Social theme

Keeping promises

Keeping a promise is one of the first ways a child learns that words carry weight. For young children, a promise is a small contract with someone they love, and watching a character remember, forget, or make good on one gives them a safe way to feel both sides. A calm, well made story about promises lets a child sit with that feeling instead of rushing past it.

For 3-year-olds

At three, a promise only makes sense if it is close by. Later is still a fuzzy idea, so a promise made in the morning and kept after lunch already asks a lot of a child this age. Look for stories where the promise is simple, said out loud, and kept within the same story, so the child can follow the whole line from words to action. Seeing a character say what they will do and then plainly do it is the lesson at this stage.

S01 E01

Kiri & Lou

Yum Yum Baronies

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

Kiri, a small creature with a red crest, and her purple friend Lou plan to share a feast of their favorite fruit, the yum yum baronies, in their forest home. While Kiri is up a tree, Lou cannot resist and eats every single one, then admits he wasn't thinking. Kiri is hurt that the feast and Lou's promise are both gone, and a drawn-out muddle follows over whether Lou has properly said sorry, briefly involving a passing creature whose name happens to be 'Sorry.' The two friends finally apologize to each other and make up, then set off to look for another tree.

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 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

Alma's Way

Bomba or Baseball

Stimulating

recommended age co-watching from 2

Alma is a young girl in the Bronx who has been waiting for the opening baseball game, only to learn the tickets are sold out. When her uncle Nestor suddenly needs help for his bomba dance show on the same Saturday, Alma promises to dance in it. Surprise baseball tickets then turn up, forcing her to choose between the game and keeping her word. She decides to honor her commitment, and it turns out the bomba show takes place at the stadium, so she gets to dance and watch the game.

S01 E08

Paprika

The Secret

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

In a bright seaside town of talking animals, a friend keeps being told secrets and keeps blurting them out to everyone. Each slip is smoothed over by turning it into a kind compliment, which keeps friendships warm even when the secret escapes. The biggest secret, that Podium the crab is preparing a dance show, turns out to be something everyone already knows. The episode ends with the friends happily agreeing that a shared secret is no secret at all.

See all Keeping promises shows for 3-year-olds

For 4-year-olds

Four year olds can hold a promise in mind across a longer stretch, and that is exactly why breaking one starts to sting. They notice unfairness sharply and will remind an adult of something said days ago. Stories that show a character genuinely tempted, distracted, or torn between two things give this feeling somewhere to land. What matters most here is the repair: an honest apology, a clear reason, and a second try that actually happens.

S01 E12

Llama Llama

Secret Santa

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

On Secret Santa Day at school, Llama Llama draws a classmate's name and must keep it a secret while choosing the right gift. With Mama's help he shops for a present, practices with the class band, and waits eagerly at bedtime hoping for snow. The next day the band performs and the children exchange gifts one at a time, and Llama sees how happy giving makes his friend. The episode ends with real snowflakes falling as everyone rides a sled train and wishes each other a merry Christmas.

S01 E39

Bluey

The Sleepover

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 2

Cousin Muffin arrives for a sleepover overtired after skipping her afternoon nap, just as Bluey and Bingo have been promised they can stay up late. The girls invent a string of pretend games, a restaurant, a chip shop and a police chase, partly to stretch the evening out, while Mum balances her promise against Muffin's need for sleep. Muffin grows sillier and droopier until the girls are finally sent to bed at eight o'clock. The next morning a tired Bluey wakes to find a pretend flamingo tucked into Muffin's sleeping bag.

See all Keeping promises shows for 4-year-olds

For 5-year-olds

By five, a child can separate meaning it from managing it. They understand that someone can want to keep a promise and still run out of time, and they begin to track who is reliable over many small moments. Stories with competing commitments suit this age well, where a character has to choose, explain, and live with the disappointment they caused. Watch for characters who talk through the choice rather than simply being rescued from it.

S01 E03

Fancy Nancy

Tea Party Trouble

Balanced

recommended age co-watching from 3

Nancy hosts a fancy tea party in her front yard with her friend Bree and borrows Grandma's heirloom teapot after promising to be careful. Her charm falls in, her hand gets stuck, and the pot ends up broken, so she tries to hide it and glue it back together. Meanwhile Dad and toddler sister JoJo work to set up a new big-girl bed in the same house. Nancy finally tells her mom the truth, and Mom reassures her that accidents happen and shares her own story of chipping the same teapot as a child.

See all Keeping promises shows for 5-year-olds

Browse all Keeping promises shows

Explore more

Viewing guides Age 2 guide Age 3 guide Age 4 guide Age 5 guide Age 6 guide

Top lists by age 1 year 2 years 3 years 4 years 5 years 6 years

Keep exploring Browse by topic All platforms

Keeping promises

For 3-year-olds

Kiri & Lou

Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom

Peppa Pig

Alma's Way

Paprika

For 4-year-olds

Llama Llama

Bluey

For 5-year-olds

Fancy Nancy

Explore more

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