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zappelin.nl
Although streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime offer a great deal of programming for adults, there is one group of people who are not catered to very well. I'm talking about kids! Sure, many of the top streaming sites have made an effort to provide a section for children or at least some kind of kid's content, but these categories pale in comparison to both the quantity and quality of entertainment for adults. No matter what streaming services you have a subscription to, there is a good chance that your kids have already exhausted all the available programming for kids - plus, we know how picky kids can be!
There are some premium cartoon streaming sites that are worth their subscription fees, however convenience still 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 the number of children?s programming offered. Yes, Disney Plus does offer all of its iconic movies, but when it comes to streaming cartoons, I'm afraid Disney Plus just 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 made just for kids 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 content over to Disney Plus to - you guessed it - persuade people to become Disney Plus members.
There are several good free cartoon streaming sites out there that don't cost you any more money each month. Some of them offer a premium experience, even, with no 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. I am talking, of course, about Zappelin.
Zappelin is a free streaming site that offers cartoons and children's entertainment. It is owned by the NPO Zappelin network, which is known for providing high-quality, substantive content for kids. The site has a fun and interactive design, and there are dozens of cartoons and live-action series to choose from.
Naturally, as a parent, you will want to vet every site first before letting your kids use it. I totally get it? 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
Zappelin.nl is a website that is known for producing high-quality children's content. The website was founded in 2000 and has been producing cartoons, series, and other children's content for over 20 years. If you are raising children in the Netherlands, I would be surprised if this is the first time that you have heard of Zappelin or NPO.
Prior to the creation of Zappelin, its programs were split across 3 public access channels, Nederland 1, Nederland 2, and Nederland 3. However, in September of 2005, Zappelin became a children's channel of its own, geared primarily towards kids aged 2 to 6 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, yet another rebranding occurred. Viewers likely weren't affected by this one too much, all that happened was that Zapp and Zappelin had NPO added to them, becoming NPO Zappelin, which is the official name of the channel and the streaming service today. The idea behind this, from what I have read, was to make the channels and its shows more readily recognizable. Alongside NPO Zapplin
Zappelin.nl is a streaming site that combines all of the content related to Zappelin.
Design
I think the design of Zappelin is amazing, especially for children. It is brightly covered, engaging, interactive, fun, and very user-friendly. Not only is the site's intuitive design a perk for you as a parent to navigate in a rush or while juggling a million tasks at once (as parents so often do), but it is so easy to use that I wouldn't be surprised to see a child navigating it themselves.
I love that Zappelin is interactive in a way that reinforces learning and literacy. 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. In my opinion, every cartoon streaming site or website made for children should be built this way as Zappelin is one of the best free cartoon streaming sites ever made.
The site is set up as an infinity scroll with a minimal amount of clicking necessary. If your child is allowed and able to browse the content on the site, all he has to do is keep scrolling and loading more videos until he finds the one that catches his eye, clicks on it, and enjoys. I don't know that I have ever seen a streaming site with a more simplistic design than this one.
Content and Features
Not only does Zappelin have a ton of great content for your kids to enjoy, but it also has special features just for parents. In the top right-hand corner of the site, you will see a button labeled "parents?" Click on this and a site menu bar appears at the top of the page. Here, you will be given several options: Guide, Programs, DIY, Birthday, Actions, News, Podcasts, and Alarm Clock. These extra features make Zappelin one of the best free cartoon streaming sites out there!
I think the Guide is pretty self-explanatory - a Zappelin TV guide. Programs allows you to view a list of Zappelin programs. The DIY section, though, is where things get interesting. In addition to providing tons of free cartoons for your kids 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 has prepared a special message for you to play on your birthday. Whether you have a birthday boy or a birthday girl, Zappelin has a personalized birthday 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 while mom or dad check in on their morning podcast.
Mobile and Desktop Experience
Zappelin offers mobile apps for both Android and iOS devices, and their design and usability are just as good as the desktop site. However, reviews of the mobile apps suggest that they're sometimes buggy (poor sound quality being a common complaint). Hopefully they fix this problem soon!
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