Behaviour

Storytelling

Storytelling is how children first learn that events connect: something happens, someone feels it, and it leads somewhere. Long before they can read, they take in narrative through voices, pictures and the shape of a story with a beginning and an end. A well-made story series gives them time to follow along, so they build the sense of sequence and cause that later carries reading, play and conversation.

For 2-year-olds

At two, a story is mostly rhythm and recognition. Toddlers follow familiar faces, repeated phrases and simple actions rather than a plot they could retell. Look for stories told slowly with one clear thing happening at a time, plenty of repetition, and a narrator who names what is on screen. A predictable opening and closing helps them feel where the story starts and stops, which matters more at this age than what happens in between.

S01 E04

In the Night Garden

The Prettiest Flower

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

In a magical garden, Upsy Daisy decides to wander off and look at the flowers while Iggle Piggle wants to ride the Ninky Nonk train. They each follow their own wish around the garden, and when Iggle Piggle finds an especially pretty flower he uses the Ninky Nonk to fetch Upsy Daisy so they can share it. The episode ends with the narrator gently saying goodnight to every character one by one as they settle down to sleep.

See all Storytelling shows for 2-year-olds

For 3-year-olds

Three-year-olds begin to hold a small storyline in mind. They can follow a character who wants something, runs into a snag, and reaches an ending. Stories built on everyday moments work best now, since a child can map them onto their own day. Look for one storyline per episode, calm scenes long enough to take in, and a clear finish, so the child can tell you afterwards what happened in their own words.

S01 E09

Little Bear

Father Bear Comes Home

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

Little Bear hears that his father is coming home from a long fishing trip far out on the ocean. As he walks home he tells Hen, Duck and Cat the news, and imagines that Father Bear will bring back a pretty mermaid with blue and green hair and silver eyes. When Father Bear arrives there is no mermaid, but he brings seashells, and the friends discover they can hold them up and 'hear the ocean'. The episode ends with the family together at home.

S01 E02

Do, Re & Mi

Best Buggy Blues

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 3

S01 E02

Zou

Zou Goes Camping

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 3

Zou, a young zebra, decides he wants to go camping with Grandpa. He visits Mr Zoe's shop for provisions, helps Grandpa finish the ironing, and then watches as Grandpa pitches the old tent in the back garden while telling stories about wild animals. Mom makes sardine sandwiches, and Zach brings the forgotten tin over, where he is invited to join the campers. The episode ends with the children laughing about everything except the sardine sandwiches.

See all Storytelling shows for 3-year-olds

For 4-year-olds

By four, children track how a story fits together and start to ask why characters do things. They enjoy a bit more turn and surprise, and they notice when someone feels left out or changes their mind. Stories that make room for the characters' reasoning, not just their actions, feed this. Look for episodes where the problem is worked through step by step, and where a little humour or imaginative detour does not derail the thread.

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 E08

Puffin Rock

Lost Berries

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 4

On a sunny morning at Puffin Rock, young Una plays hide and seek with her baby brother Baba and notices new puffins arriving from across the world. She meets Isabelle, a young puffin whose family had to leave their home, and her friend Phoenix the golden pheasant. After Isabelle's parents fly off to help other puffins, Una and her family work to help Isabelle feel welcome, and the day ends with a moonlit lullaby for Baba.

S01 E11

Pete the Cat

Bedtime Blues

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

Pete the Cat and his friends are jamming on their instruments when dinner ends playtime, so the grown-ups arrange a sleepover to keep the fun going. Once the lights go out, nobody can fall asleep, and the friends work through a pillow fight, hide and seek and a song that keeps insisting it is not a lullaby. Pete's mom finally suggests they make up their own story about a king who cannot sleep, with each child adding a chapter, and one by one they drift off. The next morning everyone wakes up for pancakes and a new song.

See all Storytelling shows for 4-year-olds

For 5-year-olds

Five-year-olds can follow longer stories with several strands and remember details from earlier scenes. They notice information the characters do not have yet, and they enjoy piecing things together ahead of the ending. Stories that ask something of the listener suit them now: a question to think about, knowledge that turns out to matter, a character whose choice could have gone another way. Look for narratives that trust a child to keep up rather than explaining every step.

S04 E02

Molly of Denali

In the Dark of Day

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

Molly, Trini and Oscar walk home from school in an Alaska village where the winter sun sets in the early afternoon, and Oscar is sure a monster is waiting in the dark. The friends look up sunset times on a weather website, learn about the winter solstice, and try several plans to face the creature. Auntie Midge tells a story about a wolf pup who overcomes its fear of the dark by finding a pack. Emboldened by his friends, Oscar finally confronts the monster and finds it is just a large pile of snow.

S01 E04

Dora and Friends: Into the City!

The Magic Ring

Stimulating

recommended age co-watching from 4

At school, Dora, Naya and Pablo are reading stories about ancient treasure to younger children when Pablo finds an old ring in the garden and shrinks to thumb size after putting it on. They match the glyphs on the ring against library books and learn that only placing it on Princess Xochitl's finger will break the spell, so all three shrink and travel through a tiny door into an ancient kingdom. With help from a mouse they dodge a greedy wizard and his cat, cross a puddle on a giant duck and climb up to the sleeping princess. The wizard's theft is exposed at his hut, the ring goes back on the princess's finger, and Pablo returns to school full-size with a medal and a story to tell.

See all Storytelling shows for 5-year-olds

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Storytelling

For 2-year-olds

In the Night Garden

For 3-year-olds

Little Bear

Do, Re & Mi

Zou

For 4-year-olds

64 Zoo Lane

Puffin Rock

Pete the Cat

For 5-year-olds

Molly of Denali

Dora and Friends: Into the City!

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