Slowscreen SlowScreen
Toggle sidebar

Just launched: free lifetime premium for the first 1,000 members to activate their account.

Start free

Behaviour

Trying something new

Trying something new is one of the biggest jobs of early childhood. A first taste, a first climb, a first day somewhere unfamiliar: each one asks a child to sit with uncertainty before they know how it ends. A calm, well made series can walk them through that feeling at a safe distance, showing hesitation as normal and giving them words for what happens inside before they try it themselves.

For 2-year-olds

At two, new means anything outside the usual routine, from an unfamiliar food to a different route to the park. Watching first is the most common response, and that is real progress, not refusal. Look for a series that introduces one small new thing at a time, moves slowly, and keeps a trusted grown up nearby. Stories where a character pauses, looks, and joins in later help a toddler see that waiting is allowed.

Bing
S01 E01

Bing

Fireworks

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Bing is excited to watch fireworks from his garden with Flop, while friends Pando, Coco and Charlie play nearby. Sula arrives wearing earmuffs because she does not like the bangs, and Bing insists he is brave enough to go outside. When a huge rocket bangs overhead Bing races back in and hides under the kitchen table, upset by the noise. Flop adapts a pair of oven mitts into 'ear gloves' so Bing can step back to the window and enjoy the rest of the fireworks safely, and Bing recaps the lesson to the viewer at the end.

Bing
S01 E12

Bing

Here I Go

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Bing, a young rabbit, and his friend Pando find a new climbing frame at the park with steps, a tippy tunnel, a rope ladder and a wobbly bridge. At the top, Bing is scared of the very high slide and tells his carer Flop he does not like it. With Flop's patience, and after watching Pando and the toy Hoppity Voosh go down first, Bing slides down himself and enjoys it. He ends by recapping that when you are scared, you can watch someone else try first.

Ready Eddie GO!
S01 E14

Ready Eddie GO!

Shoe Shopping

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

A young boy named Eddie is told he needs new trainers because his old ones are worn out and his feet have grown. A warm off-screen narrator walks him through the whole trip to the shoe shop, from waiting in a short queue and having his feet measured to choosing, trying on, and paying for a pair. Along the way small hurdles come up, like disliking having his feet touched and the shark shoes being out of stock, and each is talked through calmly. The episode ends with Eddie deciding on the dinosaur shoes and feeling ready to go.

Bing
S01 E06

Bing

Smoothie

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Bing is a young rabbit having a snack at home with his carer Flop. When the only banana left is too mushy to eat, Flop suggests blending it into a smoothie, and Bing helps add the milk and run the blender. Bing's carrot accidentally falls in and cannot be taken back out, which disappoints him until he tastes the result and finds the carrot smoothie delicious. He ends the day by happily telling a friend all about it.

Duck & Goose
S01 E03

Duck & Goose

Go to the Beach

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Duck, who loves new things, and Goose, who loves their familiar meadow, hear from a passing bluebird about the beach. After some back and forth, Goose agrees to go, and the two spend the day exploring sand, seaweed, a crab and the waves. They build a sandcastle, watch it wash away, and rebuild it, and Goose finally finds a hollow shell that echoes the sound of home. They head back to the meadow together, each glad the other is exactly who they are.

Donkey Hodie
S01 E30 Story B

Donkey Hodie

Clyde's Surprise Playdate

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Donkey Hodie learns that his friend Clyde the Cloud has never had a playdate, so he floats up into the sky to give him one. The two discover they are very different, a cloud who drifts and rains and a donkey who runs and plays, and their first tries at catch and spinning do not work. A song about differences and a flashback to Donkey's first playdate with Purple Panda help them see that being unalike can lead to new games. They end up inventing floating tag, bird-call games and Ring Around the Rainbow, and plan another playdate for the next day.

Donkey Hodie
S01 E29 Story B

Donkey Hodie

Super Duper Magic Fun Box

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Best friends Donkey Hodie and Panda receive a Super Duper Magic Fun Box from Uncle Panda that produces a bouncing ball, a music baton, and a coconut robot at the push of a button. They discover they don't enjoy the same things, with Donkey loving the baton while Panda finds it too loud, and Panda loving the robot that frightens Donkey. Believing this means they can no longer be best friends, they are saddened until Grampy helps them, through a song, see that friends can disagree if they talk and listen. They reconcile, agree that liking each other matters most, and end by sharing Squishy Lemon Hugs.

Bea's Block
S01 E04

Bea's Block

Best Square Chef

Stimulating
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Bea and her friends set out to make a pizza lunch, but Ty and Lexi cannot agree on toppings, one wanting peppers and pickles and the other pepperoni and pineapple. Bea calls a kindness club meeting, and the two turn cooking into a 'Best Square Chef' contest that soon slides into unkind jabs. After Bea plays back a recording of their bickering and leads a song about trying new foods, the friends taste each other's pizzas and both enjoy them. They apologise, and the episode ends with everyone sharing a combined pizza together.

Ready Eddie GO!
S01 E02

Ready Eddie GO!

Trampoline Park

Stimulating
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

A young boy named Eddie is guided through his first trip to a trampoline park by a calm narrator and his mum. Step by step the episode covers arriving, getting a wristband and grippy socks, hearing the rules, bouncing and making shapes in the air, and finally home time. Along the way Eddie names feelings like frustration, worry and excitement, and learns coping strategies such as ear defenders for noise and a water break to cool down. It ends with Eddie feeling ready, cheering 'Ready, Eddie, go!'

Ready Eddie GO!
S01 E11

Ready Eddie GO!

Opticians

Stimulating
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

A boy named Eddie is guided through what happens at an optician visit, from arriving with Mum and waiting to be called, to a series of eye tests in a special room. A calm narrator explains each step while Eddie tries on glasses, looks into the picture machine and sits through a test in a darkened room. The optician tells him his eyes are perfectly healthy, so he will not need glasses today. Eddie is briefly let down, then delighted when he is given a pair of sunglasses to wear.

For 3-year-olds

Three year olds have enough imagination to picture what might go wrong, so anticipation and worry arrive together. This is also the age of a firm no, often used to keep control of a situation that feels big. Helpful stories name the feeling out loud, let the character decide when to step in, and give a warm response whether they try or not. Watch for pretend play as a rehearsal, where trying something first happens safely in a game.

Jessica's Big Little World
S01 E06

Jessica's Big Little World

Jessica's Restaurant

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Jessica visits Rosie's restaurant with her dad and tastes gumbo for the first time, discovering that trying new food can be fun. Back home, she and her friend Stanley set up their own pretend restaurant, drawing a menu and serving snacks to family and friends. When their last crackers break, Jessica invents a new dish from carrots, peanut butter and crumbs. Everyone tastes it and enjoys the surprise creation.

Sarah and Duck
S01 E02

Sarah and Duck

Sarah, Duck and the Penguins

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Sarah and Duck sit at a computer looking for something to do, and Duck picks penguins. Sarah dresses Duck in a wetsuit, puts on a zookeeper outfit, and the two of them visit a zoo to meet real penguins. Duck tries to mingle, swim, and eat like a penguin but discovers he cannot quite manage it. The episode closes with Duck accepting that being a duck is fine and the pair calmly watching the sea cows.

Sarah and Duck
S01 E05

Sarah and Duck

Scarf Lady's House

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Sarah and Duck leave a chilly park and walk home with Scarf Lady, who invites them inside her house full of scarves. Sarah hunts through rooms of wool, meets a colourful leftover wool character and rides a woolly slide while looking for a scarf to warm Duck's neck. Scarf Lady sits and knits, explaining how scarves, jumpers and hats are made. At the end, she presents Duck with a knitted pair of pants and a woolly sea cow, leaving him 'toasty' for the rest of the afternoon.

Esme & Roy
S01 E02

Esme & Roy

Lunch Crunch

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

Esme, a girl, and Roy, a large yellow monster, babysit a young monster named Simon while his grownups are away. When Simon's favourite fish and stinky cheese sandwich is eaten and the ingredients run out, the pair try a pretend restaurant, a spoon game and finally food sculptures to coax him into tasting something new. Along the way Simon has an upset moment that is calmed with a breathing exercise. By the end Simon happily tries carrots and other foods and proudly calls himself a food artist.

Jessica's Big Little World
S01 E17

Jessica's Big Little World

Pool School

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Jessica, an imaginative girl who loves pretending to be a shark, arrives with her mother for her first swimming lesson at an outdoor pool. Their teacher, Mr. Mark, guides a small group of children through floating, doggy paddle, kicking and getting their faces wet. Along the way Jessica makes friends with Logan and Stanley, talks about how everyone's body looks different, and works past her fear of the water. She ends by putting her whole head under and standing up for Stanley, with her mom cheering her on.

Phoebe & Jay
S01 E08

Phoebe & Jay

Fruit Juice Frenzy

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Twins Phoebe and Jay take three dollars from Grandma Annie to buy three juices at Mr. Aguilar's cart outside their apartment building, including a special pineapple, strawberry and mango blend just for Grandma. Along the way they help build the cart's menu and learn the fruit flavours, then hit one setback after another as a thirsty Dad drinks Grandma's juice, the strawberry sells out, and Cousin Craig spills the replacement. With more flavours and even the cups gone, Phoebe invents a mango-cucumber juice served inside a hollowed-out pineapple. Grandma loves the new drink, and the children name it the 'Phoebe and Jay's Special.'

Woolly and Tig
S01 E03

Woolly and Tig

The Dance Class

Stimulating
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

Tig, a young girl, goes to her first ballet class with her toy spider Woolly. She is put off when the teacher, Miss Lofty, calls out her instructions, so she sits at the side with Woolly instead of joining in. Woolly explains that the teacher is not cross but is making herself heard over the piano, and Tig works this out for herself and takes part. At the end Miss Lofty gives her a crown and names her a fairy princess.

Peppa Pig
S01 E16

Peppa Pig

Musical Instruments

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Mummy and Daddy Pig find a dusty box of old musical instruments while tidying the house, and the family gathers to try them out. Mummy plays the violin, Daddy the accordion and Peppa the drum, while a horn defeats everyone who blows it. In the end little George is the only one who can make the horn sound. The episode closes with the whole family playing their instruments together outside.

Jessica's Big Little World
S01 E10

Jessica's Big Little World

Family Photo

Stimulating
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Jessica, a young girl, learns her family is heading to her grandparents' house for their yearly family photo and is asked to pick a special outfit. With help from her imaginary alter-ego Big Jessica, she tries on a dress, a soccer uniform, a monster costume, and a bunny suit, but each one is rejected as too tight, too sporty, or hiding her face. Noticing that nobody in the family likes their dressed-up clothes, she suggests everyone wear what they truly want. The family agrees, sings together, and poses for the photo just as they are.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
S01 E08 Story A

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Muffin Party

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

Moose decides to throw a muffin party, but after the muffins are eaten and his recipe card gets soaked, one ingredient becomes impossible to read. With help from Mouse, Cat and Piper, who spots a buttery hoofprint clue, and plenty of encouragement, Moose bakes the muffins anyway and improvises the final ingredient himself. His guests love the 'freewheeling muffins', and Moose is proud he pulled it off. The episode closes with the series refrain asking what happens next.

For 4-year-olds

By four, children compare themselves to others and start to fear looking clumsy or getting it wrong in front of someone. What matters now is not the new activity itself but what happens after a shaky first attempt. Look for stories where the first try goes badly and the character stays with it anyway, and where a friend offers a hand instead of a fix. Humour helps here; laughing at a wobble takes the sting out of it.

The Berenstain Bears
S02 E11

The Berenstain Bears

Go to Camp

Calming
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

At Grizzly Ted's summer day camp, Sister Bear and her friend Lizzy spend their days swimming, hiking, and doing crafts, until the counselor announces an overnight sleep-out on Skull Rock. Sister secretly dreads sleeping so far from home and hides her worry until Lizzy gently draws it out of her. Together they decide to practice with a night in the backyard, and Sister succeeds. She heads to the real sleep-out feeling ready, sharing a campfire story and searching for shooting stars.

Bluey
S01 E29

Bluey

The Creek

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Bored with the playground, Bluey, Bingo and their friend Mackenzie ask Dad to play, and he walks them into the bush to a creek. Along the way they navigate bugs, a leech, uneven ground and wobbly stepping stones, with Dad coaxing a nervous Bluey to jump a wide gap. At the creek they watch tadpoles, splash about and set up a pretend mud day spa. They head home tired and happy, with Dad reminding them to check for ticks.

Pete the Cat
S01 E05

Pete the Cat

Three Bite Rule

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Pete the Cat helps his friend Grumpy the toad, who refuses to eat anything but flies, learn the 'three-bite rule': try something at least three times before deciding if you like it. Guided by Pete's patience, Grumpy works through his fear, first watching others try new things, then finally tasting a banana at the school potluck. He dislikes the banana but is proud he tried, and goes on to sample cauliflower, egg burritos, acorns and French toast. The episode ends with Grumpy urging Pete to take his turn tasting flies.

The Berenstain Bears
S01 E02

The Berenstain Bears

Too Much Junk Food

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Papa Bear decides to enter the Bear Country Run but quickly discovers he is out of shape, so Brother and Sister join him to train as a team. When they keep running out of breath, Dr. Grizzly explains that too much junk food is the wrong fuel for the body and teaches them about the four food groups. The family swaps cola and sweets for healthier meals and keeps practising until they can complete the run together. It ends at home, with the bears choosing to celebrate with carrot sticks, nuts and raisins.

Pete the Cat
S01 E03

Pete the Cat

Pete at the Beach

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Pete the Cat and his family drive to the beach, where his older brother Bob plans to teach him to surf. Pete secretly fears the big waves, so he stalls by playing in the sand and burying himself to stay cool, while his mom quietly senses something is wrong. Bob figures out the problem, admits he was once scared too, and slowly introduces Pete to the water. Pete rides his first wave, falls, tries again and finishes the day surfing happily as the sun goes down.

Simon
S01 E04

Simon

I Don't Want To Go To The Pool

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

Simon refuses to go to the pool with his class, telling his father 'no way, never, ever'. The next day his teacher leads the children to the pool, where Simon finds his friend Lou is just as scared. Simon decides to help Lou into the cold water, and together they learn to float, kick, jump in, and ride the slide with the instructor. The episode closes with Simon offering to teach his little brother Gaspard, who replies 'never ever'.

The Berenstain Bears
S01 E18

The Berenstain Bears

Go to School

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Sister Bear is nervous about starting third grade after Too Tall's gang teases her that it is impossibly hard. At home, Brother, Mama and Papa reassure her, and Mama uses a photo album to recall how Sister once dreaded kindergarten yet quickly came to love it. Encouraged, Sister tries third grade and comes home pleased, while Papa faces his own fear and bakes his first apple pie. The episode ends with the family together and the lesson that new things are worth trying.

Pete the Cat
S01 E02

Pete the Cat

Too Cool for School

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

On picture day, Pete the Cat cannot decide what to wear, so he asks friends how to look cool. Grumpy Toad, Sally the squirrel, Callie and Emma the Pug each add an item, leaving Pete in a helmet, a tight shirt, clunky boots and a feather boa. His brother Bob points out that none of it looks like Pete and reminds him he is already cool as himself. Pete goes home, changes back, and smiles for his photo feeling like himself again.

Paprika
S01 E09

Paprika

The Cuddly Toy

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

A group of young friends line up to ride a big slide, but the gatekeeper keeps announcing new requirements: first you need a cuddly toy, then it needs a name, then it must be hugged. Stan and Olivia scramble to turn a sock and a towel into proper cuddly toys, decorating and naming them along the way. When Olivia finally slides with no toy at all and is not scared, the others realise not everyone needs one. The episode ends with each child settling on what works for them, while Yeti happily keeps the toy he still wants.

Bluey
S01 E21

Bluey

Blue Mountains

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

On a family picnic, two dog sisters and a fairy set out beyond the Blue Mountains to find the softest, warmest beds in the whole world, all acted out with the family's own paws and feet. Along the way they climb hills, scratch open a magic wall, and meet a fox who claims to be kindly. The fox turns out to be a trickster and traps the cautious big sister, until her little sister rescues her. They make up, find the warm beds, and the story ends with everyone asleep.

For 5-year-olds

Five brings bigger unfamiliar settings, a new group, a new class, a skill that takes weeks rather than minutes. Children this age can hold a feeling and think about it, so stories no longer need to resolve nerves in a single scene. Look for characters who talk about why something felt hard, and for a series that separates trying from succeeding, so effort counts even when the outcome is a shrug.

Stillwater
S01 E05 Story B

Stillwater

Dressed Up

Calming
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Carl is convinced his favourite shirt has shrunk, so he goes to see his panda neighbour Stillwater, who is practising Tai Chi in the garden. As they move and talk, Carl slowly realises the shirt did not shrink, he has grown. Stillwater tells him the story of Nani, a hermit crab who learns to leave her outgrown shell for a new one. In the end Carl accepts a bigger hand-me-down shirt from his brother Michael and joins Stillwater for one last Tai Chi move.

Dora and Friends: Into the City!
S01 E11

Dora and Friends: Into the City!

Buddy Race

Stimulating
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 4

Dora is running a buddy race in the park with her friend Alana to raise money to rebuild the city's playground. When Alana twists her ankle just before the start, the group decides that Pablo, Emma, Naya and Kate will each take one section of the race and pass a team flag along. The course takes them through a tandem bike and hula hoop obstacle run, a rhyming music stage, a kayak trip down an underground river and a fruit catching round in costume. Alana returns for the final sports brain teasers, the team finishes, and the announcer confirms the playground will be repaired.

Woolly and Tig
S01 E02

Woolly and Tig

The Funfair

Stimulating
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

Tig, a young girl, visits a busy funfair for the first time with her mummy, daddy, friend Angel, and her toy spider Woolly. While Angel loves every ride, Tig feels overwhelmed by the noise and wants to go home, so her dad takes her to a cafe for a break. Woolly helps her by naming where each sound comes from, from the dodgems' music to the carousel horses, until the funfair feels manageable. Tig then joins the rides, enjoys the carousel, and the episode ends with a song about her and Woolly.

Dinosaur Train
S01 E02

Dinosaur Train

Tiny Loves Fish

Stimulating
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

In this episode of Dinosaur Train, Tiny the Pteranodon declares how much she loves fish, so Mom and the children board the train and travel to the water to go fishing. Along the way they dive for fish and meet other creatures that eat them, learning how different animals catch their food. The story plays out across a river canyon and open water in the prehistoric world. It closes with a live-action paleontologist explaining real facts about Pteranodons before the credits roll.

Go! Go! Cory Carson
S01 E06

Go! Go! Cory Carson

Cory Sleepover

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

Cory Carson is dropped off for his first sleepover at the O'Toole family, a household of construction vehicles whose home is under construction. He finds their customs strange, from clogging at the door to eating dirt-filled pie and sleeping in mounds outside, and he cannot settle at bedtime. Mr. O'Toole comforts him with the idea that different does not mean bad, and Cory tries the pie and warms to the night. The episode ends with Mr. O'Toole driving Cory safely home.

For 6-year-olds

Six year olds have opinions about what suits them, and often decline before they have tried, because it does not match who they think they are. Stories that work at this age carry real setbacks, take their time, and let the character choose to try for their own reasons rather than to please an adult. Look for characters who change their mind about themselves, and for the kind of humour that keeps a failed attempt from feeling like a verdict.

Oh Noah!
S01 E01

Oh Noah!

I Can Swim

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 4

Noah, a young boy with a tiny mouse perched on his head, and a red-haired girl in swim goggles spend this segment in the water learning to swim. A bouncy song walks through the steps one by one: float like a boat, point your feet and kick, paddle your arms, and blow bubbles like a fish. The Spanish phrase 'puedo nadar' (I can swim) appears on screen and in the refrain throughout. By the end the children put all the steps together and celebrate being able to swim.

Pinecone & Pony
S02 E01 Story B

Pinecone & Pony

Sleepless at the Sleepover

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 4

A young boy named Hawthorne goes to his first sleepover at his best friend Pinecone's home in a magical kingdom, where her dad makes snacks and the families share dinner and music. When creepy puppets, shadows and unfamiliar surroundings keep him from sleeping, his parent picks him up in the night, leaving both friends sad. The children then study, prepare and train to try again, with Pinecone removing anything scary from her room. On the second attempt Hawthorne makes it through the night, and both families celebrate together over breakfast.

Fraggle Rock
S01 E05

Fraggle Rock

The Thirty-Minute Work Week

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Wembley, a young Fraggle who cannot make up his mind, is expected to choose a job like every other Fraggle. He tries gathering radishes in the Gorgs' garden and considers Boober's laundry work, but nothing fits, and his friend Gobo pretends to reject him to force a decision. After seeking advice from the Trash Heap, Wembley decides to become a fireman, and the Fraggle Rock Volunteer Fire Department welcomes him even though none of them, including Wembley, know how to start a fire. Alongside the main story, Doc tinkers in his workshop with his dog Sprocket while Gobo reads a postcard from Uncle Traveling Matt about a wild train ride.

Just launched: free lifetime premium for the first 1,000 members to activate their account.

Create your account

Search by title, show, tag, or topic

We use functional cookies and Google Analytics to improve our site. Learn more