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Behaviour

Negotiating

Negotiating is how children learn that wanting something is only the beginning. Trading a toy, asking for one more turn, settling who goes first: these small deals teach patience, listening, and the idea that other people want things too. A calm, well-made story lets a child follow the whole exchange, including the pause before someone gives a little.

For 2-year-olds

At two, negotiating starts as the discovery that things can go back and forth. Sharing is genuinely hard, because a toy in hand feels like part of the child. What helps is seeing a swap play out slowly: one character asks, waits, and hands something over. Look for stories where the exchange is small and clearly shown, where an adult nearby puts words to it, and where a refusal does not escalate into a big conflict.

Duck & Goose

Duck & Goose

Purple Plums

recommended age co-watching from 2

Duck and Goose are invited to Bluebird's 'treats and tweets' party at the pond. They set off to a plum tree to pick purple plums, and on the way they nearly lose them again and again because Duck hurries and Goose moves carefully. When the plums end up squashed, the friends turn them into plum pudding and plum juice, which the party guests happily share. The episode closes with a song about flying over the meadow.

See all Negotiating shows for 2-year-olds

For 3-year-olds

Three-year-olds begin bargaining out loud. They offer a trade, ask for one more turn, and test what happens when the answer is no. Feelings still run ahead of the words, so the useful stories are the ones where a character says what they want instead of grabbing, and where disappointment gets a moment before it is resolved. Repeated, everyday situations help, because the same request comes up again and again at home.

Jessica's Big Little World

Jessica's Big Little World

Glow Toy

recommended age co-watching from 2

Jessica visits the fair and wins a glow-in-the-dark dino toy she names Glow Glow Dino. Back home she and her small uncle try many ways to make it glow, from hiding under a blanket to searching the closet, but nothing works and she grows disappointed enough to want to trade it away. Her mother helps her notice the dino can still dance, tickle and roar, and Jessica starts having fun with it. That night the toy finally glows, and the family realises it just needed sunlight to charge.

Peppa Pig

Peppa Pig

Secrets

recommended age co-watching from 2

Mummy Pig gives Peppa a special box to keep secret things in, and Peppa fills it and refuses to tell George, Daddy or Mummy what is inside. George and Daddy take turns guessing and get it wrong, and then Peppa discovers George has a secret box too and grows frustrated that she cannot guess his. Mummy suggests they each reveal one item at the same time, so the children show a trumpet and a drum. George also has a custard donut, and the family ends by sharing donuts together.

Zou

Zou

King Zou

recommended age co-watching from 3

Zou, a young zebra, plays knights and princesses with his friend Elzee and decides he wants to be king of his own kingdom. His parents agree he can sit at the head of the table if he finds a crown, a throne, and a purple robe by lunchtime, and grandpa joins in as royal advisor. Zou crafts a paper crown, borrows a chair and cushions, and wraps himself in grandma's blanket for the coronation. After a few hard decisions, including splitting the last slice of pie between dad and grandpa, Zou hands the crown to his dad and goes back to being a little prince.

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For 4-year-olds

By four, negotiating moves into play itself: who plays which part, what the rules are, and when the game changes. Fairness becomes a real interest, though it is usually measured in equal amounts rather than in what each person actually needs. Look for characters who offer an alternative when their first idea is turned down, and who build a middle option together. Stories where children work it out between themselves, without an adult stepping in, land well now.

Bluey

Bluey

Shadowlands

recommended age co-watching from 2

Bluey and her friends Coco, Snickers and Indy invent a game in the park where the grass is dangerous and only the shadows are safe to walk on. Together they work out how to cross open sunny patches, helping each other along the way as they head towards the ice-cream van. The story stays inside one continuous game with no villain and no real danger. At the end, Bluey's mum arrives to collect them and the game ends with the children safely reaching their goal.

Bluey

Bluey

Magic Xylophone

recommended age co-watching from 2

Bluey and Bingo discover a toy xylophone that, in their imagination, freezes their dad Bandit whenever a certain note is struck. They use it to direct him around the house and yard, with the rules expanding as the game goes on. The mallet changes hands several times, leading Bingo to end up frozen herself before the sisters figure out how to set each other free. The episode closes back at home with the family game still in full swing.

Bluey

Bluey

Daddy Robot

recommended age co-watching from 2

Bluey and Bingo do not want to clean up their toys, so dad Bandit turns himself into 'Daddy Robot' that the girls can control with commands. The girls have fun ordering the robot around the house, but the commands start going further than they meant, with favourite toys being thrown out and dad's feelings getting hurt. Mum Chilli steps in to remind the girls that they are responsible for their own mess. The family ends together with a hug after the girls take over the tidying themselves.

Bluey

Bluey

Wagon Ride

recommended age co-watching from 2

Bandit pulls his daughters Bluey and Bingo, plus their toy giraffe Jasmine, in a red wagon through their suburban neighbourhood on the way to the monkey bars. Along the route Dad keeps stopping to chat with neighbours, and Bluey grows impatient and interrupts, so Dad teaches her to rest a hand on his arm and wait. Bluey practises the signal and succeeds, while Bingo invents a pretend bus when the wagon 'breaks down.' The episode ends with the family arriving at the monkey bars and Bingo still happily playing bus.

Bluey

Bluey

Horsey Ride

recommended age co-watching from 2

Bluey plays with her toy pony when her cousins Muffin and Socks arrive for a family visit with their parents. All four puppies want the pony at the same time, which sparks a series of small disputes and tearful moments. Through trial and error the children invent new games, a horsey ride, a dress-up salon and a pretend pampering parlour, so several of them can take part at once. By the end the cousins leave happily and Bluey hands the pony over for a final goodbye.

Bluey

Bluey

Neighbours

recommended age co-watching from 2

Bluey and Bingo build houses out of couch cushions and pretend to be neighbours on a make-believe street, soon joined by Mum and Dad. As each sister keeps expanding into the other's space, Bluey learns to solve the clashes by asking nicely instead of arguing. Dad plays a loud, lonely neighbour who admits he just wants company. By the end the animals and pets are traded and rehomed, and the family settles happily onto their pretend street.

Bluey

Bluey

Shops

recommended age co-watching from 2

Bluey and her friends set out to play shops in the bushland, turning logs, seeds and berries into a till, money and kitten treats. Bluey keeps inventing new rules and details, so the game never actually starts, which wears out Mackenzie until he walks off. The friends bring him back, and Bluey admits she keeps adding things while Mackenzie admits he rushes, so they promise to meet halfway. They finally play through one complete sale and head off to a new game.

The Berenstain Bears

The Berenstain Bears

Trouble with Money

recommended age co-watching from 2

Brother and Sister Bear want expensive Bear Air jackets, so they set up lemonade stands, rake leaves and dream up scheme after scheme to earn the money themselves. As the profits pile up, they grow too busy to play, charging even Papa for help and pushing away friends like Lizzy, Millie and Cousin Fred. Papa points out that the friends now feel like customers, and the cubs realise what they have lost. They open bank accounts, give to the animal shelter, buy cheaper jackets and throw a party for their friends.

Bluey

Bluey

Spy Game

recommended age co-watching from 2

At a riverside park, Bluey and a group of friends invent a spy game where 'potion grass' is used to control the grown-ups, while the parents run a barbecue nearby. When Bingo is stuck with the boring grass-gathering job she quits, and the game slowly falls apart without her. Muffin's dad explains that everyone has a place in the pack, and Bluey coaxes Bingo back by promising something fun. The episode ends with Bluey letting Bingo take the first turn, and the spell finally works.

Bluey

Bluey

Takeaway

recommended age co-watching from 2

Dad takes Bluey and Bingo to the Golden Crown takeaway to pick up dinner, but Mum has forgotten the spring rolls, so the family has to wait. To pass the time the girls invent a string of games, running a pretend restaurant, becoming 'Tap Girl', and flooding the floor with the water tap while Dad tries to read the newspaper and answer their endless questions. After many rounds of 'five more minutes' and a plate of fortune cookies, the spring rolls are finally ready. The family collects the food and heads home for shower time.

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For 5-year-olds

Five-year-olds can hold two viewpoints at once and argue a case. They give reasons, think a step ahead, and start negotiating with grown-ups about bedtime, snacks and what happens next. The most useful stories show a character explaining why something matters to them, and an adult who listens and adjusts, or who explains a limit in a way that makes sense. Seeing someone change their mind after a good reason teaches more here than seeing someone win.

Lyla in the Loop

Lyla in the Loop

Clean Sweep

recommended age co-watching from 2

Lyla and her three siblings Liana, Louisa and Luke want to play their basketball video game, but the house rule is chores before games and the kitchen is a mess. With their helper Stu and a nudge from Dad, they list eight chores and split them evenly, only to discover the split is unfair because some jobs take far longer. They fix it by sorting chores into easy and hard and giving each kid one of each. Working as a team, they finish cleaning together and unlock their game.

64 Zoo Lane

64 Zoo Lane

The Story of Nelson the Elephant

recommended age co-watching from 4

Lucy sneaks out at night to listen to her animal neighbours at 64 Zoo Lane. Georgina the giraffe tells the story of young Nelson the elephant, who is so bored in Africa that he invents a jumping game which disturbs the other animals. After Reginald, Audrey and Natalie build a trampoline to teach him a lesson, they negotiate a compromise: Nelson stops jumping and they all play snakes and ladders together. Lucy then heads back to bed with everyone saying goodnight.

Fancy Nancy

Fancy Nancy

La Danse of Friendship

recommended age co-watching from 3

Nancy and her best friend Bree are asked to make up a dance for their ballet class and decide to perform a pas de deux together. They fall out when Nancy insists on being a rainbow and rejects Bree's peacock idea, and the two stop dancing and talking. After her dad shows how he and her mom shared a single room by compromising, Nancy realises her mistake and apologises to Bree at the recital. The friends forgive each other and perform 'the dance of friendship' side by side.

Simon

Simon

Merry Christmas

recommended age co-watching from 3

Rabbit brothers Simon and Gaspard help their parents decorate the Christmas tree and then go to bed waiting for Father Christmas. Worried that the heavy snow will stop the reindeer from finding their house, Simon comes up with a plan and the two brothers slip outside to turn Daddy's Christmas lights into a 'landing strip' in the garden. Father Christmas arrives, lands neatly on their improvised runway and delivers presents. The episode ends with Daddy discovering that all his outdoor lights have vanished and being sent to look outside.

Bluey

Bluey

Work

recommended age co-watching from 2

Two sisters and their young cousin turn the living room into a pretend office where they make drain pipes for pay. Bluey plays the boss and grows increasingly bossy, ordering her workers to be her chair and clean with their bottoms, and firing the cousin's frog character for dancing. Outside, the frog keeps dancing and is spotted by a famous ballerina named Pavlova, who invites Bingo's rabbit to perform. The game ends with a dance on a glowing theatre stage.

Goldie & Bear

Goldie & Bear

Fee Fi Fo Shoe

recommended age co-watching from 4

Goldie, Bear, Jack, and friends are playing Buttercup Ball when a giant's shoe drops onto their field. They climb the beanstalk to fetch the giant, only to find an old woman and her many children have moved into the shoe and refuse to leave. Goldie proposes building a matching shoe house elsewhere with the three little pigs, and it turns out to fit the giant's smaller foot perfectly. Everyone gets what they need, and the episode ends with a friendly game back on the field.

See all Negotiating shows for 5-year-olds

For 6-year-olds

At six, negotiating becomes a group matter. Deals run across friendships, sides form, and unwritten rules decide who gets a say. Children this age can give ground without feeling defeated, though it takes practice and does not always work. Look for stories with several children building a shared plan, where the disagreement is real and the friendship survives it, and where a compromise costs someone something instead of appearing on its own.

Kiff

Kiff

Club Book

recommended age co-watching from 5

Kiff, an energetic squirrel, loves reading out loud, but the library's strict shusher keeps quieting her down. After getting herself put in charge of the public library, Kiff declares it a 'loud library' where noise is allowed, and the librarian quits to go back to baking souffles. The free-for-all quickly turns into chaos that no one can control, and Kiff admits she has ruined the place she loves. She brings the librarian back to restore calm, and the two agree to share the space, a quiet area and a spot for loud readers.

Craig of the Creek

Craig of the Creek

Under the Overpass

recommended age co-watching from 4

Craig, Kelsey and JP take a map and float up the creek to gather honeysuckle they can trade for toys. Beyond the overpass they find eerie painted symbols and a silent hooded archer who chases them through the rain. They escape by ditching their loot and pulling JP from the sinking water, then learn the archer is a child protecting their plants who asks them never to return. Craig decides some places are better left undiscovered.

See all Negotiating shows for 6-year-olds

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