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zappelin.nl
Although the trend of moving away from cable television and towards streaming sites has been generally positive, one demographic has been left behind - children! While many of the best streaming sites have made an effort to include a section for children or at least provide some Kids content, these categories on the top streamers pale in comparison to both the quantity and quality of entertainment for adults. No matter which streaming services you subscribe to, there is a good chance that your kids have already exhausted the available programming for children available on those platforms - plus, we all know how picky kids can be!
Is there a premium streaming site out there that is worth the subscription fee? Surely, however convenience remains an issue with many of them. Take Disney Plus for instance. Disney Plus is one of the best streaming sites in the world, but they are a little thin when it comes to children's programming offerings. Yes, Disney Plus does offer all of its iconic movies, but when it comes to streaming cartoons, I'm afraid Disney Plus doesn't cut it. Plus not everybody has the wiggle room in their monthly entertainment budgets to take on another premium streaming subscription right now.
Disney has another streaming service, too, Disney Now. This one is specifically made for children and it combines all of its children's programming from its 3 famed channels - Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Disney Junior - to offer what might just be the best cartoon streaming site for all ages. The only problem here is that you can only access all of Disney Now's content if you already have a traditional cable plan. You can stream some cartoons here for free, but the majority of Disney Now's content is blocked, reserved for cable customers ? not to mention the fact that, gradually, Disney is moving the bulk of its Disney Now content over to Disney Plus to - you guessed it - persuade people to become Disney Plus members.
So, what are your options when it comes to finding a cartoon streaming site that is going to cost you no more money each month? Well, it may come as a surprise, but there are actually several really good free cartoon streaming sites out there for the little ones. Some of them offer a premium experience, even, without any price tag whatsoever. If you live in the Netherlands, you and your family automatically have access to one of the best free cartoon streaming sites in the world - Zappelin.
Zappelin is the free streaming service provided by the children?s network, NPO Zappelin. This network of channels dedicated to providing high-quality, substantive cartoons and entertainment for children has been in operation for many years and their free streaming service is no different. With dozens of regularly updated cartoon series and live-action programs to choose from, as well as a fun and interactive site design, your children will be sure to love Zappelin. It is perhaps the best free streaming service available in the Netherlands.
As a parent, you will want to vet every site before letting your kids use it. I fully understand this? I am the same way with my young ones. Any use of the internet must be monitored, I must approve every site before I allow my kids to visit. And we all have different expectations and definitions of what makes for an acceptable streaming service for our kids, right? So, before we jump to any conclusions about this one, let's take a closer look at Zappelin and see if it is, in fact, the best free cartoon streaming site for you.
History
As I mentioned, Zappelin.nl comes from a company with a long history of producing high-quality content including cartoons, series, and content for children. In fact, if you are raising children in the Netherlands, I would be surprised if this is the first time you are hearing about Zappelin or NPO. Perhaps, though, you remember it best by its original stylization of its name- Z@ppelin. This is the name that was used when the program block first launched in September of 2000.
Prior to the creation of Zappelin, its programs were split across three public access channels- Nederland 1, Nederland 2, and Nederland 3. In September of 2005, though, Zappelin became a children's channel of its own, geared primarily towards kids aged two to six years old. It wasn't until 2012 that the ampersand was dropped from the name, and the much more simply titled Zappelin came into existence.
In March of 2013, the channel NPO Zappelin underwent a rebranding. All that happened was that the channel's name was changed to NPO Zappelin and it was added to the National Public Radio (NPO) organization. The idea behind this change was to make the channel and its shows more easily recognizable. Alongside NPO Zapp, the channel airs NPO 3 during the day. If your kids just can't get enough of it, there is also NPO Zappelin Xtra, which is a 24-hour children's channel.
Zappelin.nl combines all of the Zappelin related content into one convenient and easy to use streaming site.
Design
I believe that the design of Zappelin is extraordinary, especially for children. It is brightly decorated, engaging, interactive, fun, and very user-friendly. Additionally, the site's intuitive design is a benefit for you as the parent to navigate in a rush or while juggling a million tasks at once (as parents often do). However, it is so easy to use that I wouldn't be surprised to see a child navigating it themselves.
I love the interactive design of Zappelin. When you hover your cursor over an image, for example, the title of that show is read aloud. This helps with reading, speech, and memory. I believe every cartoon streaming site or website made for children should be designed with reinforcing education in mind as Zappelin is. This is just one of the many factors that make this one of the best free cartoon streaming sites ever made.
Other than that, the site is set up as an infinity scroll. This means that there is a minimal amount of clicking around necessary - once again, making the site perfect for kids. If your child is allowed and able to browse the content here by himself, all he has to do is keep scrolling and loading more videos until he finds the one that catches his eye, click on it, and enjoy. I don't know that I have ever seen a streaming site with a more simplistic design than this one.
Content and Features
Zappelin offers content for children and parents to enjoy together. In addition to having a wide variety of cartoons, the site also has special features for parents to use. The top right-hand corner of the website includes a button labeled "parents." When clicked, this button reveals a site menu bar at the top of the page. On this menu, you will find several options: Guide, Programs, DIY, Birthday, Actions, News, Podcasts, and Alarm Clock. These extra features make Zappelin an excellent option for free cartoon streaming sites.
I think the Guide is pretty self-explanatory. Programs allows you to see a list of Zappelin programs. The DIY section, though, is where things get interesting. In addition to providing tons of free cartoons for your children to enjoy, Zappelin goes the extra mile by letting you download and print coloring book pages, drawing exercises, games, and fun recipes to make together.
Zappelin is excited to share a special message from one of their favorite presenters for your birthday. Whether you have a birthday boy or a birthday girl, Zappelin has a personalized message just for them! Plus, you'll find interesting news stories, ideas for activities and crafts projects, and even podcasts for the little ones to enjoy. This makes Zappelin the best free cartoon streaming site of all time!
Mobile and Desktop Experience
Zappelin offers mobile apps for both Android and iOS devices, which are every bit as well-designed and easy to use as the desktop site. However, it appears as if the Zappelin mobile apps are a little buggy (sound not being a common complaint). Hopefully they fix this problem soon!
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