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Problem solving

Problem solving is what happens in the small stuck moments of a child's day: a tower that keeps falling, a puzzle piece that will not fit, a friend who wants the same toy. Children learn it by trying, failing, and trying again, and by watching someone else stay calm while they do it. A well-made series about it slows those moments down, so the child sees the thinking, not just the happy ending.

For 2-year-olds

At two, problems are physical and right in front of the child. A lid that will not open, a shoe on the wrong foot, a ball that rolls out of reach. Look for a story with one small obstacle and plenty of time around it, where the fix is shown clearly enough to follow with your eyes rather than explained in words. Repeated situations help here, because recognising what comes next is itself a first step in figuring things out.

Numberblocks

Numberblocks

Another One

recommended age co-watching from 2

One identifies that tennis alone does not work and tries different approaches until the magic mirror solution succeeds.

Ready Eddie GO!

Ready Eddie GO!

Toilet Time

recommended age co-watching from 2

Eddie reasons through the unfamiliar toilet situation.

Ready Eddie GO!

Ready Eddie GO!

Shoe Shopping

recommended age co-watching from 2

Eddie tests two pairs to find which shoes fit best.

Ms. Monica

Ms. Monica

Learn Letter F & Number 8

recommended age co-watching from 2

She reasons out the weather and the bear's clothing by ruling out the options that do not fit

Bing

Bing

Shadow

recommended age co-watching from 2

Bing and Flop figure out how to make the shadow reappear indoors.

Donkey Hodie

Donkey Hodie

Acornball

recommended age co-watching from 2

The friends work out how to make a boring wait fun.

Guess How Much I Love You

Guess How Much I Love You

The Nest

recommended age co-watching from 2

They diagnose and fix each fault in the nest step by step.

Ms. Monica

Ms. Monica

Friday

recommended age co-watching from 2

She reasons aloud about which clothing keeps the koala dry on a rainy day.

Bing

Bing

Frog

recommended age co-watching from 2

The children test idea after idea to work out what the frog wants.

Bing

Bing

Smoothie

recommended age co-watching from 2

A mushy banana is reimagined as a smoothie rather than thrown away.

See all Problem solving shows for 2-year-olds

For 3-year-olds

Three-year-olds begin to say what is wrong before they fix it, and that naming is half the work. They also learn that a first idea can fail without anything bad happening. Look for stories that pause on the problem, leave a beat for your child to guess, and let a character try something that does not work. A calm reaction to the failed attempt matters more at this age than the cleverness of the solution.

Blue's Clues & You!

Blue's Clues & You!

ABCs with Blue

recommended age co-watching from 2

Josh gathers and combines three clues to answer the central question.

Blue's Clues & You!

Blue's Clues & You!

Meet Josh!

recommended age co-watching from 2

The three-clue game leads Josh to reason out what Blue wants.

Little Bear

Little Bear

Fishing with Father Bear

recommended age co-watching from 2

They work out where to fish, how to cast, and decide a small fish is not the one they want.

Blue's Clues & You!

Blue's Clues & You!

Happy Birthday Blue

recommended age co-watching from 2

Josh solves the three-clue puzzle to identify the turtle gift.

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood

Daniel's Picnic

recommended age co-watching from 2

Two concrete problems (squashed ball, rained-out picnic) are talked through and solved within the episode.

Pat & Mat

Pat & Mat

Glazed Frost

recommended age co-watching from 2

When their shoes sink in the snow they improvise tennis-racket snowshoes, and when the door is blocked they build a snow plough together.

Little Bear

Little Bear

Hide and Seek

recommended age co-watching from 2

Duck follows footprints and sounds to locate each hidden friend.

Blue's Clues & You!

Blue's Clues & You!

Big News with Blue

recommended age co-watching from 2

Josh reasons through three riddles to reach the answer.

Pocoyo

Pocoyo

Keep Going, Pocoyo!

recommended age co-watching from 2

Pocoyo works out that the rope must be turning for him to skip inside it.

Phoebe & Jay

Phoebe & Jay

The Green Pepper

recommended age co-watching from 2

The children work through wet soil, rain and a hungry squirrel using observation and tools.

See all Problem solving shows for 3-year-olds

For 4-year-olds

Around four, children start to plan a few steps ahead and enjoy asking what would happen if. They build, test, take apart, and rebuild. Look for stories where someone makes a plan out loud, watches it go wrong, and changes one thing instead of giving up. Problems with real materials, tools, or a made-up contraption work well now, because the cause and effect stays visible.

Tumble Leaf

Tumble Leaf

Fig Finds A Shadow

recommended age co-watching from 2

Fig tries different shapes to figure out the shadow.

Bluey

Bluey

Bingo

recommended age co-watching from 2

Bingo realises 'I don't need a game, I need a problem' and works through a world puzzle to find New Zealand.

Tumble Leaf

Tumble Leaf

Springy Surprise

recommended age co-watching from 2

Fig reasons out how to use the spring to help.

Tumble Leaf

Tumble Leaf

Shiny Coins

recommended age co-watching from 2

Fig works through the coin puzzle by trying things and adjusting.

Tumble Leaf

Tumble Leaf

Popcorn Picture Show

recommended age co-watching from 2

Fig reasons step by step to get the popcorn from up high down into the bowls.

Tumble Leaf

Tumble Leaf

Fig Flies a Kite

recommended age co-watching from 2

Fig figures out step by step how to get the kite into the air.

Pinkalicious & Peterrific

Pinkalicious & Peterrific

Pink Lemonade

recommended age co-watching from 3

Every setback prompts a new idea until customers finally come.

Tumble Leaf

Tumble Leaf

On a Roll

recommended age co-watching from 2

Fig works through several steps to solve the challenge of making things roll.

Puffin Rock

Puffin Rock

Spot the Ladybird

recommended age co-watching from 4

Baba figures out that tucking flowers in his feathers will make a ladybird land on him.

Tumble Leaf

Tumble Leaf

Beat Of The Drumsticks

recommended age co-watching from 2

Fig works out which sounds to combine into a rhythm.

See all Problem solving shows for 4-year-olds

For 5-year-olds

By five, the interesting problems involve other people. Two children want different things, or a job is too big for one pair of hands. Children this age can also gather information first, by looking, asking, or remembering something from before. Look for stories where the solution needs a conversation as much as an idea, and where asking someone who knows more is treated as smart rather than as giving up.

Stillwater

Stillwater

Gift of Compassion

recommended age co-watching from 2

Addy thinks through how to handle Carl differently after hearing the scorpion story.

Lyla in the Loop

Lyla in the Loop

Sister Secrets

recommended age co-watching from 2

Lyla works through theories to explain the twins' predictions.

Stillwater

Stillwater

Stuck in the Rain

recommended age co-watching from 2

Michael reasons that rain helps plants grow, finding a good side to it.

Lyla in the Loop

Lyla in the Loop

Find Mom's Phone

recommended age co-watching from 2

Lila plans and retraces the route step by step to solve where the phone is.

Molly of Denali

Molly of Denali

Steam Bath Ch'oondaii

recommended age co-watching from 2

The children figure out the right way to build a steam bath after the first instructions fail.

Molly of Denali

Molly of Denali

Big Dreams And Blue Skies

recommended age co-watching from 2

Molly and her mom solve a missing-windsock landing by reading the wind off the lake.

Molly of Denali

Molly of Denali

A Song for Lola

recommended age co-watching from 2

They reason out what kind of song would best honor Lola's personality.

Stillwater

Stillwater

The Impossible Dream

recommended age co-watching from 2

Carl rethinks his goal after learning how Joku reached above the trees.

Stillwater

Stillwater

A Perfect Fit

recommended age co-watching from 2

The children troubleshoot the racer's steering and its too-small cockpit.

Molly of Denali

Molly of Denali

Puppy Sitting

recommended age co-watching from 2

Trini works out how to fix Key's training before Tooey gets home.

See all Problem solving shows for 5-year-olds

For 6-year-olds

Six-year-olds can hold a problem in mind across a longer story and accept that some have no single right answer. Fairness enters the picture: a fix that works for one person but not another no longer satisfies them. Look for stories that let a solution take several attempts, that show real research or reasoning along the way, and that let characters disagree about what the best answer even is.

Paris & Pups

Paris & Pups

Sad Baby

recommended age co-watching from 3

Ideas are gathered, one is dismissed as too hard, and another is put into action.

Molly of Denali

Molly of Denali

The Jökulhlaup Is on Us

recommended age co-watching from 2

Molly works step by step toward a way to save the cabin.

Lyla in the Loop

Lyla in the Loop

3, 2, 1 Liftoff!

recommended age co-watching from 2

The pair systematically check the cork, fins, and a leak to fix the rocket.

Molly of Denali

Molly of Denali

The Great Qyah Cleanup

recommended age co-watching from 2

Molly works through clues to identify the part and find where it went.

Max & Ruby

Max & Ruby

Max's Rainy Day

recommended age co-watching from 2

Ruby notices the boots sound wrong and works out they are on the wrong feet

Molly of Denali

Molly of Denali

Tusk, Tusk, and More Tusk

recommended age co-watching from 2

Freeing the tusk takes repeated attempts and adjustments.

Zerby Derby

Zerby Derby

Flood & Mud

recommended age co-watching from 3

The friends work through dirt, a dug pit, and redirecting the stream to stop the flooding.

Phoebe & Jay

Phoebe & Jay

Fort Yaber

recommended age co-watching from 2

They figure out the numbered order of the fort layers from the diagram.

Lyla in the Loop

Lyla in the Loop

Lyla's Snackateria

recommended age co-watching from 2

Luke reasons out a sticky substitute when the jelly is gone.

Puffin Rock

Puffin Rock

The Salmon Leap

recommended age co-watching from 4

The friends work through several ideas to settle the owlets before the sun rises too high.

See all Problem solving shows for 6-year-olds

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