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Fairness

Fairness is one of the first big ideas children work out for themselves, usually while a toy, a snack or a turn on the swing is at stake. It begins with noticing that someone got more, and slowly grows into weighing what other people need. A calm series that lets these moments play out, without rushing to the lesson, gives a child time to recognise the feeling and see how it gets sorted out.

For 2-year-olds

At two, fairness is mostly about wanting something now and discovering that someone else wants it too. Sharing does not come naturally yet, and waiting even a moment feels genuinely hard. Look for slow, simple moments: one toy, two children, a grown-up nearby who names what everyone is feeling and helps them take turns. Seeing the wait end well matters far more at this age than any explanation of why sharing is good.

S01 E03

Bing

Swing

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

Bing the rabbit arrives at the playground with his caretaker Flop and asks for a turn on the big swing. When his friend Pando the panda arrives and wants a turn too, Flop suggests they count to ten to share. Pando refuses to count when it is Bing's turn to wait, Bing gets frustrated and runs in front of the swing, and the swing hits him. Flop comforts Bing, checks every body part, explains that swings need time to stop, and Bing finishes the episode on a smaller swing while reflecting on what happened.

See all Fairness shows for 2-year-olds

For 3-year-olds

Three-year-olds notice unequal amounts sharply, usually when their own piece looks smaller. They can begin counting out equal shares, but the big feeling still arrives first. Helpful stories show the whole arc: the protest, the upset, and a solution the characters reach together, by splitting something or by taking turns. Watch for episodes where disappointment is allowed to exist for a moment instead of being smoothed over straight away.

S01 E02

Little Bear

Hide and Seek

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

In a woodland home, Little Bear and his friends Duck, Hen, Cat, and Owl decide to play hide-and-seek, and Duck finally gets his wish to be the seeker. He closes his eyes and counts to ten while the others hide, then searches the forest, finding each friend by spotting footprints and following sounds. Once everyone is found, Little Bear heads home. There he surprises Mother Bear with a playful 'Boo!' at the washing line.

S01 E13

Alma's Way

Star Ball

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

Alma has to skip her perfect freeze tag plans to tag along to her mom's meeting, where she finds her friends Andre and Rofia bored. Using the empty space, the three invent a floor board game they name Star Ball, with Andre drawing the board, Rofia supplying a spinner, and Alma adding rules. When Alma keeps changing the rules to her own advantage, Andre and Rofia get frustrated and want to quit. Alma thinks back over what happened, apologizes, and the friends agree on the rules together before happily replaying the game, which Andre wins.

S01 E08

Lucas the Spider

I Can't See You

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

Lucas the Spider keeps losing hide and seek to his friend Bodhi, who can blend into her surroundings. Kevin the chameleon coaches Lucas to try blending, sniffing and changing color, and Lucas finally wins by tricking Bodhi into leaving footprints. When Bodhi is hurt that he cheated, Lucas apologises and the two agree to play fair, with Bodhi setting aside her camouflage. The episode ends with the whole group starting a new round together.

S01 E09

Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom

Fun and Games

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

Ben the elf helps his mum bake cupcakes in the family kitchen, and his friend Holly the fairy princess joins in with the stirring. While the cakes bake, the two go outside and play tag and hide-and-seek, and Holly keeps slipping into flying and magic despite promising to play fair. When the cupcakes come out of the oven, everyone agrees the time flew by because they were having fun. The episode ends with the friends sharing cakes and Ben showing a trick.

S01 E13

Peppa Pig

Secrets

Balanced

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.

S01 E04

Zou

King Zou

Stimulating

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.

See all Fairness shows for 3-year-olds

For 4-year-olds

By four, fairness moves into play. The rules of a game matter, and breaking one feels like a betrayal rather than a slip. Children this age can hold another person's view in mind briefly, enough to see why a friend is annoyed. Look for characters who invent rules, argue about them, then adjust them so everyone can keep playing. Stories in which children work this out among themselves, with adults in the background, land hardest now.

S01 E01

Bluey

Magic Xylophone

Calming

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.

S01 E11

Llama Llama

Snow Show

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

Llama Llama spends a snowy day playing when his teacher Zelda Zebra announces a kids' snow sculpture contest and asks him to be the judge. He worries about keeping the rules and choosing just one winner when every friend's sculpture is so different. After a hot chocolate break and a library trip with Mama, he learns that no two snowflakes are alike. He decides each sculpture wins its own category, and Zelda Zebra reveals a final sculpture of all the children.

S02 E14

The Berenstain Bears

Out for the Team

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

Brother Bear is hitting well in a sandlot game when Papa suggests he try out for the Bear Country Cardinals, and Sister Bear decides to try out too. Brother grows jealous and afraid of losing his spot to his sister, so he fakes a sore arm to skip the tryouts. Sister catches the lie and encourages him, and the two practice together before the tryouts. In the end the coach is impressed by both and adds a second spot, so Brother and Sister both make the team.

S01 E04

64 Zoo Lane

The Story of Snowbert the Polar Bear

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 4

Lucy of 64 Zoo Lane is sent to bed, but climbs out to hear a bedtime story from her animal neighbours. The shy bear Boris tells the tale of Snowbert, a lonely polar bear who lives near the North Pole and one day befriends Sidney the seal through a hole in the ice. After a long, frozen midwinter separation, Sidney keeps his promise and returns in spring with friends to play. Lucy thanks Boris and heads back to her warm bed as the closing song plays.

S01 E05

Mira, Royal Detective

The Case of the Dance Off Disaster

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

In the kingdom of Jalpur, young detective Mira and her friend Priya enter a dance contest hosted by Sanjeev Joshi. When each team's routine goes wrong, sped-up music, a missing song and beads that cause slips, Mira gathers clues and works out that Mina cheated to win. Mina confesses, apologises and gives up the trophy. The contest ends with a friendly rerun where two teams tie and everyone dances together.

S01 E45

Bluey

Kids

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

In a supermarket, Bandit and his daughters play a pretend game where he is a mum named Mrs Healer shopping with her children, cheeky toddler Snowdrop and naughty older brother Diddums. The make-believe mum keeps taking the toddler's side and even calls Snowdrop her favourite, leaving Diddums feeling unfairly blamed. When she catches Snowdrop being the real troublemaker, she apologises and the two make up. The game ends warmly at the checkout with a friendly exchange and a nursery rhyme.

S01 E03

64 Zoo Lane

The Story of Joey the Kangaroo

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 4

Lucy is sent to bed but slips out to visit her animal neighbours, where Ribbit the Frog notices she is upset about being the worst at skipping in her class. To cheer her up, Ribbit tells the story of Joey, a young kangaroo in Australia who cannot jump and is teased by the other joeys. Ribbit lends Joey a pair of jumping boots so he can practise, and after training all night Joey enters the Junior Jump contest. When the boots are banned he finds he can jump without them, wins the contest, and the story sends Lucy happily off to bed.

See all Fairness shows for 4-year-olds

For 5-year-olds

At five, splitting things equally stops being the only answer. Children start weighing who needs more, who did the work, and who missed out last time. Group decisions become interesting, and so does the discomfort of choosing between two reasonable options. Series that let characters reason out loud, test an idea, discover it does not work for everyone and try another give this new thinking somewhere to go.

S01 E01

Lyla in the Loop

Clean Sweep

Balanced

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.

S01 E04

Nature Cat

Follow Those Footprints

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 4

On Nature Art Day, Nature Cat unveils a statue of himself made of acorns, only to find its acorn head has vanished. With his friends Hal, Daisy and Squeeks, he follows footprints through the forest, measuring and comparing tracks to question a raccoon and a squirrel before realising the squirrels took the acorns. Nature Cat builds a new statue and donates it to the squirrels to help them through winter. The episode closes with the friends celebrating and the show's credits.

See all Fairness shows for 5-year-olds

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Keep exploring Browse by topic All platforms

Fairness

For 2-year-olds

Bing

For 3-year-olds

Little Bear

Alma's Way

Lucas the Spider

Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom

Peppa Pig

Zou

For 4-year-olds

Bluey

Llama Llama

The Berenstain Bears

64 Zoo Lane

Mira, Royal Detective

Bluey

64 Zoo Lane

For 5-year-olds

Lyla in the Loop

Nature Cat

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