These Are the 12 Movies From the ’90s That You Should Watch With Your Kids

Year: 1993

Ages it’s appropriate for: 6 and up

Reasons they need to see it: This emotional film touches upon themes like wildlife conservation, finding your path after making mistakes, learning to love and accept love, and true friendship between both humans and animals.

What to look out for: Some of the scenes with the fishermen – who are loud and violent – could be scary for younger children. Also, the owner of the aquarium is the person you should teach your kids to strive not to be – he’s the worst.

Year: 1993

Ages it’s appropriate for: 8 and up

Reasons they need to see it: Scotty Smalls faces the struggle of moving away from his friends and having to make new ones, something that young children going through the same thing could have anxiety about. The movie proves that you can make friends even with the most unlikely people, and that though something may seem scary, you can face it with people who support you (and if it ends up not being scary, you might meet a cute dog or a retired baseball player!).

What to look out for: The scenes showing the boys’ perception of The Beast are a tiny bit scary.

Year: 1996

Ages it’s appropriate for: 8 and up

Reasons they need to see it: Even though Matilda possesses actual magic, her adventures prove that with a little bit of courage, you can help to change something unjust even without magic. Matilda’s character will show your children how to be a fierce friend who always stands up for what is right and what they believe in.

What to look out for: The Trunchbull still haunts the dreams of ’90s kids everywhere – help your child to understand that The Chokey isn’t real and that you can’t send someone flying by their pigtails (not too far, at least).

Year: 1993

Ages it’s appropriate for: 7 and up

Reasons they need to see it: There is a little bit of mischievous Dennis in every young child, and it was fun as a kid to watch what he got up to – it will make your child seem like an angel, until they decide to start imitating some of his antics. Most of all, this one will make your kiddo crack up.

What to look out for: The scenes with Christopher Lloyd as Switchblade Sam can be a little scary for young eyes, but Dennis drives annoys him fast enough that the comedy comes back into play fairly quickly.

Year: 1990

Ages it’s appropriate for: 8 and up

Reasons they need to see it: Though this film’s plot could never occur in now (it barely passed for the ’90s, and it was a free-for-all back then), it’s a fun and original movie that – if for no other reason than the fact that it’s iconic – needs to be seen by every kid. It’s kind of a good movie to teach kids what not to do if they ever feel like they’re in any type of danger, but hey, it’s a classic.

What to look out for: The wet bandits are super creepy and talk briefly about biting off each one of Kevin’s fingers one by one, among other threats. Also, Kevin is basically a murderer without the actual murder (you know it’s true).

Year: 1995

Ages it’s appropriate for: 8 and up

Reasons they need to see it: While the premise of this movie is totally outdated, its humor is everlasting. A crazed Ben Stiller will throw your kids into fits of giggles, they’ll want to befriend every single boy at Camp Hope, and they’ll be begging you for a chance to jump on “The Blob.”

What to look out for: There is a minor bit of profanity and a bunch of fart scenes that may cause uncontrollable laughter. And most importantly, the whole basis of this movie puts emphasis on weight and what a person should look like – it’s a good one to help facilitate conversations about body image, healthy habits, and other related themes.

Year: 1992

Ages it’s appropriate for: 8 and up

Reasons they need to see it: Besides a dreamy Emilio Estevez and mini Joshua Jackson? The Ducks have to learn how to be a team and that winning isn’t everything; meanwhile, Coach Bombay struggles with his own life, showing kids that adults aren’t perfect, and we all make mistakes.

What to look out for: There’s a bit of language in this one, but nothing wild!

Year: 1991

Ages it’s appropriate for: 10 and up

Reasons they need to see it: This movie is the ultimate first “love” film, as Vada and Thomas J. are just kids themselves. The film covers the topics of death (of a parent and of a friend), lasting friendships, single parenthood, and family quirkiness (and accepting that for what it is). It’s a powerful movie that will stick with your kids.

What to look out for: There are fewer movie scenes more tragic than Thomas J.’s sudden death and funeral (BRB, crying). Death is the main theme of this movie, so some kids might need some hard cuddling through the difficult scenes.

Year: 1994

Ages it’s appropriate for: 7 and up

Reasons they need to see it: First love, go-karts, talent shows, accidental ballet recitals, and more make up this iconic film that covers so many aspects of childhood in one mischievous little package. Also, mini Bug Hall and an adorable Travis Tedford will show your kids that even the best of friends have fights sometimes; but if it’s worth the friendship, working at the relationship and toward forgiveness is possible.

What to look out for: Talking about the “He-Man Woman Haters Club” – and the reaction to the boys wearing wigs and pink ballet tutus – is a great way to intro a conversation about toxic masculinity!

Year: 1996

Ages it’s appropriate for: 11 and up

Reasons they need to see it: This was one of my favorite movies as a kid – I loved Diane Lane‘s quirky maternal instincts, Brian Kerwin’s funny dad antics, and most of all, Robin Williams‘s ability to convey the beautifully innocent heart of a child. Your kids are going to love spending time with Jack, a boy who may look a bit different, but just wants to have friends and be loved like everyone else.

What to look out for: It gets a bit upsetting when Jack gets sick in the middle of the movie, and that nightclub scene between Jack and a young Fran Drescher gets a little risqué, which is uncomfortable as a viewer because you know that Jack’s actually 10 years old.

Year: 1994

Ages it’s appropriate for: 12 and up

Reasons they need to see it: In what is one of Tom Hanks’s most celebrated roles, the concepts of being different, finding your place in life, following your heart, and learning to play a mean game of ping-pong are present throughout this film. Exploring everything from getting bullied for being different as a kid to growing up and dealing with love, loss, and parenthood, Forrest finds a way to overcome all of his struggles. And baby Haley Joel Osment’s five minutes of fame as Forrest Junior are worth every second.

What to look out for: Forrest’s mom and the doctor getting together in the beginning is a bit risqué, though not shown, and the Vietnam scenes are pretty graphic and gore, and should probably either be skipped and briefly explained or kept to the eyes of tweens and teens you know can handle it.

Year: 1997

Ages it’s appropriate for: 13 and up

Reasons they need to see it: This is the ultimate love story and proves that you can’t help who you fall for and that love conquers all. Though it’s a fictional story, there are a lot of historical references that will teach your children about the early 1900s and what life looked like before you could hop on a plane with WiFi and be anywhere in the world before dinner time.

What to look out for: This one’s definitely for your teens (*calls mom to ask what she was thinking when she took me to the theater at age 7*). Some of the scenes in this movie are terrifying (think giant sinking ship), Rose considers suicide (though that may not be clear to younger children), and there is a fair amount of violence in the end of the film. Following the Titanic sinking, there are hundreds of bodies frozen in the water around Rose, which can be a lot to handle emotionally. And not to mention the (literally) steamy sex-scene in the car, which comes off the tails of the “Draw me like one of your French girls” bit.

Also, your child might hold an actual grudge against Rose for the rest of her life – there was room on that door.