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How things work

How things work covers everything a small child puzzles over: where the water goes, what the tractor is doing in the field, how a light comes on. Children figure this out by watching the same thing many times and asking again. A calm, well made show gives them room to look, follow the steps in order, and carry what they saw back into their own kitchen or street.

For 2-year-olds

At two, a child is mostly learning that actions have results. Pressing, pouring, opening and closing are the whole subject, and naming objects matters as much as explaining them. Look for an episode that shows one simple thing from start to finish without cutting away, with clear pictures of everyday items and real machines. Repetition helps here, and so does a slow, quiet voice that leaves gaps for your child to point and name along.

Numberblocks

Numberblocks

Another One

recommended age co-watching from 2

The episode explains visually and verbally how 1 + 1 becomes 2 by showing the blocks join.

Bing

Bing

Shadow

recommended age co-watching from 2

The episode shows that shadows need light, disappearing under a cloud and returning with a torch.

Guess How Much I Love You

Guess How Much I Love You

The Scents of Spring

recommended age co-watching from 2

Big Nutbrown Hare explains spring smells different because flowers grow and leaves turn fresh and green.

Bing

Bing

Blocks

recommended age co-watching from 2

Children experiment with what stacks, what topples, and what makes baby Charlie let go of a block.

Miffy and Friends

Miffy and Friends

Miffy's Musical Day

recommended age co-watching from 2

The episode introduces and demonstrates four different instruments: recorder, accordion, double bass and toy piano.

Bing

Bing

Smoothie

recommended age co-watching from 2

The blender mixes ingredients and the idea that you cannot un-mix them is explained.

Ready Eddie GO!

Ready Eddie GO!

Posting a Letter

recommended age co-watching from 2

The narrator explains how a posted letter is collected, sorted and delivered.

Ready Eddie GO!

Ready Eddie GO!

Headlice

recommended age co-watching from 2

Expert characters explain what head lice are, how they spread, and how to remove them.

Abadas

Abadas

Piano

recommended age co-watching from 2

The episode explains what everyday objects are for: a spoon is mainly for eating, saucepan lids keep food warm, and a piano makes musical sounds.

Duck & Goose

Duck & Goose

Fly a Kite

recommended age co-watching from 2

Goose explains that 'wind is just air that moves' and they make their own breeze.

See all How things work shows for 2-year-olds

For 3-year-olds

Three-year-olds ask why constantly and want to touch everything. They can follow a short chain of cause and effect if it stays close to daily life: how a seed becomes a plant, what happens when you turn the tap. Look for an episode built around a single small question that gets answered by trying something, not by a lecture. An adult or older friend who answers plainly, without talking down, gives your child words for what they are already noticing.

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood

Daniel Visits School

recommended age co-watching from 2

Daniel learns step by step what happens at school (music time, reading time, block corner).

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood

Daniel Visits the Doctor

recommended age co-watching from 2

Daniel learns the steps of a checkup and how each tool helps the doctor see if he is healthy.

Sarah and Duck

Sarah and Duck

Cheer Up Donkey

recommended age co-watching from 2

Sarah and Duck use a library book to figure out why donkeys look the way they do.

Sarah and Duck

Sarah and Duck

Lots of Shallots

recommended age co-watching from 2

Sarah and Duck see that planting seeds, time and sunlight cause small shallot plants to emerge.

Pocoyo

Pocoyo

Who's on the Phone?

recommended age co-watching from 2

The episode teaches what a telephone is and how it is used.

Curious George

Curious George

Up a Tree

recommended age co-watching from 3

George studies what houses are made of and how nails hold wood together.

Zou

Zou

Zou The Chef

recommended age co-watching from 3

The episode walks through each step of turning butter, sugar, eggs and flour into a finished iced cake.

Phoebe & Jay

Phoebe & Jay

Paper Rocketship

recommended age co-watching from 2

They learn how wing strength and a smooth nose affect how far a plane flies.

Curious George

Curious George

Ladybugs!

recommended age co-watching from 3

Flora explains how ladybugs protect plants by eating aphids and mites.

Pat & Mat

Pat & Mat

Bees

recommended age co-watching from 2

The neighbors demonstrate how to build a beehive from wood and how baiting it with honey lures the swarm.

See all How things work shows for 3-year-olds

For 4-year-olds

Around four, children start guessing what will happen before it happens, and they enjoy being right. They can hold a sequence of several steps and understand that things are made of parts. Look for an episode that pauses to let your child predict, then shows the result, including when the first attempt does not work. Tools, building and taking apart land well at this age, and a story that ends by testing the idea gives the whole thing a satisfying point.

Tumble Leaf

Tumble Leaf

Fig Finds A Shadow

recommended age co-watching from 2

The episode shows how moving a light changes the shape of a shadow.

Tumble Leaf

Tumble Leaf

Springy Surprise

recommended age co-watching from 2

The episode shows how a spring bounces back when pressed.

Tumble Leaf

Tumble Leaf

Shiny Coins

recommended age co-watching from 2

Fig experiments to discover how the coins and light behave.

Tumble Leaf

Tumble Leaf

Fig Flies a Kite

recommended age co-watching from 2

Fig learns that wind is what lifts and holds up a kite.

Tumble Leaf

Tumble Leaf

Popcorn Picture Show

recommended age co-watching from 2

The episode shows that the sun heats kernels so they pop and that a tube guides the popcorn where it should go.

Bluey

Bluey

Shadowlands

recommended age co-watching from 2

The children explore how shadows move and shift as they try to use them as a safe path.

Tumble Leaf

Tumble Leaf

On a Roll

recommended age co-watching from 2

The episode centers on discovering how round objects roll and how to build something that rolls.

Tumble Leaf

Tumble Leaf

Beat Of The Drumsticks

recommended age co-watching from 2

Fig discovers that different materials produce different sounds when struck.

Bluey

Bluey

Magic Xylophone

recommended age co-watching from 2

The children test the rules of their pretend magic by trying different notes and situations.

Bluey

Bluey

Daddy Robot

recommended age co-watching from 2

The girls experiment with what commands a robot will accept and what happens with each

See all How things work shows for 4-year-olds

For 5-year-olds

Five-year-olds move from single objects to systems: where the rubbish goes after the truck, how a whole habitat fits together, why a rule exists. They can sit with a question that takes a full story to answer and cope with a plan that fails halfway. Look for an episode that follows a real investigation, keeps the facts accurate, and shows people asking each other for help. Vocabulary can stretch further now, as long as new words are explained in context.

Molly of Denali

Molly of Denali

Grandpa's Drum

recommended age co-watching from 2

Molly demonstrates how to use clues in a photograph to identify a location.

Molly of Denali

Molly of Denali

Steam Bath Ch'oondaii

recommended age co-watching from 2

Grandpa Nat heats volcanic rocks in a fire and carries them in to make steam.

Molly of Denali

Molly of Denali

The Jökulhlaup Is on Us

recommended age co-watching from 2

Nina shows how a topographical map represents steep and gentle land.

Molly of Denali

Molly of Denali

The Great Qyah Cleanup

recommended age co-watching from 2

Molly learns the regulator dial connects the fuel tank to the grill.

Lyla in the Loop

Lyla in the Loop

3, 2, 1 Liftoff!

recommended age co-watching from 2

They discover air and water escaping a hole stops the rocket from launching.

Molly of Denali

Molly of Denali

Tusk, Tusk, and More Tusk

recommended age co-watching from 2

Olin explains how melting permafrost causes the riverbank to erode and expose the tusk.

Zerby Derby

Zerby Derby

Flood & Mud

recommended age co-watching from 3

They observe that water flows around dirt and that a full dam will spill over the top.

Doc McStuffins

Doc McStuffins

Starry, Starry Night

recommended age co-watching from 2

Doc shows that a telescope needs its eyepiece to see clearly.

Molly of Denali

Molly of Denali

The Qyah Ice Classic

recommended age co-watching from 2

The documentary explains how a string from the tripod stops a clock when the ice breaks.

Molly of Denali

Molly of Denali

In the Dark of Day

recommended age co-watching from 2

The children learn that the winter solstice is the shortest day before daylight grows longer again.

See all How things work shows for 5-year-olds

For 6-year-olds

By six, children want the part they cannot see: what is happening inside the machine, why the material behaves that way, who worked it out first. They can compare two explanations and handle an answer that arrives in stages. Look for an episode with real detail and honest complexity, one that treats getting it wrong as part of the process. Stories about inventors and discoveries also connect the mechanics to people, which makes the knowledge easier to hold on to.

SciShow Kids

SciShow Kids

Amazing Cave Animals

recommended age co-watching from 2

The hosts explain why cave animals lost their eyes and use other senses.

Tumble Leaf

Tumble Leaf

Missing Muffin

recommended age co-watching from 2

The magnifying glass shows how looking through a lens makes small things look bigger.

Zerby Derby

Zerby Derby

Construction Chaos

recommended age co-watching from 3

They reason that a long, low ramp sends Axle far while a short, steep ramp sends him high

Sid the Science Kid

Sid the Science Kid

The Rolie Polie

recommended age co-watching from 3

Sid learns how a magnifying glass makes small things look bigger.

Zerby Derby

Zerby Derby

Rocks & Rolls

recommended age co-watching from 3

They learn that wet sand 'holds together better than dry sand' and is easier to drive on

Rosie's Rules

Rosie's Rules

Abuela's Birthday

recommended age co-watching from 2

Rosie discovers how mail travels using a name, address, and postage.

Rosie's Rules

Rosie's Rules

Iggy's Check - Up

recommended age co-watching from 2

Rosie explains the steps of a check-up and tools like a stethoscope

Molly of Denali

Molly of Denali

Sticker Shock

recommended age co-watching from 2

Tui explains how the label maker prints names, and the manual shows how to fix a jam.

Stillwater

Stillwater

The Sleeping Moon

recommended age co-watching from 2

Michael explains why the moon turns orange during the eclipse

Bluey

Bluey

The Dump

recommended age co-watching from 2

Dad explains how thrown-away paper is recycled into fresh paper for other kids.

See all How things work shows for 6-year-olds

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