Behaviour

Running away

Running away shows up in childhood long before a child could actually do it. It starts as wandering off after something interesting, and later turns into a way of saying 'I have had enough'. A calm, well made story lets a child feel the fear and the coming back from a safe distance, with the reassurance that someone is always looking.

For 3-year-olds

At three, leaving is rarely a decision. A child follows something interesting, then looks up and finds nobody familiar nearby. The fear is immediate, and the comfort lies in how quickly it ends. Look for stories where the separation stays short, where an adult notices and comes, and where the reunion is warm rather than scolding. Long stretches of a character alone and frightened are still too much at this age.

S01 E15

Peppa Pig

Picnic

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

Peppa, George and their parents pack a basket and drive to a field for a picnic on a sunny day. They eat together, feed leftover bread to a family of ducks, and Daddy Pig ends up running across the field to escape a wasp. Peppa reminds everyone to save the promised cake for the ducks before they head home. The episode closes with the family waving goodbye to the ducks.

S01 E02

Caillou

Caillou's Not Afraid Anymore

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

Grandma reads the children a story about a time when 3-year-old Caillou was afraid of his neighbor Mr. Hinkle, who looked spooky from a distance. After running away from him outside, Caillou hides at home when Mr. Hinkle comes over to apologise. Mr. Hinkle turns the moment into a game of hide and seek, and by the time he finds Caillou, the two are laughing together and become friends.

See all Running away shows for 3-year-olds

For 4-year-olds

Four is the age of the announced departure. A child gets angry, declares they are leaving, sometimes packs a bag with odd treasures inside. The wish is usually to be missed, not to be gone. Stories land best when the feeling underneath the leaving is said out loud, when someone stays available nearby, and when the return is met with welcome instead of a lecture.

S01 E05

64 Zoo Lane

The Story of Henrietta the Hairy Hippo

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 4

Lucy comes home from school upset that classmates teased her hair, and her animal friends gather to comfort her at bedtime. Molly the meerkat tells her the story of Henrietta, a hairy hippo mocked by her river family who sets off to find a new home. Henrietta travels through the desert with Dennis the Dromedary, escapes a giant spider in the jungle with help from monkeys, and climbs the Blue Mountain where the snip-snip bird gives her a princess hairdo. She returns to the Zambam River, shares her adventures, and the other hippos welcome her back with a big splash.

S01 E15

Bluey

Butterflies

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

Bluey, her little sister Bingo and their friend Judo play a game of butterflies in the backyard while Dad hangs a swing and Mum takes in the washing. Judo is bossy and the two older girls sneak away from Bingo because she is slow, leaving her alone. Bluey feels bad, goes to find Bingo, and apologizes for running off. The three agree on a new rule that no one runs away from anyone and go back to playing together.

See all Running away shows for 4-year-olds

For 5-year-olds

By five, a child can hold two sides at once: their own reason for going, and the worry of the people left behind. That opens room for stories where leaving has real consequences, where a character discovers someone was searching for them, and where the trouble gets talked through afterwards. A repair both sides take part in works better here than an adult who simply fixes everything.

S02 E02

Rosie's Rules

Iggy's Check - Up

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

Rosie, a young girl, helps her little brother Iggy get ready for a doctor's check-up. At home she plays pretend doctor with him and their stuffed animals to show what the visit will be like. At the clinic Iggy gets nervous and runs off, but his dad, Rosie and the doctor reassure him and the check-up goes smoothly. By the end Iggy is calm and back to playing with his toy train.

See all Running away shows for 5-year-olds

For 6-year-olds

Six-year-olds run in their heads more than with their feet. Leaving becomes about fairness, about not feeling heard, about imagining a life somewhere else. Stories can carry more tension now: a longer distance from home, genuine doubt about returning, a friend who helps think it through. What matters is that the reason is taken seriously and that the decision to come back belongs to the character.

S01 E03

Pinecone & Pony

O Prickly, Where Art Thou?

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 4

Pinecone, a young warrior, joins the Little Rumblers for their first overnight in the fearsome forest and secretly brings her stuffed hedgehog, Prickly, afraid the others will tease her. When Prickly is carried off by a griffin, she and her friend Pony chase him through skunks, dark woods and creatures to get him back. After a hard search, Pinecone admits in front of everyone that she loves her stuffy, and the other children and their leader Gladys reveal they have comfort objects too. The group works together to recover Prickly and ends the night with a campfire story.

See all Running away shows for 6-year-olds

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Running away

For 3-year-olds

Peppa Pig

Caillou

For 4-year-olds

64 Zoo Lane

Bluey

For 5-year-olds

Rosie's Rules

For 6-year-olds

Pinecone & Pony

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