Behaviour

Stealing

Taking something that belongs to someone else is one of the first big moral questions young children run into, usually long before they understand ownership. A story about it gives them a safe way to see what happens when something goes missing, how the other person feels, and how it gets put right. Watching a calm version of that lets a child think it through without the panic of being caught in it themselves.

For 2-year-olds

At two, a child grabs what looks interesting, because 'mine' and 'yours' are still one blurry idea. The lesson is not honesty yet, it is noticing that another child wanted that toy. Look for short, simple scenes where something is taken, someone is sad about it, and it is handed back within a minute or two. Long explanations and any hint of shame will sail past a two-year-old; a clear picture of giving back will not.

S01 E01

Lu & The Bally Bunch

Fruit Caboose

Stimulating

recommended age co-watching from 2

Lu, a gentle caterpillar, invites a group of small bug friends to build together with blocks before heading to the fruit caboose for a snack. When Dean takes a bite of the pear Lou wanted, the two argue, and Lu helps them name their feelings and agree to cut the pear so both get a fair share. The friends then share an orange and finish with a group wiggle-and-flap dance. The episode closes on the credits.

See all Stealing shows for 2-year-olds

For 3-year-olds

Three-year-olds understand ownership well enough to feel the pull of wanting something anyway, and they start hiding what they took. Stories help most when the taking is small and the fix is doable: returning it, saying sorry, asking next time. What matters is that the child in the story is still liked afterwards. Look for warm adults who ask what happened instead of scolding, so your child learns that owning up is safe rather than dangerous.

S02 E05

Curious George

Up a Tree

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 3

In this episode, George decides he wants his own home in a tree and sets out to build a treehouse near the country house. He sketches a plan, tests materials, and gathers wood and nails from neighbours, working through problems with the floor, walls and roof largely on his own. When the Man with the Yellow Hat and the neighbours realise George borrowed a wall and nails without asking, George has to take the house apart and give everything back. He then rebuilds it properly and finally gets to make his own house rules.

See all Stealing shows for 3-year-olds

For 4-year-olds

By four, a child knows taking is wrong and can imagine how the other person feels, which makes guilt and the temptation to lie the real subject. Stories can hold more here: a character who takes something, sits with the discomfort, and decides to tell the truth. Look for a resolution built on repair and honest conversation rather than punishment, and for tension that stays mild. That gives your child language for the moment it happens at preschool.

S02 E16

Puffin Rock

The Best Shell

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 4

On the island of Puffin Rock, baby puffin Baba picks up a shell that turns out to belong to Bernie the hermit crab. His big sister Una realises the mistake and leads a search across the beach and grotto to find Bernie and return it. While they are away the tide comes in and washes the shell into a rock pool, and Una wades out to recover it. Bernie forgives the puffins, settles back into his best shell, and the day ends with everyone reunited.

S01 E02

Pinkalicious & Peterrific

Glitterizer

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 3

Pinkalicious's mother invents a machine called the Glitterizer that coats anything in sparkles. Eager to help test it, Pinkalicious borrows it without asking and glitters objects all over the neighborhood, until she covers her friend Raphael's painting and upsets him. She apologizes, and with her brother Peter she finds that a slow press releases just a little glitter, so the two restore and add to the artwork together. A short live-action opening shows the books' author making collage art before the animated story begins.

See all Stealing shows for 4-year-olds

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Stealing

For 2-year-olds

Lu & The Bally Bunch

For 3-year-olds

Curious George

For 4-year-olds

Puffin Rock

Pinkalicious & Peterrific

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