16 Women’s History Movies and Documentaries for Kids
March marks Women’s History Month. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate the strong females of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Here are some women’s history movies and documentaries, along with a few movies featuring strong female role models, for kids from Common Sense Media and other sources that can help get the conversation about women’s history started in your home.
Women’s History Movies for Kids Ages 4-7
Mulan
Recommended ages: 5+
Where to stream: Prime Video, iTunes, DIRECTV, Vudu, Google Play, Disney+
This animated video follows China’s legendary girl warrior, who disguises herself as a man to take her aging father’s place as a soldier to defeat the Huns.
Dancing in the Light: The Janet Collins Story
Recommended ages: 5+
Where to stream: Kanopy.com (with a library card)
This movie tells the story of the first African-American ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera House. However, she was asked to paint her face white.
Moana
Recommended ages: 6+
Where to stream: Prime Video, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, Disney+
Moana tells the story of a Polynesian island chief’s daughter, who sets sail (against her father’s wishes) on a quest to save her people when the fishing nets come up empty.
Psst…12 Books for During Mental Health Awareness Month
Women’s History Movies for Kids Ages 8-9
Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable
Recommended ages: 8+
Where to stream: Prime Video, Vudu, Microsoft, iTunes, Google Play
After losing an arm to a shark attack at 13 years old, Bethany Hamilton refused to give up her dreams of being a professional surfer. She managed to conquer the ocean and become a mother, all with one arm.
The Eagle Huntress
Recommended ages: 8+
Where to stream: Prime Video, Vudu, Microsoft, YouTube, Google Play
This 2016 documentary tells the story of Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl from Mongolia. She is trying to become the first female eagle hunter to compete in an eagle festival in Mongolia.
Woman in Motion
Recommended ages: 8+
Where to stream: iTunes
In 1977, NASA struggled to recruit scientists, engineers, and astronauts for their new Space Shuttle Program. Still, Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek’s Lt. Uhura, challenged NASA by asking “Where are my people?” She embarks on a four-month journey to recruit the first Black, Latino, and Asian women and men to fly in space.
A Ballerina’s Tale
Recommended ages: 9+
Where to stream: Prime Video, DirectTV, Google Play, YouTube
This documentary tells the incredible story of Misty Copeland—the first African-American principal dancer in a major international ballet troupe—including all of the adversity she faced to become one of the best dancers in the world.
Anne Frank Remembered
Recommended ages: 9+
Where to stream: Prime Video, iTunes, Microsoft
YouTube trailer link
This British documentary is about the life and diary of Anne Frank. Frank’s story is told by Miep Gies, the woman who helped shelter the family and saved her diaries. It also includes interviews with two of Frank’s friends and uses archive interviews of her father, Otto.
Women’s History Movies for Kids Ages 10-11
Hidden Figures
Recommended ages: 10+
Where to stream: Prime Video, iTunes, Disney+
This movie is based on the true story of three Black women who worked for NASA in the 1950s. They did complex math and engineering tasks to help launch the manned spaceflight program.
A League of Their Own
Recommended ages: 10+
Where to stream: iTunes, Google Play
There’s no crying in baseball! Enjoy the all-star cast of Geena Davis, Madonna, Tom Hanks, and Rosie O’Donnell in this fun flick. Not enough men were around to play baseball during World War II. The All-American Girls Professional League was the first time women played professional baseball.
The Miracle Worker
Recommended ages: 10+
Where to stream: Prime Video, iTunes, YouTube, Vudu, Google Play
This biographical film is about blind and deaf Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan, her tutor. Anne, played by Anne Bancroft, teaches Helen, played by Patty Duke, to make a connection between her hand signs and the objects in her world.
Betty & Coretta
Recommended ages: 11+
Where to stream: Prime Video, DIRECTV
A docudrama about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X’s widows (Coretta Scott King and Betty Shabazz) raising their children to fight for the causes their father’s fought for.
Women’s History Movies for Ages 12 and Older
On the Basis of Sex
Recommended ages: 12+
Where to stream: Prime Video, Google Play, Microsoft, Vudu
This biographical drama tells the story of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, played by Felicity Jones. It covers her time as one of a few women at Harvard Law School to her groundbreaking gender-discrimination case in the early 1970s.
The Gabby Douglas Story
Recommended ages: 12+
Where to stream: Prime Video, DIRECTV, YouTube
This biopic is about the first woman of color to win individual all-around champion at the summer olympics.
Girl Rising
Recommended ages: 12+
Where to stream: Google Play
Learn the story of nine girls from nine countries—Sierra, Leone, Haiti, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Peru, Egypt, Nepal, India, and Cambodia. Each girl had her tale written by a writer from her country and voiced by actors. Their stories tell their struggles to overcome societal or cultural barriers.
He Named Me Malala
Recommended ages: 12+
Where to stream: Prime Video, Microsoft, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play
This 2015 American documentary highlights the life of Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani female activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. She has spoken out for girls’ rights including the right to education.
