About Nick Jr. Channel
What is Nick Jr.?
Nick Jr. is the first channel in Australia totally dedicated to preschoolers. It sources the best programmes from around the globe for its target audience of under-5 year olds, providing shows that stimulate, educate, involve and excite developing and enquiring minds. Hi-5 (Australia), Dora the Explorer (US) and Thomas the Tank Engine (UK) are just part of a line-up that includes live performers, animated characters and Muppets who encourage interaction, flexible thinking and educational play.
Nick Jr. programmes combine established favourites with the brightest new shows. Its stars include Australia's first Sesame Muppet, Ollie. He's four and a half, bright yellow, and leads kids on a daily journey of exploration and discovery. Preschoolers can also Play Along with presenters Joy Smithers and Simon Hyland, who dance, sing, wiggle and spin their way through a kaleidoscopic landscape of colour, music and play. On the Nick Jr. channel, kids have access to a whole slate of high-quality series, all of them made specifically for a preschool audience.
Nick Jr. is designed to work with a child's established routines and family activities. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so parents and preschoolers can tune in when it suits them. Programmes are scheduled over three 8-hour blocks to provide the selective repetition that helps young children learn and develop. The knowledge that a programme will be shown again lets kids anticipate and plan for activities, and encourages them to join in as they learn songs, dances, characters and actions. While they watch, they absorb new concepts, develop new skills and learn to think in new ways.
Nick Jr. is an extension of the well-known Nickelodeon children's brand, which caters for children 5-12 years old and has been available since the introduction of subscription television in Australia eight years ago. Like its older sibling, Nick Jr. is grounded in extensive research from both Australia and overseas that shows the value of making Nick play an integral part of learning. Each Nick Jr. programme has identifiable goals and outcomes, ranging from recognising letters and numbers, to developing rhythm, movement and co-ordination. Preschoolers develop skills as they watch and can then put them to use in their world.
The Nick Jr. channel is available through FOXTEL and AUSTAR. It will also appear as a two-hour block each weekday on Nickelodeon.
