5 girls more than anything. When Karla would appear onscreen, he would get a big goofy I’m-in-love grin on his face. They haven’t made any new episodes of this show in several years, but repeats still air on Discovery Kids and The Learning Channel.

Sesame Street
The thing I enjoy more than anything else on Sesame Street is hearing well-known artists retool their hits for children. I enjoy this show more than my kids do. My daughter liked to watch Elmo’s World but my son doesn’t care for any of it. Every once in awhile, I’ll tune in to PBS to catch celebrities like Joe Torre or Tina Fey hanging out with puppets, hoping that my kids will somehow realize what they’ve been missing and fall in love with the show, but it has yet to happen.

Jack’s Big Music Show
My son loved this show so much that we threw him a Jack- themed birthday party last year. This show features puppets singing songs from many such diverse genres as rap, bluegrass, zydeco, and rock ‘n’ roll. Sadly, I’m not sure if Noggin will produce future episodes of Jack’s Big Music Show as the show’s creators currently have a very similar show, Bunnytown, airing on the Disney Channel. I hope I’m wrong.

Yo Gabba Gabba!
I tried to avoid this show when it first came out. It looked too hip and cool for its own good, almost like it was marketed to parents rather than their children. But after seeing the 14,387th promo for the show on Nick Jr., I decided to give it a spin. And while I still feel it tries a little too hard to be weird, the songs are catchy, the skits are goofy enough to amuse parents as well as children, and it teaches valuable lessons to the preschool set. Plus, you’ve got to love any show that features art lessons from Mark Mothersbaugh.

Hannah Montana
This is my daughter’s favorite show. We don’t let her watch "big kids" shows, but she seemed to be the only girl in her kindergarten class that didn’t own a Hannah wig, so we caved. And I’ve got to tell you, it’s not too bad. While many of its storylines are culled straight from Sitcom 101, it’s still fairly entertaining. But because the show skews older, I TiVo episodes and fast-forward through them before my daughter gets a chance to watch them to make sure there is no inappropriate subject matter. Like kissing boys!

Chag Holland is a stay-at-home dad and father of two. When he’s not busy trying to fit in with the rest of society, he can be found at cynicaldad.

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