Are the Harry Potter Movies too intense for my 5 yr old??

Lisamarie - posted on 07/19/2012

I think it depends on the child. My 3 and 5 year old's have seen 1-3 but they'll have to wait for the rest as 4 is when Harry's friend (Cederic) dies and I think that would be quite upsetting for my children to watch but may not be for others. Unfortunately this also means I have to watch 1-3 over and over and over again.
I am also a major fan of the books (and I've been to WB Studio in Leavesdon where it was shot!!) but the films were a bit of a disappointment to me, compared to the books, still enjoy watching them though. :-)

Kelsey - posted on 07/16/2012

I AM A DIE HARD HP FAN!!! ♥ my daughter is 3 and LOVES them ALL. I personally see no problem with allowing my daughter to watch the,..she even watched them to fall asleep at night time. I also even read her stories from Tales Of Beedle The Bard as night time stories XD as long as your kid isnt getting freaked out by the moives i say let him watch. a little magic has never hurt any one :)


“Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.”
-Albus Dumbledore

Ashley - posted on 07/15/2012

So far...he's seen 1-4 I watch them first then he has to watch them (during daytime hours) with me or his dad) but I don't think he will be going past 4. That seems to be where it starts getting more intense...and it had been a while since I had read the books...but if memory served me correct...that's what I remembered thinking when I read the books too. So, I guess 1-4 will just have to do for now. :)

Jennifer - posted on 07/15/2012

My self personally I would say the first one and possibly the second are light hearted enough for sure but after that they start to mature and get a little darker

Caroline - posted on 07/15/2012

I think it depends on the child. I let my almost six year old watch the first movie yesterday and she was up and scared until 2 AM, it was way too much for her. She actually commented that she did not want to see that movie again until she was 10 years old LOL:)! I did not think it would scare her the way that it did. So my advice would be wait until around 8 or so, I wish I had!!

Aniesha - posted on 12/04/2011

I personally wouldn't let him watch them, they are pretty full on.

Lynn - posted on 12/04/2011

Oh, and a whole other issue - if he hasn't read the books, he's not going to understand what's going on. The last few are hard for even adults to follow if you don't know the story and all the references. The last few are very different from the first ones in that way. I saw no reason to pay money to take my kids to see a movie they wouldn't understand and had no desire to see.

Lynn - posted on 12/04/2011

Just watch it yourself first, then you decide, based on what you know about your own child. My ten and seven year old's watched the first few, then they decided themselves that they didn't want to see any more. They told me they thought the movies were "inappropriate" and "violent" and they didn't want to go see the last three with me (counting the last movie as two). My kids are old enough to make up their own minds about what they want to see. If your son tells you he's scared, has nightmares, or wants to see them, then I would go by that.

Jennifer - posted on 11/29/2011

I agree with Danielle to wait on the last two for sure. My 5yr. old wants to watch these too but he is a sensitive child and I am almost sure he will be anxious by it but like others have said it really depends on your childs personality.

Danielle - posted on 11/29/2011

I say wait on the last two. (In fact, I'm watching #5 right now.)

Jo - posted on 11/29/2011

My kids (9 & 7) have not yet watched any of the Harry Potter movies. They have however watched all the Transformer movies & loved them. But according to me you can't compare Transformers with Harry Potter. I guess it's a personal choice but I know that my kids might very well have a hard time with some of the scary bits in Harry Potter.

Kayla - posted on 11/28/2011

If he's okay with the Transformers and Spiderman movies, I don't think he'll have a problem with the Harry Potter movies. My son has seen a few of them (he's 5) and also loved the other ones you mentioned. Just keep reminding him its all pretend if he does get scared. I like to point out "wow look at those effects. isn't it cool how they make it look like _____ is happening? or wow that make-up makes him look like ______ happened" It reminds him that it's all pretend without saying it exactly. :D Have fun watching them if you do!

Diana - posted on 11/23/2011

I had the Harry Potter movies discussion with my children also, quite a few times actually. The first two movies are rated FSK 6 here in Germany, which means they are okay from age 6 upwards. The rest has FSK 12, at least up to #6, I haven't bought the two parts of #7 yet.
I think these age restrictions are there for a reason, and seeing classmates of my son who were watching FSK16 movies in elementary school age has only confirmed my belief. These boys sometimes had a warped idea of normal behaviour, and my son had quite a bit to suffer because of it. Now, I don't say you son will be the same, I just advise you to be very careful when you decide to ignore these age restrictions. They are there for a reason, and the reason is sometimes more than just frightening younger kids.
My way of handling these issues is the following: I have explained the FSK limits to my children very early and shown them the labels. They know they may see any FSK 6 movie even if I don't know it (they are 10 and nearly 12 by now). They may also see the third Harry Potter since they were able to watch it at their grandfather's once and I didn't see any sense in denying them rewatching it. From the fourth on the movies are forbidden to them until they're old enough. But I do allow them to listen to the audio books or to read the books, since I believe reading or listening to a story is very different from watching a movie. When you only read a story, your imagination draws images in the scope of your experiences, which means the images do not get too violent if you are younger (or a bit naive). For some books I read as a young girl it took me literally decades to realize the full scope of the books because I simply ignored those parts of the story when I was younger that I didn't really understand.

The plus side of this is that my daughter, who was very opposed to reading books until she found her love for Harry Potter, is now reading thick books without hesitation and has her nose in a book more or less every time she's got a little bit of time.

Jakki - posted on 11/23/2011

Thanks Casey - I have a 6.5 year old too and because she's my third child unfortunately she gets exposed to stuff she really shouldn't. The first book/movie is lovely and harmless, but after that it's all quite dark and bleak. Why let your kids see things that might give them nightmares?

Casey - posted on 11/23/2011

I completely agree with Jakki - although I still wont let my 6.5 year old watch any past number 1.

Jakki - posted on 11/23/2011

Ah - this issue is a hot topic in our house. I have only just let my 9 year old watch the movie of Order of the Phoenix (ie no 5) because it is very scarey and violent.

I REALLY do not think that the Harry Potter movies beyond number 3 are appropriate for a 5 year old. What is the rating in your country? Here in Australia from the third movie they are M rated which is for over 15s. This is pretty unrealistic and not a single parent I know has waited til their kids are 15, but on the other hand you can be cautious and wait a couple more years at least.

Tamara - posted on 11/22/2011

I think it all depends on the child and their understanding of movies (ie real vs make believe and such) some 5 year olds are totally old enough to watch them then there are some 10 year olds I know who arent old enough. So if I were you I would watch them then you decide since you know him and what he could or couldnt handle

LEAH - posted on 11/22/2011

We are HUGE Harry Potter fans! We've been to the Wizzarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, two years in a row and plan to go again next year! My daughter is almost 7 but she has been watching the movies forever. I just picked up the newest one and she wants to watch it everyday!

I would advise you to watch them first to see if you think your son can handle it.

Casey - posted on 11/22/2011

The first one is okay - the rest of them - nah ah!

Shawnn - posted on 11/22/2011

Oh, and I should say this...my friend's 6 year old has seen 'em all...and loves 'em too.

And, of course, I'm a Potter addict...LOL...have both the UK printings and the US printings of the books, as well as a full set in German...and that's just the books...LOL...that doesn't count the lego sets, or the electric Hogwart's express...

Shawnn - posted on 11/22/2011

Hmm...Lets see...year 4 was the Goblet of Fire, right? It's a little intimidating at the end, if you've read the book you'll know, but in the movies they make sure not to show the gorey stuff...too much.

I think it's up to you. If moldy ol' voldy hasn't scared him yet, he's born to be a Potter fan! Just tell him it's ok if he wants to hide his eyes! and remind him that He who must not be Named will NOT come to get him anytime soon...LOL