The Electric Company

Kids who are too old for preschool shows but still shaky with decoding often need something cooler than another phonics workbook. The Electric Company—both the classic PBS series and its modern reboot—was built to strengthen phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension through sketch comedy, music, and animated word play. On PBS LearningMedia you can find curated clips and support materials that highlight specific skills like blends, word endings, and context clues. Parents appreciate how the catchy songs and visual tricks make reading strategies stick without feeling like baby TV. It’s ideal for roughly grades 1–4 as a fun supplement to a structured program. Episodes and clips can be loud and fast-paced, which may overwhelm some kids, so selective viewing helps. Pro tip: search episodes by skill, watch one short segment, then immediately practice the same pattern with a whiteboard or magnetic letters.