Trash Truck is a hot Netflix show that gets a lot of praise – and some criticism – from parents and caregivers. Is Trash Truck a good show for toddlers, or should you rethink letting your child watch the show?
In this article, you’ll find out why kids are so fascinated by garbage trucks, what age group Trash Truck is for, and if Trash Truck has any educational value.
Also, of course, you’ll find out if Trash Truck is a good show for toddlers.
So, let’s get right to it.
Why do kids like garbage trucks?
I don’t know about you, but my kids go right to the front porch to wave “hi” to the sanitation workers and watch the garbage truck come and go.
There are real reasons that kids like garbage trucks. Here are some of them.
- Kids like routines and dependability and garbage trucks provide this.
- Young kids enjoy simple sequences. Garbage trucks stop at the bin, a worker comes out (or the machine hand grabs the bin), and the trash gets put into the back of the truck.
- Kids are often fascinated with large machines, which may be related to the normal human fascination with large animals.
So, as you can see there are some really legitimate reasons why your child is running outside to watch the trash truck every week.
If your toddler doesn’t already love it when the trash truck comes, they will after watching this show.
What is the show Trash Truck about?
The main character of Trash Truck is a 6-year-old boy named Hank.
Hank’s best friend is a silent, but highly emotive trash truck.
Trash Truck and Hank go on adventures and solve problems every day when Trash Truck picks him up at his home.
Most of the adventures involved real-life situations, however, some of the situations are fantasy.
A few fun talking animal friends join their adventures, including Donny the raccoon, Walter the Bear, and Miss Mona, who is a mouse.
What age group is Trash Truck for?
The kids’ TV show Trash Truck is geared toward kids ages 3-7 years. Of course, older kids may enjoy the show, as well.
Many parents and caregivers find Trash Truck slow-paced enough for toddlers to watch, as well.
Is Trash Truck a good show for toddlers?
If you are wondering if Trash Truck is good for your toddler to watch, the answer is yes.
Trash Truck is highly rated and is quite popular among parents of toddlers.
The reason for this is the gentle nature of the show and the slow pace of the animation.
Since fast-paced cartoons have been shown to be stressful to children’s growing brains, parents and caregivers are always happy to find shows that are slow-moving.
The plots of the episodes are easy-to-follow and aren’t complicated at all, which is ideal for toddler-age children.
Also, the main character of the show, the little boy Hank, defies the stereotype of a rough-and-tumble boy and instead is gentle and inquisitive.
Is Trash Truck educational?
While Trash Truck may not contain some of the educational elements that some parents are looking for in a children’s show, like letters, colors, and shapes, it is still an educational show.
There are plenty of things kids can learn from Trash Truck.
Each episode features examples of friendship and kindness, important social-emotional lessons.
Issues like overcoming big feelings of frustration and fear are just a couple of the episode themes you’ll see with Trash Truck.
Kids can also learn manners and empathetic behavior from this show, as they are on full display throughout each and every episode.
Final thoughts
Whether or not a particular show is good for your child depends on so many factors, many of which are more specific to your child than they are to the show.
Toddlers and preschoolers can have wildly different reactions to the same show.
I recommend watching an episode or two of any show before letting your toddler watch it.
At the very least, make sure you are co-watching TV with your toddlers. This is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
My one and only warning about Trash Truck is that sometimes when the trash truck enters scenes, he makes sudden noises.
This could be upsetting for children with sensory processing differences.
What do you think about this show?
Do you think Trash Truck is good for toddlers to watch?