Behaviour

Caring for nature

Caring for nature starts small: noticing a snail on the path, watering a plant, wondering where a bird sleeps. For young children, this is less about saving the planet and more about paying attention to living things and treating them kindly. A calm, well-made series can slow a child down enough to look closely, and show that small acts of care are something they can already do.

For 3-year-olds

At three, a child's world of nature is what they can touch and see up close: a worm, a puddle, a flower in a pot. They are beginning to grasp that plants and animals are alive and have needs, and they mirror the care they see modelled around them. Look for a series that stays close to one animal or one small task, gives it plenty of time on screen, and names simple actions like feeding, watering, or leaving a creature in peace. Wonder and gentle curiosity work better at this age than explanations about damage or loss.

S01 E01

Sarah and Duck

Lots of Shallots

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

Sarah and Duck find tiny seeds tucked inside their newspaper and decide to plant them in pots in the living room. They water the soil, get muddy, clean up and then wait through dinner and bedtime for something to happen. The next morning small sprouts appear, and Sarah looks them up in her vegetable book before a character called the Plate Girl arrives to confirm they are shallots, the baby onions that stay small. The episode ends with Duck giving the little shallots gentle 'lessons' in the garden.

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Caring for nature

For 3-year-olds

Sarah and Duck

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