Key findings

• A young-kid rating doesn't rule out chat or spending. 22 of the 27 games, apps, and channels rated for young kids have at least one of chat, real-money purchases, or paid random items, including ABCmouse, Animal Crossing, Baby Shark, Duolingo, EA Sports FC 26, Fall Guys.
• Spending is the most common flag in games and apps. 122 of 157 (78%) sell something for real money; 107 (68%) include chat or messaging with other players, friends, or strangers; this flag also counts family-only and parent-approved messaging, as in Messenger Kids.
• Paid random items reach E-rated games. 42 games, apps, and channels (27%) sell loot boxes, gacha pulls, or similar; 3 of them are rated for young kids: EA Sports FC 26, Madden NFL 26, NBA 2K26.
• PG doesn't mean nothing scary. 22 of 58 movies and shows rated for young kids list scary content in their official rating descriptors (MPA, TV, BBFC, or FSK), not counting content described as mild.
• Blind boxes are common in toys. 12 of 23 toys are sold in blind boxes (paid random items), and 5 resell above retail.
• Regulators have acted on some of them. 32 of 180 games, apps, YouTube channels, and toys (18%) have a government lawsuit, fine, ban, or official warning on record. Private lawsuits aren't counted.

Games, apps, and YouTube channels 157 titles

Share of games, apps, and YouTube channels with each flag. Rating descriptors that say mild still count here, because the same rating covers chat and in-game stores.

Movies and shows 79 titles

Share of movies and shows with each flag. Only descriptors without words like mild, very mild, or brief count, and TV shows are counted by their series rating.

Toys 23 titles

Share of toys with each flag. Only the official product counts; warnings and recalls must be on the maker's product or from a regulator.

How many flags titles have

Each title has six yes-or-no flags. More flags means more documented facts worth checking, not a verdict on the title.

Method

• Which titles: the 259 released titles in our Is it good for kids? guides on 2026-10-18. We picked them because parents search for them, so this isn't a random or complete sample, and counts describe this list.
• Three flag sets: games, apps, and YouTube channels; movies and shows; toys. Each set has six yes-or-no flags, listed above, defined in our editorial standards. A fourth set for consoles and VR headsets isn't part of this edition. The sixth flag differs: for movies and shows it's a UK or German rating of 12 or higher; for the others it's a government lawsuit, fine, ban, rule, or official warning, including police warnings. Lawsuits are claims, reported as filed, not proven.
• Sources: official ratings (ESRB, PEGI, MPA, TV Parental Guidelines, BBFC, FSK, app stores), store listings, company terms, recall notices, and government filings. Each title's guide links its sources and shows when it was checked; the full dataset has the evidence behind every flag.
• Not included: Nintendo Switch 2 and Meta Quest 3 (devices use a separate flag set) and 6 titles that weren't out yet. 17 titles have no official age rating; they're left out of the "rated for young kids" figures. For some of them the first flag uses Common Sense Media's age guidance, as in our guides.
• Frozen numbers: this edition won't change. The guides and the safety map keep updating, so their counts can differ. Found an error? Tell us.
• How it's made: the guides are drafted with AI help, then checked against the sources by a separate reviewer; see our editorial standards.
• Method documentation: the codebook and method are also kept on the Open Science Framework, osf.io/z9r2v (DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/Z9R2V).

Get the data and cite

The full dataset is open under CC BY 4.0 on Zenodo, with a permanent DOI: one row per title (CSV), one row per title and flag with the evidence behind it (CSV), and the full dataset with definitions (JSON). DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23619163. Questions or corrections: hello [at] raisingstoics [dot] com.

Download on Zenodo

How the files are structured, with example rows and a short analysis: How we built an open dataset of kids' app and game risk flags.

Martiushin, A. (2026). Raising Stoics Kids' Media Risk Index, October 2026 edition [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23619163

Also see: the Kids' Media Publisher Index, which reads what titles from 88 kids' media companies tend to teach.

Settings limit what reaches a child; skills like pausing before a purchase are practiced. Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology.

See the program Parental control guides

Teo and Biscuit also tell stories. Teo & Biscuit Story Cards: hold a card to your phone and a short story about one big feeling starts to play. No player to buy, nothing for your child to watch.

See the five decks

All 10 pages in the pack

What's in these printable Christmas coloring pages

These are easy Christmas coloring pages: each scene has big shapes and thick outlines, so a 4-year-old can stay mostly inside the lines and a 7-year-old can add their own details.

The pack has ten pages, and every page is built the same way, so a child who has done one knows what to do on the next:

• A title that tells the story of the scene, like "Building a snowman."
• A scene to color with Teo, Biscuit, and sometimes a grown-up from Teo's family. The outlines are bold and the shapes are big, so small hands can stay inside the lines without fiddly detail.
• "Talk about it": one question about the scene that you can ask while your child colors.
• A drawing box with a short prompt, such as "Draw your own snowman." This is where your child adds something that isn't on the page yet.
• "My name": a line for your child's name, or for you to write it with them.

The pages are in Christmas order, from getting the house ready to Christmas Eve, but they work in any order. You can print the whole set or only the pages you want.

The 10 Christmas coloring sheets, scene by scene

1. Teo and Biscuit decorate the tree. Teo reaches up to a tree covered in ornaments, with a star on top and gifts underneath, while Biscuit watches. Talk about it: "Which ornament would you hang first?" Drawing box: an ornament your child would make.

2. Waiting for Christmas morning. Teo sits on the rug by the fireplace, with stockings hanging up and gifts nearby, and Biscuit curled up next to him. Talk about it: "What is hard about waiting? What helps?" Drawing box: something your child can do while they wait.

3. Building a snowman. Teo, in a hat and scarf, stands next to a snowman with a top hat and a carrot nose. Talk about it: "What would you name your snowman?" Drawing box: a snowman of their own.

4. Baking cookies with Mom. Teo and his mom stand by a tray of cookie shapes, a star, a tree, and a gingerbread man, while Biscuit lies under the table. Talk about it: "Which cookie would you share, and with whom?" Drawing box: a new cookie shape.

5. Down the hill on a sled. Teo slides down a snowy hill, and Biscuit runs alongside. Talk about it: "What do you do when you fall in the snow?" Drawing box: what's at the bottom of the hill.

6. A gift for Grandma. Teo holds out a wrapped present, and Grandma throws up her hands in delight. Talk about it: "What gift could you make for someone you love?" Drawing box: a gift your child could make.

7. The gingerbread house. Teo looks at a gingerbread house on the kitchen table, thinking about what comes next. Talk about it: "What would you put on the roof?" Drawing box: their own gingerbread house.

8. Lights on the house. Teo and his dad stand by a ladder, with a string of lights along the roof and a wreath on the door. Talk about it: "What color would you make the lights?" Drawing box: a house with lights.

9. A card for a friend. Teo cheers next to a folded card with a star and a heart on the front, with crayons on the table. Talk about it: "Who would you make a card for? What would it say?" Drawing box: the front of your child's card.

10. Christmas Eve. Teo is asleep in bed, with a stocking on the bedpost, Biscuit asleep on the floor, and a shooting star outside the window. Talk about it: "What are you thankful for tonight?" Drawing box: what your child sees from their window at night.

How to use Christmas coloring pages with kids ages 4–7

Color alongside them. Print two copies of the same page, one for your child and one for you. Children often stay at the table longer when a grown-up is coloring too, and it gives you an easy way to start talking without making it feel like a lesson.

Let them pick the colors. A purple snowman or a green Biscuit is fine. Asking "Why did you choose that color?" usually gets a better answer than "That's not the right color."

Go by your child's age. A 4-year-old may color in big strokes and go outside the lines, and that's typical at this age. A 6- or 7-year-old may want to color carefully, add patterns to Teo's sweater, or draw more snowflakes in the sky. Both are ways of doing the page.

Keep it short. One page per sitting is plenty for many younger children. If your child stops halfway, put the page aside and come back to it another day.

Show the finished page. Put it on the fridge or a door. Children at this age often like seeing their work on display, and it gives other family members something to ask about.

Using the "Talk about it" question

The question at the bottom of each page is there to start a conversation, not to test your child. A few habits help.

Ask it while they color, not before. Hands busy with a crayon can make it easier for some children to talk. Read the question out loud once, and then go back to coloring.

Answer it yourself too. "I'd hang the star first, because my grandpa always did that." Hearing your answer shows your child what kind of answer you mean, especially for questions like "What are you thankful for tonight?"

Accept short or silly answers. "Snowy McSnowface" is a perfectly good name for a snowman. If your child doesn't want to answer, let it go. The question will still be on the page next time.

Follow up with one more question at most. On page 2, if your child says waiting is boring, you might ask, "What could you do while you wait?" and then let the drawing box take it from there. On page 5, if they say they'd cry, you might say, "Me too, maybe. Then what would you do?"

Some of the questions connect to things our program practices with children, like waiting (page 2), trying again after a fall (page 5), and noticing what you already have (page 10). You don't need the program to use them.

The drawing box and the name line

The dashed box under each scene gives your child a place to make the page their own. The prompt is short and concrete, like "Draw a cookie shape of your own," so a child who can't read yet can still do it once you read it to them.

For younger children, scribbles and shapes count. A circle with dots can be an ornament. If your child asks you to draw it for them, try drawing one small part, like the outline of the house, and let them add the rest.

Older children may want to add words. A 6- or 7-year-old might write the snowman's name, a few words inside the card on page 9, or a label for the gift on page 6.

The "My name" line is good practice for children who are learning to write their name. For a 4-year-old, you can write the name in light pencil or dotted letters and let them trace over it.

Printing tips for the Christmas coloring pages PDF

Paper size. The PDF is set up for US Letter paper. On A4 paper, choose "Fit" or "Scale to fit" in your printer settings so nothing is cut off at the edges. The pictures keep their shape, with slightly wider margins.

Black and white is enough. The pages are line drawings, so you don't need a color printer. Choosing your printer's black-and-white or grayscale option can save color ink.

Print only the pages you need. Each scene is on its own page. In the print dialog, type the page numbers you want, like "3" for the snowman or "1-5" for the first half.

Paper weight. Regular printer paper works with crayons and colored pencils. Markers may bleed through thin paper, so if your child likes markers, use thicker paper or put a spare sheet underneath.

Check the scale. Some browsers open PDFs in their own viewer and shrink the page. If the pictures look small, download the PDF first and print it from your PDF reader.

More ways to use the pages before Christmas

A countdown. With ten pages, you can color one each evening for the last ten days before Christmas, ending with the Christmas Eve page on December 24.

A real card. Fold page 9 in half after your child has drawn the front of their card in the box, and give it to the friend they named.

A gift for a grandparent. Page 6 is about making a gift. A finished coloring page, signed on the name line, can be that gift.

Before the activity. Color page 4 before you bake, page 7 before you build a gingerbread house, or page 3 on a snowy morning. It gives your child a picture of what's about to happen.

On a hard day. Page 2 is about waiting, and December can mean a lot of it. If your child keeps asking how many days are left, the drawing box on that page, "Draw something you can do while you wait," can give them something to do.

At a family gathering. A few printed pages and a box of crayons can keep children busy at the table while grown-ups finish dinner. If several children are coloring the same page, compare the snowmen afterward.

If waiting is a big topic in your house this month, our guide on how to teach kids patience has more ideas, and our gratitude activities for kids go well with page 10. For a December movie night, see our list of Christmas movies for kids.

Are these Christmas coloring pages free?

Yes. The PDF with all ten pages is free to download, with no sign-up and no email address needed. You're welcome to print as many copies as you like for your family or your classroom. The pages say "Not for resale" at the bottom, so please don't sell them or post the PDF on another website. Linking to this page is fine.

Can teachers use these coloring pages in class?

Yes. Teachers can print the pages for a preschool, kindergarten, or first-grade class, and the footer on every page says they're for use at home or in class. The talk questions work as a short circle-time prompt: color one page in the morning, then ask the question as a group. Please don't resell the pages or upload them to a teacher marketplace.

What age are these Christmas coloring pages for kids?

They're made for children ages 4–7. The pictures have thick outlines and big shapes, which suit younger children, and the drawing box gives older children room to add their own details and words. Younger children may need a grown-up to read the title, the question, and the prompt aloud. Some 3-year-olds enjoy them too, with help.

Who are Teo and Biscuit?

Teo is a boy who appears in the stories in our program for children ages 5–6, and Biscuit is his dog. In the stories, Teo runs into the same everyday problems many young children do, and Biscuit is usually close by. These coloring pages show the two of them during the holidays, so a child who knows them from the program will recognize them, but you don't need the program to use the pages.

What should kids use to color these pages?

Crayons and colored pencils work on regular printer paper and are easy for small hands to control. Washable markers give brighter colors but can bleed through thin paper, so use thicker paper or put a sheet underneath. For a 4-year-old, chunky crayons are often easier to hold. Glitter glue and stickers are fine too, if you don't mind the cleanup.

How do I print coloring pages?

Download the PDF, open it in your PDF reader, and choose Print. Pick US Letter or A4 paper and turn on "Fit" or "Scale to fit" so nothing is cut off. Black-and-white printing is enough for line drawings. To print one scene, type its page number in the print dialog, for example "3" for the snowman.

Waiting for Christmas morning is practice for "Boss of My Want," lesson 13 of the program, noticing what you already have is "Enough," lesson 14, and getting up after a fall in the snow is "Not Yet," lesson 17.

See the program See all 24 lessons

More to read

Coming soon, small enough for a stocking: Teo & Biscuit Story Cards: hold a card to your phone and a short story about one big feeling starts to play. No player to buy, nothing for your child to watch.

See the five decks

Why small books make good stocking stuffers for kids

Short answer: A small book fits in a stocking, can be read the same morning, and, unlike candy, can be read again afterward.

Candy is usually gone by lunch, and some small toys may not last much longer. A book can be read again, and a child may ask for it that same evening.

We chose these 24 books with three things in mind:

• Size. Many are small: Little Golden Books, a pocket-size Peter Rabbit, early-reader paperbacks, and thin activity books. Others, like the Elephant & Piggie books, are standard-size hardcovers, and we say so.
• Age. The books are grouped for 4- and 5-year-olds and for 6- to 8-year-olds. The ages are a rough guide.
• Themes. Some books fit the skills our program works on: waiting, sharing, helping, and trying again after a mistake.

The book links on this page go to Bookshop.org, an online bookstore that shares its sales with independent bookstores. They are affiliate links: we earn a small commission from Bookshop.org if you buy there. We list the edition and format for each book, so you can find it at your local library or bookstore too. We don't list prices, because they change.

Small classics for ages 4–5

Short answer: Little Golden Books and Beatrix Potter's original small editions are among the most stocking-sized books there are.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (Warne, small hardcover, about 4 by 5½ inches). At this size it fits easily in a stocking. Peter goes into Mr. McGregor's garden after his mother tells him not to.

The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey (Golden Books, Little Golden Book hardcover). A story about five puppies who dig under a fence, from one of the first Little Golden Books, published in 1942.

The Saggy Baggy Elephant by Kathryn and Byron Jackson (Golden Books, Little Golden Book hardcover). A young elephant worries about his wrinkled, baggy skin, and by the end of the story that worry is solved.

The Little Red Hen, illustrated by J. P. Miller (Golden Books, Little Golden Book hardcover). The hen asks her friends to help plant, harvest, and bake, and each one says no. Children ages 4 and 5 often join in on the repeated lines, and the ending opens an easy question: who helped, and who didn't?

Elephant & Piggie books for 4- and 5-year-olds

Short answer: Mo Willems's Elephant & Piggie books are funny and written almost entirely in speech bubbles, so they work as read-alouds at 4 and as first books to read alone at 6.

They are standard-size hardcovers of about 57 pages, with very few words on a page.

Waiting Is Not Easy! (Hyperion). Piggie has a surprise for Gerald, and Gerald has to wait for it. It fits the long wait before Christmas.

Should I Share My Ice Cream? (Hyperion). Gerald argues with himself about sharing his ice cream with Piggie for so long that something happens to it. It's a funny way into the question of sharing.

Elephants Cannot Dance! (Hyperion). Gerald is sure elephants can't dance, and Piggie talks him into trying.

We Are in a Book! (Hyperion). Gerald and Piggie realize that someone is reading them.

From the same author, The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! (Hyperion) is a regular picture book rather than a small one. The pigeon finds a hot dog, and a small duckling has a lot of questions about it. It ends with sharing.

Small stocking stuffers for kids: activity and puzzle books

Short answer: Activity books are thin, light, and give a child something to do on Christmas morning while the grown-ups make breakfast.

Merry Christmas Activity Book by Tony J. Tallarico Jr. (Dover, 48-page paperback). Dover describes 36 Christmas puzzles, such as naming Santa's reindeer, finding matching ornaments, and crosswords with picture clues. A few crayons or a pencil tucked in next to it make it ready to use.

Christmas Hidden Pictures Puzzles to Highlight (Highlights Press, 32 pages). Hidden picture puzzles from Highlights, built around Christmas scenes. Two children can search the same page together.

Christmas Fun Mad Libs by Roger Price and Leonard Stern (Price Stern Sloan, 48-page paperback). A fill-in-the-blank word game: one person asks for a noun, a verb, or a silly word, and then reads the finished story aloud. The publisher lists it for ages 8–12. Younger children can play if a grown-up does the writing.

Early readers for 6- to 8-year-olds

Short answer: Early readers and first chapter books are the right size for a stocking, and a child who is learning to read may be proud to read one alone.

Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel (HarperTrophy, I Can Read paperback, 64 pages). Five short stories about two friends, and a Caldecott Honor book.

Henry and Mudge: The First Book by Cynthia Rylant (Aladdin, 40-page paperback). Henry, who wants a dog, gets a puppy named Mudge.

Hi! Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold (Scholastic). A boy named Buzz catches a fly and wants to enter him in a pet show. It is written for children who are just starting to read.

Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick, hardcover). The first book about Mercy, a pig who loves hot buttered toast. One night the Watsons wake up to find their bed tipping over a hole in the floor. It's a short chapter book with full-color pictures, and it reads aloud well for a 5-year-old too.

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton (Tundra Books, 64 pages). Narwhal meets a jellyfish named Jelly, in short stories told in comic panels.

Owl Diaries: Eva's Treetop Festival by Rebecca Elliott (Scholastic). The first book in an early chapter book series written as an owl's diary, with pictures on every page. Eva plans a festival at school and finds out she can't do it all by herself.

Joke books for kids who love to laugh

Short answer: Joke books get read out loud at the breakfast table. These two are listed for children about 7 and older, and younger siblings can enjoy them when someone else reads the jokes.

Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids by Rob Elliott (Revell, part of Baker Publishing Group, paperback). One-liners, knock-knock jokes, and tongue twisters. Retailers list it for ages 7 and up.

Just Joking 3 (National Geographic Kids, 208-page paperback). Jokes, riddles, knock-knock jokes, and tongue twisters set next to photos, many of them of animals. It is listed for ages 8–12.

Books about feelings, patience, and trying again

Short answer: These are short picture books about what our program practices: naming feelings, waiting, and not giving up after a mistake.

In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek (Abrams, hardcover). A girl describes what different feelings are like from the inside, and there's a heart-shaped cutout through the pages. The publisher lists it for ages 2–4, so it is the one for the youngest children on this list, or for a younger sibling. For more books like it, see our guide to feelings books for children.

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds (Candlewick, 32-page hardcover, about 7½ by 8½ inches). Vashti is sure she can't draw. Her teacher asks her to make a mark and sign it, and she starts there. It's a good book for a child who gives up early.

Ish by Peter H. Reynolds (Candlewick, hardcover). Ramon loves to draw, until he starts to worry that his pictures don't look right. The book is about a drawing that is "ish" rather than exact. It pairs well with The Dot.

The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper (Platt & Munk, an imprint of Grosset & Dunlap; hardcover, 48 pages, the complete original edition). The classic about a small engine that tries to pull a stranded train of toys over the mountain, saying "I think I can." It's a regular picture book, not a small one.

We keep more books like these in a list on Bookshop.org, Books About Patience, Trying Again, and “Not Yet”. If waiting is a big topic in your house in December, our guide on how to teach kids patience has more ideas.

Stocking stuffers for kids that aren't junk, and aren't things

Short answer: Some of the most useful stocking stuffers for kids are promises written on paper.

These cost nothing but your time, and some children may remember them longer than a toy:

• A coupon for one-on-one time. "One hour with Dad, just us. You choose: the park, a board game, or baking cookies." Giving three options makes it easier for a 5-year-old to choose.
• A "you pick dinner" card. Your child chooses what the family eats one night in January.
• A late bedtime ticket. Fifteen extra minutes, used on a night your child picks.
• A library card of their own. If your child doesn't have one, a note that says "We're getting your library card this week" is a good match for a stocking full of books.
• A note from you. A few sentences about something specific they did this year: "You kept trying on your bike, even after you fell."

The coupons work best if they're used soon. A coupon still in the drawer in March is a small disappointment, so put a date on it together.

How to fill a stocking without overdoing it

Short answer: One book, one small thing to do, and one thing to eat is enough for many 4- to 8-year-olds.

A very full stocking can be more than a young child takes in. They open everything in a few minutes, and nothing gets much attention. A few things they'll actually use often go further.

A simple pattern:

• Something to read. One of the books above, picked for your child's age.
• Something to do. An activity book, crayons, or a coupon from the section above.
• Something small to eat. A clementine or a candy cane, if your family does that.

Christmas morning also involves a lot of waiting, and a book gives a child something to do in the meantime.

What are stocking stuffers?

Stocking stuffers are the small gifts that go inside a Christmas stocking, usually opened on Christmas morning. They're typically small and simple: books, crayons, small toys, fruit, or candy. Small books, like the ones in this list, fit well because they are both small and long-lasting.

What are good stocking stuffers?

For children ages 4–8, good stocking stuffers are small, safe for their age, and used after Christmas morning. Small books are a strong choice: a Little Golden Book for a 4-year-old, an early reader or a joke book for a 6- to 8-year-old. Activity books, crayons, and a written coupon for one-on-one time also work well. For younger children, check that no item is small enough to be a choking hazard.

Do you wrap stocking stuffers?

Some families do and some don't; there's no rule. Wrapping makes the stocking last longer, because each item is a small surprise. Leaving items unwrapped is faster for parents and lets a young child see right away what's inside. A middle option is wrapping only one item, often a book, so there's one thing to open and the rest can be seen at a glance.

What are practical stocking stuffers for kids?

Practical stocking stuffers for kids are things they'll use after the holidays: books, a toothbrush, warm socks, hair ties, crayons, a water bottle, or a small flashlight for reading in bed. Books are practical because they can be read again and again. Pairing a practical item with something fun, like a joke book, keeps the stocking from feeling like a list of chores.

What are cheap stocking stuffers for kids?

Some of the lowest-cost books for a stocking are Little Golden Books, early-reader paperbacks such as I Can Read books, and small activity books like Dover's. Library book sales and used bookstores are another option. Some of the most loved stocking stuffers cost nothing: a coupon for one-on-one time, a "you pick dinner" card, or a note from you about something your child did this year.

Waiting for Christmas morning is practice for "Boss of My Want," lesson 13 of the program, and noticing what's already in the stocking is the idea behind "Enough," lesson 14.

See the program See all 24 lessons

More to read

The best Thanksgiving movies for kids, grouped by age

Short answer: Short TV specials, like A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Garfield's Thanksgiving, are the usual first Thanksgiving movies. Free Birds, rated PG, is a full-length animated film about the holiday. The original Miracle on 34th Street opens at the Thanksgiving Day parade. Every child is different, so go by your child rather than a number.

The groups below are based on two things: the MPA rating, and the content notes published by the BBFC, the UK's film classifier. The BBFC describes specific scenes, which the MPA usually doesn't, so its notes are quoted wherever they exist.

• Short specials. Under about an hour, made for TV or home video.
• Full-length films, G or PG. Several have action, peril, or thematic content, so read each note below.
• Thanksgiving movies for grown-ups. Comedies, dramas, and one horror film rated PG-13 or R.

Many TV specials have no MPA rating at all, because the MPA rates films, not TV programs. For those, we give the BBFC rating or the streaming service's TV rating where one exists.

Thanksgiving specials for 4-year-olds: short and gentle

Short answer: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Garfield's Thanksgiving each run under half an hour, and the BBFC rated the Peanuts special U. Short specials are easy to finish before dinner or bedtime.

• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973). A TV special, so it has no MPA rating. The BBFC rated it U and lists it at about 25 minutes. Peppermint Patty invites herself to Charlie Brown's for Thanksgiving, two friends follow, and he has to feed them all. The BBFC notes "comic slapstick, including Snoopy fighting a deck chair," and a character who "uses outdated language to refer to Native Americans." It streams with an Apple TV subscription, formerly Apple TV+ (checked October 2026).
• Garfield's Thanksgiving (1989). A CBS special, about 24 minutes. After a visit to the vet, Garfield is put on a diet, and Jon's holiday dinner for the vet, Liz, goes badly until Grandma arrives.
• The Mouse on the Mayflower (1968). An NBC special, about 45 minutes, narrated by Tennessee Ernie Ford. A church mouse who stows away on the Mayflower helps the ship through a storm and sees the first Thanksgiving.
• Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures, "Mickey's Thanksgiving Fun Race! / Happy Thanksgiving Helpers." A Thanksgiving episode, rated TV-Y on Disney+. Mickey and his friends celebrate Thanksgiving in two short stories.
• Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving (1999). A home-video film made of three episodes of the Pooh TV series, including a Thanksgiving story in which Pooh and his friends gather food for a feast. It isn't listed in the MPA database. The BBFC rated it U, with "no material likely to offend or harm," at about 61 minutes.

Watch together the first time, and agree before you start that your child can say "pause" at any time.

Thanksgiving specials about the Pilgrims

Short answer: A few specials tell the story of the Mayflower and the 1621 harvest feast. They're gentle, but they include hardship, and older ones show Native people in ways that are now considered outdated.

• This Is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers (1988). The first episode of a Peanuts miniseries made for CBS. Charlie Brown and his friends sail on the Mayflower to Plymouth, where many colonists die during the first winter. In the spring, Samoset and Squanto teach the Pilgrims how to grow food in their new home, which leads to the first Thanksgiving. It's a TV episode, so it has no MPA rating.
• The Mouse on the Mayflower (1968), listed above, tells the same voyage from a mouse's point of view.

If your child asks whether these stories really happened, it may help to say that the Mayflower voyage and the 1621 feast were real, and that cartoons leave a lot out. A child who is curious can learn more from a picture book or a museum website made for children.

Disney's Pocahontas (1995), rated G, sometimes appears on Thanksgiving movie lists, but it isn't a Thanksgiving story. The real Pocahontas died in 1617, four years before the harvest feast at Plymouth.

Good Thanksgiving movies for kids 5 to 8: G and PG

Short answer: Free Birds and the two Miracle on 34th Street films are the gentlest full-length picks here. Squanto: A Warrior's Tale has the most violence in this group, so it may be worth previewing before watching with a younger child. Free Birds is the only animated film; the others are live action.

• Free Birds (2013). Rated PG "for some action/peril and rude humor," about 91 minutes. Two turkeys travel back in time to the 17th century to take turkey off the Thanksgiving menu. The BBFC rated it U. It notes turkeys "chased by snarling dogs," and says such scenes "are always quickly resolved." It also notes that "a human character suddenly keels over and dies" and that an older turkey sacrifices himself to save young turkeys and eggs, and that "nothing is actually shown." Language is limited to "bleeding" and "heck."
• Miracle on 34th Street (1947). Released before the MPA rating system, so it has no MPA rating. About 96 minutes. The story begins on the morning of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, when a man named Kris Kringle replaces the parade's drunk Santa. The BBFC rated it U, with "no material likely to offend or harm."
• Miracle on 34th Street (1994). Rated PG "for some mild language," about 114 minutes. A remake in which Kris Kringle steps in as Santa at a department store's Thanksgiving parade. The BBFC rated it U and lists "very mild bad language," such as "numb nuts" and "butt."
• Squanto: A Warrior's Tale (1994). Rated PG "for action violence," about 102 minutes. It's on this list because Squanto is the man who later helped the Pilgrims at Plymouth. In this Disney film, he is kidnapped and taken to England, where he is forced to fight a bear, and he returns home to find that his people have died from disease. It's the heaviest film in this group.
• The Great Turkey Town Miracle (2023). Rated PG "for some thematic elements," about 90 minutes. A faith-based drama about a former radio host who has to find 4,000 frozen turkeys for a homeless shelter's Thanksgiving.

The two Miracle on 34th Street films are also Christmas movies. Our list of Christmas movies for kids groups December's titles the same way.

Thanksgiving movies that aren't made for young children

Short answer: Several of the most famous Thanksgiving movies are rated PG-13 or R. They're often on TV in November, so it's worth checking before a young child watches.

• Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987). Rated R; no reason is listed on filmratings.com for this 1987 rating. See the FAQ below for what the BBFC notes.
• Addams Family Values (1993). Rated PG-13 "for macabre humor." At summer camp, Wednesday is cast as Pocahontas in a Thanksgiving play, and the play ends in chaos. The BBFC rated it PG, with "mild fantasy violence and scary scenes."
• Dutch (1991). Rated PG-13; no reason is listed on filmratings.com. A man drives his girlfriend's son home to Chicago for Thanksgiving.
• Home for the Holidays (1995). Rated PG-13 "for thematic material, language and brief drug use."
• Pieces of April (2003). Rated PG-13 "for language, sensuality, drug content and images of nudity."

R-rated horror, not for children

• Thanksgiving (2023). A slasher horror film, not a family movie, even though it shares the holiday's name. Rated R "for strong bloody horror violence and gore, pervasive language and some sexual material." The BBFC rated it 18 and describes it as a "gleefully bloody slasher film."

PG-13 means parents are strongly cautioned that some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. R means restricted: under 17 requires an accompanying parent or adult guardian. For the full wording, see PG-13 and rated R.

Turning a Thanksgiving movie into a talk about who made things happen

Short answer: Many Thanksgiving movies are about a meal someone worked hard to make. That gives you an easy question for afterward: who made it happen?

In A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown, Linus, and Snoopy make a dinner of toast, popcorn, pretzel sticks, jelly beans, and sundaes. In Garfield's Thanksgiving, Grandma saves the meal. In Free Birds, the turkeys spend the whole film trying to change what's on the table.

After the movie, try one or two of these:

• "Who made the dinner in the movie?" Then: "Who will make our dinner on Thursday?"
• "What did they do to get ready?" Shopping, cooking, setting the table.
• "What job could you do?" Folding napkins or putting out the rolls.

"What are you thankful for?" asks about something abstract and can be hard for young children to answer. "Who did something good for you today?" is often easier, because it's about a person they can name. Our guide to gratitude activities for kids has more ideas that work for this age.

How to watch a Thanksgiving movie together

Watching together may change how a sad or tense scene feels for a young child. Three simple habits may help.

Agree on a pause. Before you start, tell your child they can say "pause" at any time. Knowing they can stop the movie may give a child some control.

Check the weather inside. At a tense or sad moment, like the turkey's sacrifice in Free Birds or the hard first winter in The Mayflower Voyagers, pause and ask: "What's the weather inside you right now? Sunny, cloudy, or stormy?" Naming a feeling may help some children step back from it. In our program, this is the lesson "Weather Inside."

Notice that it passes. After a sad scene, point out that the feeling came up and went back down, often by the next funny moment. That's "The Wave," another lesson in our program: big feelings rise and pass.

Thanksgiving is a long day for children, with travel, guests, and a late meal. A short special in the afternoon may fit better than a full-length film in the evening. For another holiday, our list of Halloween movies for kids is sorted by how scary each one is.

What are good Thanksgiving movies for kids?

For the youngest viewers, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (about 25 minutes, rated U by the BBFC) and Garfield's Thanksgiving (about 24 minutes) are short and mostly comic. For 5- to 8-year-olds, Free Birds (PG for some action/peril and rude humor) is a full-length animated film about the holiday. Watch together the first time, so you can pause if a scene is too much.

What Thanksgiving movies for kids are on Netflix?

We couldn't confirm Free Birds or the Peanuts Thanksgiving specials on Netflix when we checked in October 2026: their Netflix US pages returned "page not found." The Peanuts specials, including A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, stream with an Apple TV subscription. Netflix's catalog changes by month and by country, and we name a service only after confirming a title on its own site. Search the title in the Netflix app to see what's on this year.

What Thanksgiving movies for kids are on Disney Plus?

Disney+ has the Thanksgiving episode of Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures, "Mickey's Thanksgiving Fun Race! / Happy Thanksgiving Helpers" (Season 1, Episode 7), rated TV-Y. That's what we could confirm on the Disney+ site in October 2026. Disney+ adds and removes titles, so search for "Thanksgiving" in the app before the holiday to see what else is on.

What is Free Birds rated?

Free Birds is rated PG "for some action/peril and rude humor." In the UK, the BBFC rated it U, for mild threat and slapstick and infrequent very mild language. The BBFC notes chases by snarling dogs that are "always quickly resolved," an older turkey who is implied to die saving young turkeys, and "very mild humour relating to the backsides of turkeys." It runs about 91 minutes.

Is Planes, Trains and Automobiles appropriate for kids?

Planes, Trains and Automobiles is rated R, which means children under 17 need an accompanying parent or adult guardian. No reason is listed on filmratings.com for this 1987 rating. The BBFC, which rated it 15, notes one scene with "frequent use of strong language," sexual references, and adults smoking and drinking. It describes the tone as "light and comic," but it isn't a family film. Free Birds is a PG comedy about the same holiday.

Asking "Who made this happen?" about dinner is the heart of "Enough," lesson 14 of the program. "Weather Inside" and "The Wave," lessons 5 and 6, help on movie night.

See the program See all 24 lessons

More to read

Number of toys, out of 23, with each documented flag (Kids' Media Risk Index, 2026-10 edition). A flag is set only when we found evidence; blind boxes and resale above retail are highlighted. Source: Martiushin, A. (2026). Raising Stoics Kids' Media Risk Index, 2026-10 edition [Data set]. Zenodo. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23619163 · CC BY 4.0, Raising Stoics. Chart: Raising Stoics — free to embed with credit.

• 12 of the 23 toys (52%) sell at least some items in blind boxes or random packs, where the buyer can't choose or see the item until it's opened: Barbie, Beyblade, Funko Pop!, Hatchimals, Hot Wheels, L.O.L. Surprise!, Labubu, LEGO, Magna-Tiles, Smiski, Sonny Angel, and Squishmallows.
• 5 of the 23 (22%) have documented resale prices above retail: Hatchimals, Hot Wheels, Labubu, LEGO, and Nee Doh. Four of these five also sell blind boxes. Nee Doh packs come in a random color but aren't sold as blind boxes.
• The most common flag was a choking or small-parts warning, found for 14 of the 23 toys, including 8 of the 12 blind-box toys. Seven toys had a recall of an official product: Barbie, Hoverboards, LEGO, Nerf, Toniebox (the recall was tonies Blocks, a 2022 product from the same maker), Water beads, and Yoto Player. Four had a maker age label above 7, and four had a government lawsuit, fine, or safety warning.
• Two of the 12 blind-box toys carry a maker age label above 7: Labubu (POP MART: not for under 15) and Beyblade (Hasbro: 8+). Six are labeled 3+ (Barbie, Funko Pop!, Hot Wheels, L.O.L. Surprise!, Magna-Tiles, and Squishmallows), Hatchimals 5+, and LEGO 1½+ for its youngest sets; for Smiski and Sonny Angel, labels vary and we couldn't confirm them on the maker's pages.
• US Google search interest in “blind box” averaged 3.3 in 2022, 22.4 in 2025, and 31.6 in 2026 through October 25, on a relative scale where 100 marks the week with the highest interest (June 21, 2026).

If your child wants blind boxes, it helps to decide before the store how many, if any, you'll buy, and to count the figures they already have first. Check the age label and the choking warning on the box, and buy from the official maker: the US Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned that fake Labubus can break into small parts. Duplicates are part of how blind boxes are sold, so agree in advance what happens when one turns up: trade it, give it away, or keep it.

A blind box is a sealed package that holds one item from a set, and you don't know which one you have until you open it. Blind box toys are usually small figures, dolls, or plush toys sold as a numbered series, often with a rarer "secret" or "chase" item that appears less often than the others.

Toy makers use different names for the same idea: blind boxes, blind bags, mystery packs, mystery capsules, surprise eggs, or random boosters. What they share is that the buyer pays first and finds out what they got afterward. Duplicates are common, and some makers say so on the box or the product page.

Prices in our guides, checked in October 2026, range from $4.99 to $14.99. Magna-Tiles Santa & Friends Blind Bags cost $4.99, LEGO Collectible Minifigures $4.99 each, Squishmallows Mystery Capsules $5.99 and Mystery Bags $9.99, L.O.L. Surprise! Tots $11.99 to $14.99, and Funko Pop! Mystery figures $14.99. Separately, NBC News reported that Labubu figures typically cost about $9 to $30.

Of the 23 toys in the Kids' Media Risk Index, 12 sell at least some items in blind boxes. You can read the evidence for each one in our guides: Barbie, Beyblade, Funko Pop!, Hatchimals, Hot Wheels, L.O.L. Surprise!, Labubu, LEGO, Magna-Tiles, Smiski, Sonny Angel, and Squishmallows.

The flag means different things for different brands. For Sonny Angel, Smiski, and Labubu, the makers' own pages describe blind boxes as the main way the figures are sold, and most L.O.L. Surprise! Tots come in blind packaging. For brands like LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Magna-Tiles, the flag rests on one product line among many: LEGO Collectible Minifigures, Barbie's Mini BarbieLand dolls, Hot Wheels Mystery Models, and Magna-Tiles' holiday blind bags. A family can buy most LEGO or Barbie products without ever opening a blind box.

Eleven toys in the index have no blind-box flag. For Furby, Jellycat, Nerf, Orbeez, Play-Doh, and Tamagotchi, we found no blind boxes. Tonies figures and Yoto cards are sold by title, not at random. Nee Doh packs come in a random color, but we found no blind boxes. For hoverboards and water beads, the flag doesn't apply or wasn't confirmed.

These counts describe 23 popular toys that parents often look up, chosen by us for our Is it good for kids? guides. They don't tell us how common blind boxes are across all toys sold in the US, and a "no" means we didn't find evidence by October 2026. The full list, with evidence for every flag, is in the table below and in the Kids' Media Risk Index.

The 23 toys: blind boxes, resale, age label, choking warning, and recall (Kids' Media Risk Index, 2026-10)

"Yes" means we found evidence; "no" means we didn't find it by October 2026. Toniebox: the recall was tonies Blocks, a 2022 product from the same maker, not the Toniebox itself. The CSV adds the evidence for every flag and a link to each toy's guide.

Five of the 23 toys have reported resale prices above retail, and four of those five also sell blind boxes. The evidence differs from toy to toy. CBC reported in 2016 that the original $59.99 Hatchimals sold out and were resold online far above retail. The Washington Post reported that limited Hot Wheels collector releases are often relisted on eBay at a premium. NBC News reported that Labubu resale prices are often above retail. A study from HSE University found that resale prices of retired LEGO sets rose about 11% a year, with wide variation. Modern Retail reported resale premiums of more than 400% for Nee Doh on StockX. The evidence differs in strength: a 2016 news report for Hatchimals, a study of price growth for retired LEGO sets, reports of relisted collector releases for Hot Wheels, and news reports of resale prices for Labubu and Nee Doh. A "yes" doesn't mean every item of the brand resells above retail.

This overlap doesn't show that blind boxes cause high resale prices. With 23 toys chosen by us, the data can only describe this list. Some resale markets are for whole sets or retired products rather than single blind-box figures, and we counted the flag only when we found a reported resale price, not just asking prices.

Age labels vary widely among blind box toys. POP MART labels official Labubu products "not suitable for persons under 15," and Hasbro labels Beyblade X tops 8+. Retail listings show 15+ for Smiski, and 3+ to 15+ for Sonny Angel, but we couldn't confirm these on the maker's own pages, so they aren't counted as an age flag. Six blind-box toys in the index are labeled 3+: Barbie, Hot Wheels, Magna-Tiles, and Squishmallows by their makers, and Funko Pop! and L.O.L. Surprise! on retail listings. Hatchimals are labeled 5+ on retail listings. LEGO's youngest sets are 1½+; its Collectible Minifigures, the line sold at random, are labeled 6+.

Small figures often come with choking warnings. Eight of the 12 blind-box toys had a choking or small-parts warning on an official product or retail listing. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission warned in August 2025 that counterfeit Labubus are small enough to fit in a young child's mouth and can break apart into small pieces.

Google Trends shows how search interest in a phrase changes over time, on a relative scale. US search interest in “blind box” was low in 2022 and 2023, rose in 2024, and rose much more in 2025. So far in 2026, the yearly average is the highest of the five years. The single highest week was June 21, 2026, which Google Trends sets to 100. In September and October 2026, weekly values were between 26 and 31.

Interest was higher in December 2024 and December 2025 than in the months before: about 13 in December 2024 and between 36 and 39 in December 2025. The timing may reflect holiday shopping, but search data alone cannot tell us who searched or why.

The rise in 2024 and 2025 overlaps with the Labubu craze, and may partly reflect it. But interest in “blind box” stayed above its 2022–2024 levels in 2026, while Ahrefs estimates that US monthly searches for “labubu” fell by about 98% between September 2025 and September 2026, from about 6.1 million to about 125,000. So the search data don't point to a single brand; many brands now sell blind boxes. “Blind box” is also a broad search term that covers non-toy uses, such as store promotions, so these figures are not a measure of blind box toys bought for children.

US Google search interest in “blind box,” yearly average of weekly values (index, 100 = the week of June 21, 2026)

Google Trends, United States, web search, past five years, retrieved October 26, 2026. Values are relative and may vary between downloads.

China's market regulator has written blind-box rules. We found no US federal rule specific to blind-box toys. The government actions in our index are about product safety: CPSC warnings about counterfeit Labubus, hoverboard fires, and water beads, and a 2009 lead paint penalty involving Mattel. None of them treats blind boxes as gambling.

In June 2023, China's State Administration for Market Regulation issued trial guidelines on blind box sales. They say sellers may not sell blind boxes to children under 8, must confirm a guardian's consent for children 8 and older, must publish key information such as the draw rules and the odds of each item before purchase, and may not use blind boxes to run gambling or disguised gambling.

Related research is mostly about loot boxes in video games, which also sell random items for money. Our Labubu guide describes a 2019 study of 1,155 gamers ages 16 to 18 that linked loot box spending to problem gambling severity. That study was correlational, recruited participants online, and did not include young children or physical toys. We found no research on blind-box toys and children ages 4 to 7.

Decide before the store. Agree with your child how many boxes, if any, before you walk in: "One box today, and that's it." Saying it once in the car is easier than negotiating at the shelf.

Count what they already have. Before buying the next box, line up the figures they own and count them together. Then decide. It turns the missing one into a choice rather than an emergency.

Read the odds out loud. Funko lists a 1 in 72 chance of a Mystery Chase figure on its Pop! Mystery page. For a 6-year-old, "one in 72" can be shown with counters or blocks: 72 in a pile, one of them a different color.

Check the box. Look at the maker's age label and the choking warning, especially when there are younger siblings at home. Buy from the official maker or a known store; the CPSC suggests checking Labubus for a holographic POP MART sticker and a QR code.

Plan for duplicates. Many makers say duplicates are possible. Before opening, agree on what happens if one turns up: trade with a friend or sibling, give it away, or keep it.

Offer a wait. If your child wants a new box right now, write it down or draw it, and look at the note together on a set day. Some children still want it later; others forget about it.

Source: Martiushin, A. (2026). Raising Stoics Kids' Media Risk Index, 2026-10 edition [Data set]. Zenodo. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23619163. License: CC BY 4.0, Raising Stoics.

Data: Raising Stoics Kids' Media Risk Index, 2026-10 edition, data frozen October 18, 2026, published on Zenodo under CC BY 4.0 (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.23619163). We used the 23 titles with the toy flag set. Each toy has six yes-or-no flags, each with a short evidence note. A flag is set only when we found evidence: maker product pages, retail listings when the maker's page didn't show the information, CPSC recall and warning notices, and news reports for resale prices. "No" means we found no evidence as of October 2026, not that the toy lacks the feature. The blind box flag counts a toy if at least one of its product lines is sold so the buyer can't choose or see the item; for several brands that is one line among many. The resale flag needs a reported resale price above retail; asking prices alone were not counted (Jellycat, Sonny Angel). The age flag uses the maker's own label; labels seen only on retail listings and not confirmed (Smiski, Sonny Angel) were not counted. Hoverboards and Water beads are product categories, not single products, and their flags cover the category. Toniebox's recall flag, as published, comes from the 2022 recall of tonies Blocks, another product from the same maker. Toy guides added to our directory after the data were frozen are not in this edition. The 23 toys are popular toys that parents often look up, chosen by us; they are not a random or complete sample, and counts describe this list only. Search interest: Google Trends, United States, web search, “blind box,” past five years, weekly, retrieved October 26, 2026. Values are relative, not counts: 100 marks the week with the highest relative search interest (June 21, 2026). They come from a sample and may vary between downloads. Yearly figures are averages of weekly values; 2026 runs through October 25.

Download the data (CSV) Each toy, with evidence (CSV) Search interest by year (CSV)

What is a blind box?

A blind box is a sealed package with one item from a set inside, and you only find out which item you got after you open it. Toy makers also call them blind bags, mystery packs, or mystery capsules. Many series include a rarer "secret" or "chase" item, and duplicates are common. Sonny Angel, Smiski, L.O.L. Surprise! Tots, and Labubu are mostly sold this way.

What to do with opened blind boxes?

Families can reuse the empty boxes for storage of small figures, as display shelves, or for crafts like a mini diorama. Duplicate figures can be traded with friends or siblings, or given away. The cards that list the series are useful for keeping track of what a child already has. Check local recycling rules for the boxes and foil wrappers.

Are blind boxes gambling?

China's market regulator has written blind-box rules. Its trial guidelines, issued in 2023, say sellers may not sell blind boxes to children under 8, must publish the odds, and may not use blind boxes for gambling or disguised gambling. We found no US federal rule specific to blind-box toys. Research on similar loot boxes in video games has studied teenagers and adults, not young children.

Are blind boxes for kids?

It depends on the product. Of the 12 blind-box toys in our data, six are labeled 3+ (Barbie, Funko Pop!, Hot Wheels, L.O.L. Surprise!, Magna-Tiles, and Squishmallows). The others range from 1½+ (LEGO) to 15+ (Labubu), or labels vary (Smiski, Sonny Angel). Many small figures carry a choking warning for children under 3. Check the maker's age label on each box.

How much do blind boxes cost?

In our guides, checked in October 2026, prices ranged from $4.99 for Magna-Tiles Blind Bags and LEGO Collectible Minifigures to $14.99 for Funko Pop! Mystery figures and L.O.L. Surprise! Tots. NBC News reported that Labubu figures typically cost about $9 to $30. Rare figures can sell for much more on resale sites.

One lesson in our program is "Enough": noticing what's already here, before the next box.

See the program

Read next

• Gratitude Activities for Kids: Noticing, Not Saying Thank You
• How to Teach Kids Patience: Waiting Is a Skill, Not a Virtue
• Kids shows, games, books, and toys: what the 2025–2026 data show about young children

The best Christmas movies for kids, grouped by age

Short answer: The shortest specials, like Olaf's Frozen Adventure and A Charlie Brown Christmas, are the usual first Christmas movies. G-rated films like The Polar Express and The Muppet Christmas Carol come next for many families. Many families wait until about 7 or 8 for Elf, Home Alone, and Klaus. Every child is different, so go by your child rather than a number.

The groups are based on two things: the MPA rating, and the content notes published by the BBFC, the UK's film classifier. The BBFC describes specific scenes, which the MPA usually doesn't, so its notes are quoted below wherever they exist.

• Short specials. Under an hour, made for the youngest viewers.
• Full-length, G or mild PG. The BBFC notes only mild or comic threat.
• Longer PG films. The BBFC notes slapstick violence, mild bad language, or scary moments.

Below the three lists there's a section on popular Christmas movies that aren't meant for young children, including National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Some older films, like Home Alone and A Christmas Story, have no reason listed in the MPA database, only the rating itself.

Christmas movies for toddlers and 4-year-olds: short specials

Short answer: These are short, which makes them easy to stop and easy to finish before bedtime.

• Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017). Rated G by the MPA, about 21 minutes. Olaf sets out to find holiday traditions for Anna and Elsa. The BBFC found "no material likely to offend or harm."
• A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965). A TV special, so it has no MPA rating. About 25 minutes. Charlie Brown tries to find the meaning of Christmas while directing the school play.
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966). The original cartoon, a TV special with no MPA rating. About 26 minutes. Our How the Grinch Stole Christmas page compares this version with the 2000 and 2018 films.
• Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas (2004). Rated G by the MPA, about 68 minutes. It's made of five short stories with Mickey and his friends, so it's easy to stop between them.

Watch together, and agree before you start that your child can say "pause" at any time.

Good Christmas movies for kids 5 and 6: G and mild PG

Short answer: These are full-length films with a happy ending. Where the BBFC has published notes, it describes only mild or comic threat.

• The Polar Express (2004). Rated G by the MPA, about 100 minutes. The BBFC notes scenes of mild threat, "including a person falling from the back of a train before they are caught, a train skidding about on breaking ice, and a puppet seeming to come to life and scare a boy," and says these scenes "are swiftly resolved."
• The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992). Rated G by the MPA, about 86 minutes. The BBFC notes mild scary scenes as Scrooge is visited by spirits, including "a tall, silent, hooded and faceless ghost who directs Scrooge to a vision of his own grave," and a sad vision of a kind young boy who has died. It adds that "none of these spirits mean any harm to Scrooge," and their scenes come with comic moments.
• Arthur Christmas (2011). Rated PG "for some mild rude humor," about 97 minutes. The BBFC notes a sequence in which lions chase the hero and his friends, but says the threat "is broken up with comic elements and the scene is fun and exciting."
• The Grinch (2018). Rated PG "for brief rude humor," about 86 minutes. The BBFC notes "comic slapstick incidents" and "brief and swiftly resolved moments of threat." In the UK, a cut version was rated U.
• The Santa Clause (1994). Rated PG "for a few crude moments," about 97 minutes. A divorced dad accidentally becomes Santa. For its 2020 cinema release, the BBFC found "no material likely to offend or harm."
• The Santa Clause 2 (2002). Rated G by the MPA. Scott Calvin has to find a wife to stay Santa, while a toy copy takes his place at the North Pole.
• Noelle (2019). Rated G by the MPA, a Disney+ film. Santa's daughter sets out to find her brother, who is supposed to take over from their father.

Christmas movies for 7- and 8-year-olds

Short answer: These are popular PG films that many families watch every year. The BBFC notes more slapstick violence, mild bad language, or scary moments, and many families wait until about 7 or 8.

• Klaus (2019). Rated PG "for rude humor and mild action," about 97 minutes. The BBFC notes "frequent scenes of mild threat," including "scary skeleton toys and puppets hanging in a dark room" and a rope noose on a gallows used as a bell ringer, plus comic fights with "kitchen knives, spades and household implements."
• Elf (2003). Rated PG "for some mild rude humor and language," about 97 minutes. See the Elf parents guide section below.
• Home Alone (1990). Rated PG; the MPA lists no reason for this 1990 rating. About 103 minutes. The BBFC notes slapstick violence against two burglars, "occasional mild bad language, such as 'shit' and 'crap'," mild sexual humor, and booby traps that "might be dangerous if copied," like a heated door handle and water poured on icy steps.
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). The live-action film is rated PG "for some crude humor," about 104 minutes. The BBFC notes that the Grinch "attempts to scare people, although these scenes are brief and comic," moments of innuendo, tricks "that would be dangerous if copied," and flashbacks that show the Grinch "being mocked and bullied in school."
• Miracle on 34th Street (1994). Rated PG "for some mild language." A department-store Santa goes to court to prove he's the real one.
• A Christmas Story (1983). Rated PG, with no reason listed. A boy in the 1940s wants just one present: a BB gun.
• Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020). Rated PG "for some thematic elements and peril." A toymaker and his granddaughter try to win back an invention that was stolen from him.

An Elf and Christmas Vacation parents guide: two very different films

Every December, thousands of parents search for a parents guide to two movies in particular: Elf and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. They're very different films.

Elf is a family movie. Its MPA rating is PG "for some mild rude humor and language." The BBFC lists more detail: mild bad language ("pissed," "crap," "friggin," and "damn"), "very mild slapstick violence" in a comic fight in a toy store and a snowball fight, jokes about burping and breaking wind, and a comic shower scene in which "no actual nudity is shown, only implied." It also notes adult characters drinking and smoking.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) is a comedy for grown-ups. It's rated PG-13, which means parents are strongly cautioned that some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. The MPA lists no reason for this 1989 rating. The BBFC notes "infrequent use of strong language," sexual references and partial nudity in a daydream scene, and that "it is implied that a cat is accidentally killed by electrocution." It's often on TV in December, so it's worth checking before a young child watches it.

A few other recent Christmas movies are also PG-13 rather than family films: Red One (2024), "for action, some violence, and language," and Spirited (2022), "for language, some suggestive material and thematic elements." For what that rating means, see PG-13.

Christmas movies with scarier moments

Short answer: Some Christmas movies are closer to Halloween films. These are rated PG with scary images or scenes in the reason, and many families wait until 8 or older.

• The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Rated PG "for some scary images." The BBFC notes "mildly scary characters, such as skeletons, witches and talking pumpkins," and a scene in which "Santa is kidnapped and tied up but no harm comes to him," and says any horror "is balanced by elements of humour." If you're choosing between spooky films, our Halloween movies for kids list sorts them by how scary they are.
• A Boy Called Christmas (2021). Rated PG "for peril, action and thematic elements." The BBFC notes "a large troll," chases, and a scene in which "a boy witnesses his father fall from a snowy cliff edge" after saving him, along with "gentle references to bereavement" for the loss of a mother. It adds that scary scenes "are not sustained."
• Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009). Rated PG "for scary sequences and images." A motion-capture version of the Dickens story, with Jim Carrey as Scrooge and the three ghosts.

If your child loves the Christmas Carol story, The Muppet Christmas Carol tells the same tale with a G rating.

What do G, PG, and PG-13 mean for a Christmas movie?

Short answer: G means general audiences, all ages admitted. PG means parental guidance suggested: some material may not be suitable for children. PG-13 means parents are strongly cautioned, and some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

For Christmas movies, the reason next to a PG is often mild: "rude humor," "mild language," or "crude moments." That's different from many Halloween films, where the reason is often "scary images." The reason is worth reading, because it tells you what kind of scene to expect. For the official wording, see what PG means and rated G.

A G rating doesn't promise a movie has no tense moments. The Polar Express is rated G, and the BBFC still lists mild threat in it.

Many Christmas TV specials, like A Charlie Brown Christmas, have no MPA rating at all, because the MPA rates films, not TV programs. Some streaming films, like Klaus and Jingle Jangle, are MPA-rated.

How to pick a Christmas movie if your child still believes in Santa

Short answer: Think about what the movie says about Santa, not only about its rating.

Many Christmas movies are about believing. In The Polar Express, a boy is starting to doubt. In Miracle on 34th Street, a court decides whether Santa is real. In Elf and The Santa Clause, adults don't believe at first. A child who still believes may enjoy these, and some children may start asking questions afterward.

A few things that may help:

• Watch together. You'll know which scene raised the question.
• Ask before you answer. "What do you think?" may tell you whether your child wants reassurance or the truth.
• Follow their lead. A child who goes straight back to the snowball fight may not be worried at all.

If the questions keep coming, our guide is Santa real? has ideas for answering kindly.

How to watch a Christmas movie together

Watching together may change how a sad or tense scene feels for a young child. Three simple habits may help.

Agree on a pause. Before you start, tell your child they can say "pause" at any time. Knowing they can stop the movie may give a child some control.

Check the weather inside. At a tense or sad moment, pause and ask: "What's the weather inside you right now? Sunny, cloudy, or stormy?" Naming a feeling may help some children step back from it. In our program, this is the lesson "Weather Inside."

Notice that it passes. After a sad scene, point out that the feeling came up and went back down, often by the next funny moment. That's "The Wave," another lesson in our program: big feelings rise and pass.

Christmas movies are long, and many are on in the evening. Splitting a 100-minute film across two nights is fine. For more movies by rating, see our list of G-rated movies.

What is a good Christmas movie for kids?

For the youngest viewers, short specials like Olaf's Frozen Adventure (rated G, about 21 minutes) or A Charlie Brown Christmas are a common start. For 5- and 6-year-olds, The Muppet Christmas Carol (G) and Arthur Christmas (PG for some mild rude humor) are films where the BBFC notes only mild or comic threat. Watch together the first time, so you can pause if a scene is too much.

Is Elf appropriate for kids?

Elf is rated PG "for some mild rude humor and language." There's no scary villain. The BBFC lists mild bad language such as "pissed" and "crap," a comic fight in a toy store, jokes about burping, a comic shower scene with nudity implied but not shown, and adults drinking and smoking.

Is Home Alone appropriate for kids?

Home Alone is rated PG; the MPA lists no reason for this 1990 rating. The BBFC notes slapstick violence against the burglars, "occasional mild bad language, such as 'shit' and 'crap'," mild sexual humor, and booby traps that "might be dangerous if copied." Many families wait until about 7 or 8. Our Home Alone page lists ratings from other countries.

Is Christmas Vacation appropriate for kids?

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is rated PG-13, which means some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. The BBFC notes infrequent strong language, sexual references, partial nudity in a daydream scene, and an implied death of a cat by electrocution. It isn't a children's movie, even though it's often on TV in December. Elf (PG) and Home Alone (PG) are family films about holiday chaos.

Is The Polar Express scary?

The Polar Express is rated G. The BBFC notes scenes of mild threat: a person falling from the back of the train before being caught, the train skidding on breaking ice, and a puppet that seems to come to life and scare a boy. It says these scenes are swiftly resolved. Some young children may still find the dark night train tense, so watching together may help.

Naming a feeling with "Weather Inside" and riding it out with "The Wave" are lessons 5 and 6 of the program, and both work on movie night.

See the program See all 24 lessons

More to read

What is Elf on the Shelf?

The Elf on the Shelf started as a picture book, *The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition*, by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell, published in 2005. It comes in a box with a small elf doll. The family names the elf, and the story says it's a "Scout Elf" sent by Santa.

According to the company's own beginner's guide, the tradition has a few rules:

• Don't touch the elf, or it loses its magic.
• Scout Elves can't talk, but they're good listeners, so children can tell them things.
• The elf flies to the North Pole each night and lands in a new spot in the house by morning.
• It goes back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve.

In the book, the elf reports the day to Santa. That's the part some families love and some find uncomfortable; more on that below.

Everything else, including the funny scenes you see online, is up to each family. The official rules don't say the elf has to do something clever every night. "The elf sat somewhere new" is the whole requirement.

Before you start: three habits that make easy Elf on the Shelf ideas work

Plan one week at a time. On Sunday, pick seven ideas from the lists below and write them on a sticky note inside a kitchen cabinet. At 10:40 p.m. you won't have to think.

Keep a "lazy night" list. Some nights the elf will simply sit on a different shelf. That's fine. Some 4- and 5-year-olds are delighted just to find it. You can also add a short note: "Long flight. Resting today."

No cleanup in the morning. Flour snow, spilled cereal, and toilet paper across the hallway look great in photos, but they turn into a mess before school. Every idea in this list puts things back in five minutes or less.

Week 1 Elf on the Shelf ideas: a gentle arrival

The first week is about the elf settling in. Keep the scenes small and friendly.

1. Arrival with luggage. The elf sits next to a matchbox or tiny gift box with a paper tag: "Packed light. Brought only my hat." 2. Counting the fruit. The elf sits in the fruit bowl with a note: "There are 4 oranges. I counted twice." 3. Story time. Line up three stuffed animals on the couch and open a picture book in front of them. The elf sits on the book, "reading." 4. Lost in a sleeve. Tuck the elf into the sleeve of a hanging coat so only the hat peeks out. 5. A sock sleeping bag. The elf sleeps in a clean sock in the sock drawer, with a tissue for a pillow. 6. Fishing in the sink. Tie a short string to a pencil, tape a paper fish to the end, and let the elf "fish" over the edge of a dry sink. 7. A map of the house. Draw a very simple map with an X on the kitchen table. Breakfast is waiting under the X.

Week 2: silly elf ideas for kids 4–8

By week two, children start looking for the joke. These ideas lean on things being in the wrong place.

1. New hat. The elf wears a measuring cup or a bottle cap as a hat, with a note: "New hat. Thoughts?" 2. Bad parking. The elf sits in a toy car parked crooked across two "spaces" drawn on paper, with a tiny parking ticket. 3. Fridge check. The elf sits on a fridge door shelf wearing a paper scarf: "Checking if it's colder than the North Pole. It isn't." 4. Spoon band. Stand four spoons in a mug and give the elf a straw to "conduct" them. 5. A tea party. The elf hosts two action figures with bottle-cap cups. There's an empty seat with your child's name on a folded card. 6. Paper airplane. Fold a plane, sit the elf on top, and rest it on the highest bookshelf, as if it just landed. 7. A snowball from home. The elf holds a cotton ball: "Brought you a North Pole snowball. It melted less than I expected."

Week 3: elf ideas that give your child something to do

In week three, the elf can invite your child to act, not just to look. A small, clear action your child can do right now, with a choice between a few options, may work better than a big task like "be good today."

1. Pick a card. The elf holds three folded cards: "Draw me a picture," "Tell me a joke at breakfast," and "Build me a chair out of blocks." Your child picks one. 2. Elf ruler. The elf leaves a paper strip as long as the elf: "How many of me tall are you?" Measuring takes two minutes and some giggling. 3. A card for someone. The elf sits next to a blank folded card and three crayons: "Grandma needs a tree, a star, or a snowman. You choose." 4. Cup tower. Three paper cups and a note: "I tried to build a tower. Can you build a taller one?" 5. Name the animals. The elf sits with the stuffed animals: "I don't know their names. Can you introduce us?" 6. A secret word. A note says: "Today's secret word is 'pickle.' Whisper it to a grown-up at dinner." 7. Sort the socks. The elf sits on a pile of clean socks: "I can't find the pairs. Help?"

Keep the elf's request small enough to finish before breakfast. If your child doesn't want to do it, that's fine; the elf will try something else tomorrow.

Week 4: calm, cozy elf ideas before Christmas Eve

The last week before Christmas is often the busiest and the most tired. These ideas slow things down.

1. Blanket and book. The elf sits wrapped in a napkin next to a picture book: "Story tonight?" 2. Light counting. The elf sits at a window with a rolled-paper telescope: "Counting the lights on our street. Help me finish tonight?" 3. My favorite things. The elf holds a list titled "Best parts of December," with three empty lines. Your child tells you what to write. 4. Cookie jar nap. The elf naps in an empty cookie jar, with a note: "Just resting near the cookies. Didn't eat any. Probably." 5. Thank-you drawing. The elf leaves a drawing of your family: "Thank you for having me." 6. Countdown chain. The elf hangs from a paper chain, one link for each day left until Christmas.

The Christmas Eve goodbye. Many families end with a short letter from the elf. Make it specific: "I saw you help your brother put on his boots. I saw you wait for your turn on the swing." Keep the goodbye warm and brief, and say the elf will be back next year, if your family plans to keep the tradition.

Elf on the Shelf ideas that show kindness, patience, and calm

The elf can do more than be funny. Some families use it to show a small skill, the way a puppet does in a preschool class. The elf doesn't lecture. It just does the thing, and your child sees it.

Kindness. The elf leaves a paper heart and a note: "This is for someone who needs a smile. Who should get it: your sister, your teacher, or the mail carrier?" Your child delivers it. Our guide on how to teach kids kindness explains why noticing someone else comes before being nice. In our program, the lesson "Stepping In" is about helping each other.

Patience. The elf sits next to a cookie on a plate, with a note: "I'm waiting until after dinner. It's hard. I'm counting to 10 while I wait." Waiting out loud like this is the idea behind "Boss of My Want," our lesson on "I want it now." More ideas are in how to teach kids patience.

Calm. The elf sits cross-legged with a cotton ball "cloud": "When I'm upset, I stop and take three slow breaths before I do anything." That's the gap between what happens and what we do, and it's the subject of The Pause Button, a lesson you can try with your child. For more ideas, see calm-down strategies.

Feelings. The elf holds three paper cards: a sun, a cloud, and a storm cloud. "What's the weather inside you today?" Naming a feeling may help a child step back from it.

Mistakes. The cup tower from week three has fallen over. The elf's note says: "Not yet. Trying again tonight." Then, the next morning, the tower is standing. That's Not Yet, a lesson about mistakes being practice.

Is Elf on the Shelf supposed to be bad? Watching vs. noticing

It's a common question, and the answer depends on how your family uses the elf. On its homepage, the company describes Scout Elves as "always nice and never naughty." The trouble starts when the elf turns into a threat: "The elf is watching, so you'd better behave," or "The elf will tell Santa."

Many parents use the elf this way on a hard evening. Others find the idea of a doll that reports to Santa uncomfortable, and the company's own site acknowledges that "reporting to Santa" can feel uncomfortable when it's framed as constant monitoring.

A different approach is to make the elf notice, not judge. It writes down kind and brave moments, not mistakes. It never takes anything away. Its notes say "I saw" instead of "I'll tell."

And one practical rule: nothing your child gets should depend on whether a grown-up remembered to move the elf. If the elf didn't move, the elf "was tired" or "liked that spot." It's never because your child did something wrong.

If you don't want an elf, or you're tired of yours

Not every family wants an elf, and that's a reasonable choice. Some parents don't like the idea of a doll that reports to Santa. Some simply don't have the energy for 24 nights of scenes. Some started with excitement and, by December 12, dread the evening routine.

If you're skipping it, your child may still hear about elves at school. You can say: "Different families have different Christmas traditions. Ours is the gingerbread house," or whatever yours is. Some children accept that easily, especially if they get a tradition of their own.

If you're tired of it, you have options:

• Fewer nights. The elf visits only on weekends, or only on the 12 days before Christmas.
• A lazy elf. The elf simply moves from shelf to shelf. Some children are just as happy.
• A kindness elf. The elf doesn't report to anyone. It just leaves one small idea for a kind act each morning.
• An early goodbye. The elf leaves a warm letter saying it's needed at the North Pole this year.

If your child starts asking whether the elf, or Santa, is real, our guide is Santa real? has ideas for answering kindly and following their lead.

When did Elf on the Shelf start?

The Elf on the Shelf began as a picture book published in 2005 by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell. The company behind it says the idea began with Aebersold's own family many Christmases earlier. Before 2005 there was no Elf on the Shelf product, though elves in Christmas stories are much older. The book and the elf are now sold together in one box.

When does Elf on the Shelf start?

The company says most Scout Elves return in a week-long window at the end of November, and some arrive as late as the second week of December. There's no wrong date. Some parents start on December 1, so the elf's visit lines up with an Advent calendar and there are fewer nights to plan.

When does Elf on the Shelf leave?

According to the official rules, the elf goes back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Many families mark the goodbye with a short letter from the elf on Christmas morning or the night before. If your child is sad, it may help to say the elf will be back next year, if you plan to continue, and to keep the goodbye letter somewhere they can find it.

Is the Elf on the Shelf real?

The Elf on the Shelf is a toy and a story, made by a company and first published as a book in 2005. For a child, it's part of the same make-believe as Santa. If your child asks you directly, find out first what they're really asking: "What do you think?" Some want reassurance; others want the truth. Our guide is Santa real? covers that conversation.

How do you introduce Elf on the Shelf?

Read the book together on the first evening, then let your child name the elf. The next morning, put the elf somewhere easy to find, at your child's eye level, with a short note that says hello. Explain the one rule that matters most to the story: don't touch the elf. Keep the first week simple, so neither you nor your child feels pressure.

The Pause Button and Not Yet, two lessons the elf can act out, are lessons 4 and 17 of the program, along with Stepping In and Boss of My Want.

See the program See all 24 lessons

More to read

How to make slime: which recipe to start with

Short answer: Start with the recipe that matches your child's age and your patience for cleanup. Each recipe here takes about 10 to 15 minutes to make and uses ingredients from a grocery or drugstore.

• 1. Classic glue slime: ages 6–8. Glue plus contact lens solution. Stretchy, pulls apart.
• 2. Fluffy slime: ages 6–8. Glue, shaving cream, and contact lens solution. Soft and squishy.
• 3. Cornstarch and dish soap: ages 6–8, with an adult at the table. No glue, no activator. Smooth, like soft dough.
• 4. Oobleck: ages 4–8. Cornstarch and water. Hard when squeezed, runny when released.

Before you start, set out a tray or baking sheet, old clothes or an apron (slime and food coloring can stain), measuring cups and spoons, and a container with a lid. Measure carefully: too much activator turns slime rubbery, and too little leaves it runny.

The ages are our suggestion, not a rule. For younger children, the adult does the pouring and the child does the stirring and squishing. Many 6- to 8-year-olds can measure with help.

Slime recipe 1: Classic glue slime with contact lens solution

This is the slime most children picture: glossy and stretchy. It answers "how to make slime with glue" and "how to make slime activator" at once, because the activator is store-bought contact lens solution.

You need: - ½ cup (4 oz) white or clear school glue (PVA glue) - ¼ cup water - ½ teaspoon baking soda - 1 tablespoon contact lens solution (saline), plus a little more as needed - Food coloring or washable paint, a few drops (optional)

Check the label first. Many contact lens solutions list boric acid or sodium borate among their ingredients, and those are what set the glue. Check the label before you buy.

Steps: 1. Pour the glue and water into a bowl and stir until smooth. 2. Add a few drops of color and stir again. 3. Sprinkle in the baking soda and stir well. 4. Add 1 tablespoon of contact lens solution and stir. Within a minute, the mixture starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl. 5. When it forms a blob, take it out and knead it with your hands for 2 to 3 minutes. It may be sticky at first and get smoother as you knead. 6. Still very sticky after 2 to 3 minutes of kneading? Add contact lens solution ½ teaspoon at a time. Go slowly: it's easy to add more and impossible to take it out.

This recipe is borax-free in the sense that it doesn't use borax powder. It still uses a borate activator, so the safety rules below apply to it, too.

Slime recipe 2: How to make fluffy slime

Fluffy slime is the same glue slime with shaving cream folded in. It feels light and soft, and it's the one many children want to squish for an hour.

You need: - ½ cup white school glue - 1 to 2 cups plain white foaming shaving cream - ½ teaspoon baking soda - 1 tablespoon contact lens solution with boric acid or sodium borate, plus more as needed - Food coloring, a few drops (optional)

Steps: 1. Put the glue in a large bowl. Add 1 cup of shaving cream and fold it in gently with a spatula. 2. Add color, then the baking soda, and stir. 3. Add 1 tablespoon of contact lens solution and stir until the mixture comes together. 4. Knead it with your hands. Add more solution ½ teaspoon at a time if it stays sticky. 5. For an even puffier slime, fold in up to 1 more cup of shaving cream before adding the solution.

Fluffy slime deflates over a day or two as the air escapes. That's normal, not a mistake. You can knead in a little fresh shaving cream to puff it up again.

Shaving cream isn't food and may irritate skin or eyes, so keep it away from faces and wash hands afterward.

Slime recipe 3: How to make slime without glue (cornstarch and dish soap)

Short answer: Mix ½ cup of cornstarch with ¼ cup of dish soap and knead. That's it: no glue and no activator.

This is the simplest answer to "how to make slime without glue" and also to "how to make slime without activator," two of the most searched slime questions. The result is closer to a soft, smooth dough than to a stretchy glue slime, but it squishes, molds, and slowly oozes, which is what most young children want.

You need: - ½ cup cornstarch, plus extra for adjusting - ¼ cup liquid dish soap - Food coloring, 1 or 2 drops (optional; many dish soaps are already colored)

Steps: 1. Pour the cornstarch into a bowl and add the dish soap. 2. Stir with a spoon until it looks lumpy, then switch to hands. 3. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes. If it sticks to fingers, add cornstarch 1 tablespoon at a time. If it crumbles, add a teaspoon of dish soap.

This recipe is for ages 6–8, with an adult at the table. It's made of household products, not food. Dish soap can dry out or irritate skin, so rinse hands well afterward and skip this recipe if your child's skin is sensitive. Poison Control lists detergents among the slime ingredients that can be toxic at high levels.

Slime recipe 4 for younger kids: two-ingredient oobleck

Oobleck isn't quite slime, but for children ages 4–8, and especially the youngest, it may be even better. It's made from cornstarch and water, two things you probably have in the kitchen. Squeeze a handful and it feels solid. Open your hand and it melts through your fingers.

You need: - 1 cup cornstarch - ½ cup water - Food coloring, a few drops (optional) - A shallow tray or a baking dish

Steps: 1. Put the cornstarch in the tray. 2. Mix a few drops of food coloring into the water. 3. Pour the water in slowly while your child stirs with a spoon or their fingers. 4. Aim for a mix that feels hard when you tap it and runny when you tilt the tray. Too runny: add cornstarch by the tablespoon. Too stiff: add water by the teaspoon.

Try together: punch it quickly, then press a finger in slowly, and ask why it acted differently. Or hide a bath toy inside and rescue it with a spoon.

Oobleck is made from kitchen ingredients, but it isn't a snack. When you're done, let it dry and scrape it into the trash rather than rinsing it down the sink, which can clog the drain.

Is slime safe? What Poison Control says about borax

Short answer: Poison Control says commercial slime labeled nontoxic is unlikely to cause problems. Homemade slime with high levels of borax, glue, or detergent can be toxic, so supervise, wash hands, and don't let anyone eat it.

The National Capital Poison Center, which runs Poison Control's guide to homemade slime, explains that borax, boric acid, and sodium borate are all activators that link the glue's long molecules together. Boron is the part of borax that can cause harm. According to Poison Control:

• On the skin, slime can cause redness, itching, and dermatitis. Burns and blisters are possible with high borax concentrations or long contact.
• Swallowed slime can cause stomachache, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, and depending on the amount, there is a risk of intestinal blockage.

Poison Control doesn't give a safe amount of borax for slime, and we don't either. Instead, it suggests using alternatives to borax, such as cornstarch, dish soap, or baking soda plus contact lens solution. Recipes 1 to 4 above follow that advice: none of them uses borax powder. Poison Control gives no amounts, so our proportions are common home recipes, not tested safe limits.

If your child swallows slime, Poison Control says to wipe out their mouth with a damp cloth and give them something to drink. If a rash develops, remove the slime, wash the skin with soap and water, and pat it dry. Call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 for advice. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) adds, on HealthyChildren.org: if a child is unconscious, not breathing, or having convulsions or seizures after a poison exposure, call 911.

How to make slime without borax: contact lens solution, glue, and labels

Many recipes online still call for borax powder dissolved in water. Here's what the sources say about the common ingredients.

Borax powder. It's a laundry booster, sold next to detergent. HealthyChildren.org advises keeping cleaning and laundry products in their original packaging, in locked cabinets, out of children's sight and reach. Borax is sold as a laundry booster, so that advice applies to it, too. Recipes 1 and 2 work without it.

Contact lens solution. Poison Control lists baking soda plus contact lens solution as an alternative to borax. Many contact lens solutions list boric acid or sodium borate, which is what sets the glue, so check the label. The same rules about supervision, washing hands, and not eating slime still apply.

School glue. Most children's school glue is a PVA glue, the polymer Poison Control describes as the base of slime. Use a glue sold for children and check the label.

Store-bought slime. Poison Control notes that commercial slimes labeled nontoxic are unlikely to cause problems. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) hasn't published slime-specific advice on borax that we could find, but it has recalled at least one slime product: in December 2023, it recalled Prextex slime eggs (recall 24-737) for exceeding federal limits on lead and phthalates. Before you buy, you can search the product name at cpsc.gov/Recalls.

Slime rules for kids: setting up the table

Agree on a few rules before the first squish. Rules 1 to 6 follow Poison Control's prevention tips; the details in parentheses are our own.

1. A grown-up supervises. (We'd say: at the table, not in the next room.) 2. Slime is not food. Say it plainly before you start, especially if you used food coloring and the slime looks like candy. 3. Hands get washed before and after. Clean hands keep dirt out of the slime, and washing afterward keeps the slime off faces and snacks. 4. Slime stays on the tray. A smooth, clean surface is easier to clean and keeps slime out of carpets and hair. (If it gets there anyway, see the FAQ below.) 5. Stop if it stings. Poison Control advises stopping slime play if the skin gets red, irritated, or starts to burn. If your child's skin is broken or irritated, ask your pediatrician before slime play. 6. The lid goes on. Store slime in an airtight container, away from heat. (We'd add: out of reach of younger siblings.)

When the slime doesn't work: patience and "Not Yet"

Slime fails a lot. It comes out as soup, or as a rubber brick, or it glues itself to every finger. For a 5-year-old who watched a perfect slime video, that may feel like a disaster.

Most fixes are simple:

• Too runny: It needs more activator or more kneading. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes, then add contact lens solution ½ teaspoon at a time.
• Rubbery and snaps: There's too much activator. Knead in a teaspoon of warm water or a pump of hand lotion, slowly.
• Oobleck is soup: Add cornstarch by the tablespoon.
• Cornstarch slime crumbles: Add dish soap by the teaspoon.

The bigger lesson is what happens between the failure and the fix. A few things that help:

Name it before you fix it. "You're really frustrated. You wanted it stretchy and it's soup." Naming a feeling can make it easier for many children to wait it out.

Use "not yet." In our program, lesson 17, "Not Yet," is about a simple idea: a mistake is practice, not a verdict. "It's not slime yet" is more accurate than "it didn't work," and it points toward the next step.

Let them choose the next step. Offer three options: "Add a little more solution, knead for one more minute, or take a break and come back?" A choice may give a frustrated child something to do with the feeling.

Point out the wait afterward. "You kneaded for three whole minutes, and it changed." Kneading slime is a small, real practice in patience. Our guide on how to teach kids patience has more ways to build it, and our coping skills for kids cover what to do when the frustration gets big.

How long slime lasts and how to store it

Glue slime kept in an airtight container at room temperature often stays playable for a week or more, though it picks up dust and lint. Cornstarch slime and oobleck dry out much faster, often within a day. Close the lid right after play, keep the container away from heat, as Poison Control advises, and label it if you have more than one child. Throw slime away if it's dirty, smells off, or has changed color in spots.

Slime is a good fit for a rainy afternoon. For more ideas like it, see our list of rainy day activities for kids, sorted by how long each one takes.

How do you get slime out of clothes?

Scrape off as much slime as you can with a spoon or a dull knife. Then soak the spot in white vinegar for a few minutes, which often helps loosen glue slime, and work it with an old toothbrush. Rinse with warm water, treat with a little dish soap or stain remover, and wash as usual. Check the spot before drying: heat can set what's left.

How do you get slime out of hair?

Don't pull. Work a generous amount of hair conditioner or a little cooking oil into the slimy section, wait a few minutes, and comb it out gently with a wide-tooth comb, starting from the ends. Then shampoo as usual. For a young child, a distraction helps: an audiobook or a song while you work. Often, no cutting is needed.

How do you get slime out of carpet?

Pick off as much as you can by hand, or let the slime dry and scrape it. Then blot the spot with a mix of white vinegar and warm water, roughly half and half, and scrub gently with a soft brush. Blot with clean water and a towel afterward. Test the vinegar on a hidden spot first, since some carpets react to it.

How do you make slime less sticky?

Sticky slime often needs more kneading or a little more activator. Knead it for 2 to 3 minutes first. If it's still sticky, add contact lens solution ½ teaspoon at a time, kneading between each addition. Rubbing a few drops of solution on your hands before kneading also helps. For cornstarch slime, add a tablespoon of cornstarch instead.

How do you make slime stretchy?

Stretchy slime has just enough activator, not too much. If yours snaps or tears, knead in a pump of hand lotion or a teaspoon of warm water. Stretch it slowly rather than pulling fast, since glue slime tears under sudden force. Next time, add the activator in smaller amounts.

Not Yet is lesson 17 of the program, and it's open in full: a lesson for 5- and 6-year-olds about trying again when something doesn't work the first time.

Read the lesson See all 24 lessons

More to read

Jokes for kids: how this list works

Short answer: Start with the silly jokes if your child is 4 or 5, move to knock-knock and animal jokes next, and save the puns and dad jokes for 6- to 8-year-olds, who are more likely to catch the double meaning.

Every joke here is short enough to remember and tell out loud. Many are puns, where one word sounds like another: "pasta" for "pass the," "moose" for "must." If your child doesn't get one, explaining it once is fine. Some children laugh hardest at a joke the third time, once they know the ending and can say it with you.

Read them aloud together, take turns, and let your child pick favorites to tell at dinner or in the car.

Knock knock jokes for kids

Knock-knock jokes have a fixed pattern, which is why young children like them: they know their lines. You say "Knock knock," they say "Who's there?" and the last line turns a name or a word into a sentence.

• Knock knock. Who's there? Juicy. Juicy who? Juicy my other sock anywhere?
• Knock knock. Who's there? Moose. Moose who? Moose I keep knocking all day?
• Knock knock. Who's there? Pasta. Pasta who? Pasta salt, please. I'm making lunch!
• Knock knock. Who's there? Owl. Owl who? Owl tell you when you open the door!
• Knock knock. Who's there? Wanda. Wanda who? Wanda build a pillow fort with me?
• Knock knock. Who's there? Carrot. Carrot who? Carrot to come out and play?
• Knock knock. Who's there? Muffin. Muffin who? Muffin to worry about. It's just me!
• Knock knock. Who's there? Butter. Butter who? Butter hurry, the bath is getting cold!
• Knock knock. Who's there? Bean. Bean who? Bean out here so long, I grew a beard!
• Knock knock. Who's there? Interrupting sheep. Interrupting sh— BAAAA!

The interrupting joke works with any animal: an interrupting duck, an interrupting lion, an interrupting frog. Some 4-year-olds enjoy it more than a pun, perhaps because the surprise is easy to get.

Funny jokes for kids about animals

Animal jokes work at almost every age: younger children laugh at the picture, and older ones catch the wordplay.

• What do penguins put on their tacos? Chilly sauce.
• What do you call a cat on a road trip? A purr-senger.
• Why did the giraffe get picked first for basketball? Its head was already up by the hoop.
• What sound does a sleepy owl make? Whoooo-yawwwn.
• Why did the elephant bring a suitcase to the beach? It didn't want to leave its trunk at home.
• What's a puppy's favorite day of the week? Chews-day.
• Why did the kangaroo carry a backpack? Its pocket was already full of snacks.
• What do you call a fish that won't share its toys? Shellfish. (Selfish, get it?)
• Why don't ducks like rainy days? They do. That's the whole joke.

That last one is an anti-joke: the answer is the boring truth instead of a pun. Some children ages 6–8 love them, because the joke is that there's no joke.

School jokes kids can tell

These are good for the drive to school or for a lunchbox note.

• Why did the pencil go to the nurse? It was feeling a little dull.
• Why did the clock get sent to the principal's office? It kept tocking in class.
• Why did the crayon go home early? It was feeling blue, and a little green.
• Why was the eraser so popular? It helped everybody fix their mistakes.
• What did the glue stick say at recess? "Let's stick together."
• Why did the backpack keep its zipper shut during the test? It didn't want to give away the answers.
• What do you call a bus full of sleepy kids? A snooze bus.
• Why did the lamp do so well on the test? It was very bright.

The crayon joke is a handy way into a real talk about feelings: "Have you ever felt blue at school? What color are you today?"

Food jokes kids can tell at dinner

Dinner is where many children try out their jokes first, so here's a set that fits the table.

• Why did the noodle go to bed so early? It was pasta its bedtime.
• What did the pancake say to the syrup? "You're so sweet. Let's stick together."
• Why did the egg run across the playground? It was too chicken to stay.
• Why did the toaster go to bed early? It was feeling burned out.
• What's a lemon's favorite thing to do on a hot day? Make lemon-aid for its friends.
• Why did the cheese stay home from the party? It wasn't feeling very gouda.

A small game for picky eaters: ask your child to make up a joke about the food on the plate. Some children are more willing to try a bite of something they've just been laughing at.

Dad jokes for kids

Dad jokes are the puns that make people groan and smile at the same time. Anyone can tell them, and the groan is part of the fun. Some children ages 6–8 love to tell them back to a parent.

• Where do lost socks go? On a sock-ation.
• Our refrigerator is the coolest member of the family.
• My socks have holes in them. The good news is that now my toes can see outside.
• Why can't you trust shoes with a secret? They've always got their tongues out.
• What did the blanket say at bedtime? "Relax, I've got you tucked in."
• I used to think tying shoelaces was hard. Then I got the hang of it, and now I'm totally knot worried.

A dad-joke tradition can be as simple as one joke at breakfast. Some families keep a jar of joke slips and let the child draw one each morning.

Silly jokes for 4- and 5-year-olds

Short answer: Some 4- and 5-year-olds laugh more at silly pictures and surprises than at puns. A joke that puts something where it doesn't belong often works better than wordplay.

• What's yellow and goes "quack-quack-zoom"? A duck on a scooter.
• What's purple and says "moo"? A cow wearing grape pajamas.
• What's pink, round, and goes "oink-oink-splash"? A pig in a swimming pool.
• What's green, has four legs, and wears rain boots? A frog that doesn't like wet feet.
• What's the loudest thing in the bathtub? A rubber duck with a big idea: "QUACK!"
• What's fuzzy, buzzes, and wears sunglasses? A bee on vacation.

Children this age also love to make up jokes that make no sense at all, like "Why did the banana wear boots? Because PIZZA!" Laughing along is fine. They may be learning that a joke has a setup and an ending, with the meaning coming later.

How to help your child tell a joke

Telling a joke is a small performance, and young children often rush the ending or give it away. Three simple tips may help:

• Pause before the punchline. Teach the "wait for it" moment: ask the question, count to two in your head, then answer.
• Practice on a friendly audience. Let them try a joke on you, a grandparent, or a stuffed animal before they try it on friends.
• Let them tell it wrong. If the punchline comes out backward, laugh at the effort. Correcting the joke mid-tell can take the fun out of it.

When a joke falls flat, show that it's no big deal: "That one didn't land. Want to try another?" A child who sees you shrug off a joke that didn't work may learn something useful about small setbacks.

Why do kids ages 4–8 love puns?

A pun works because one word has two meanings, or sounds like another word. To enjoy it, a child has to notice both meanings at once and see why the switch is funny.

The authors of one study note that understanding jokes like these is said to emerge between ages 7 and 11. Their own study was a small study of four children ages 5 to 6½. The children were taught to understand double-meaning jokes through training with many examples and step-by-step error correction. All four came to understand and enjoy the jokes, and they still did at a later check. With only four children, the study can't tell us how most children learn jokes.

It's common for some 4-year-olds to laugh at a pun without understanding it, and for some 7-year-olds to start explaining jokes to you. Puns may also give children a playful way to notice how words work: sounds, rhymes, and words that mean more than one thing.

How jokes can help with frustration

A joke can change the size of a moment. When a tower falls or a shoe won't go on, a light, kind joke may help some children step back from the frustration long enough to try again.

A few ways to use humor without brushing off the feeling:

• Name the feeling first. "That's really frustrating. That shoe is being so stubborn." Then, if they're ready: "Maybe it wants to go on the other foot?"
• Joke about the thing, not the child. The shoe, the tower, the rain can be silly. Your child's tears shouldn't be the joke.
• Watch their face. If a joke makes them angrier, drop it. Some children need a hug or quiet before they can laugh.
• Let them make the joke. A child who says "My block tower is having a nap" has found their own way to make the problem smaller.

In our program, lesson 11, "Wisdom," gives children one question for moments like this: "Is this big, or is this small?" A joke often works only on the small ones, and that's a useful sign too. For bigger feelings, see our guides to coping skills for kids and calming strategies.

Joking or teasing? Where to draw the line

Around this age, some children try out jokes about other people: their looks, their names, their mistakes. A simple test to try: is everyone laughing, including the person the joke is about? If not, it's teasing, even if it was meant to be funny.

You can also model it. Laugh at your own small mistakes, apologize when a joke of yours hurts someone, and point out jokes that make everybody feel good. Bathroom jokes are a separate topic: many families allow them at home but not at the dinner table or at school, and a clear rule may work better than a lecture.

If your child keeps losing games and gets teased for it, our guide to a child who can't handle losing has ideas for both sides of that moment.

What do you call jokes for kids?

Short, silly jokes for children are usually just called kid jokes. Common types include knock-knock jokes, riddle jokes, puns, and "What do you call..." jokes. That last kind names something odd and answers with a made-up word: What do you call a sleepy sock? A snoozie. What do you call a dinosaur that's always on time? A clock-asaurus. Pick an animal, give it one problem, and invent a word together.

What are some "Why did the chicken cross the road" jokes for kids?

They're new versions of "Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side," a well-known anti-joke with a plain, obvious answer. Swap the animal and the place: Why did the turtle cross the road? It's still crossing; give it a minute. Why did the snail cross the sandbox? Nobody knows yet; it hasn't gotten there. Ask your child to make one up about their favorite animal.

What are guess what jokes for kids?

Guess-what jokes start with "Guess what?" and, when the other person says "What?" end with a silly rhyme on "what." "Guess what?" "What?" "A duck in a hut." "Guess what?" "What?" "My sock fell in the pot." Most of the fun is in getting someone to say "What?" again and again, so let your child invent the rhymes.

What are some good jokes for kids?

Good jokes for kids are short, easy to remember, and about things children know: animals, food, school, and home. For ages 4–5, pick jokes with a silly picture in them, like the ones in the silly-jokes section above. For ages 6–8, puns and dad jokes usually work better. The best joke is the one your child can tell on their own, so let them choose.

What are some knock knock jokes?

Here are a few knock-knock jokes to start with: "Knock knock." "Who's there?" "Window." "Window who?" "Window we eat dinner?" Or: "Hugo." "Hugo who?" "Hugo first, I'll go second." To make your own, pick a name or a word that sounds like the start of a sentence, like "Wanda" for "want to," and finish the sentence.

"Is this big, or is this small?" is lesson 11 of the program, "Wisdom." It helps 5- and 6-year-olds sort everyday troubles by size, and a good laugh often belongs with the small ones.

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How to plan a rainy day with kids

Short answer: Alternate. Follow an active game with a quiet one, and a messy project with something you can do on the couch. A rainy day usually goes better as a string of short blocks than as one big plan.

A simple shape for a full day at home:

1. Morning: one active game while energy is high. 2. Late morning: a creative or kitchen project. 3. After lunch: a quiet hour: books, an audio story, a puzzle. 4. Afternoon: another active game, then a kitchen activity before dinner.

Three habits make the day easier:

• Offer three options, not twenty. "Obstacle course, fort, or painting?" A short menu is easier to pick from than an open question.
• Set up before you announce. Tape on the floor or a tray of paint on the table starts the game on its own.
• Plan the cleanup as part of the activity. "When the timer rings, cushions go back" is easier to agree on before the game starts than after.

The times below are rough. Some children spend an hour on something we've marked as 15 minutes, and that's a good day.

Active rainy day activities for kids

These six games are for the moment when your child is bouncing off the furniture. Clear a space first, and move anything breakable.

1. Couch-cushion obstacle course. Lay cushions, pillows, and a blanket into a path: crawl under the table, hop across three cushions, walk the "bridge" (a line of tape). Time it, then try to beat the time. *About 20–30 minutes. You need: cushions, pillows, a blanket, painter's tape.*

2. Painter's tape floor games. Tape a hopscotch grid, a long zigzag line to walk like a tightrope, or a big square to jump in and out of. Painter's tape peels off most floors cleanly; test a corner first. *About 15–30 minutes. You need: painter's tape.*

3. Keep-up. Keep a beach ball or a light scarf off the floor using only hands, then only heads, then only elbows. Count the hits out loud. If you use a balloon instead, play along with your child, and pick up any pieces of a popped balloon right away, since they may be a choking hazard. *About 10–20 minutes. You need: a beach ball or a light scarf.*

4. Animal walk dice. Write six animals on paper and roll a die: 1 is a crab walk, 2 a bear crawl, 3 a frog jump, 4 a penguin waddle, 5 a snake slither, 6 a flamingo stand. Your child can draw the animals first. *About 15 minutes. You need: a die, paper, a pencil.*

5. Hallway bowling. Set up six empty plastic bottles (a little water in each makes them steadier) and roll a soft ball. Let your child keep score with tally marks. *About 20 minutes. You need: plastic bottles, a soft ball.*

6. Freeze dance. Play music, and when it stops, everyone freezes like a statue. Take turns being the one who stops the music. *About 10–15 minutes. You need: a speaker or radio.*

Quiet rainy day activities

Quiet doesn't have to mean dull. These ideas fit the hour after lunch, or the stretch when everyone is a little tired.

7. Blanket fort reading. Drape a sheet over two chairs, add pillows and a flashlight, and bring in a stack of books. Reading in a fort feels different from reading on the couch, even with the same books. *About 30–60 minutes. You need: a sheet, chairs, pillows, a flashlight, books.*

8. Raindrop races. Sit at a window, each pick a raindrop at the top of the glass, and watch which one reaches the bottom first. Give the drops names. *About 10 minutes. You need: a rainy window.*

9. The sorting game. Our printable starter pack includes Two Baskets labels for two boxes and sorting cards to sort into "up to me" and "not up to me." The rain itself goes in the second basket, and what we do with a rainy day goes in the first. Find it on our printables page. *About 15–20 minutes. You need: the printed cards, two bowls or boxes.*

10. Audio story under a blanket. A podcast or an audio book gives your child a story without a screen. Our list of podcasts for kids has shows sorted by age. *About 20–40 minutes. You need: a speaker or audio player.*

11. Flashlight I spy. Close the curtains, turn off the lights, and take turns finding things with a flashlight beam: "I spy something red." *About 15 minutes. You need: a flashlight.*

12. Puzzles and matching. A jigsaw puzzle, or a real-life matching game: a basket of clean socks to pair. Some 4- and 5-year-olds may enjoy the socks more than you'd expect. *About 15–30 minutes. You need: a puzzle or a laundry basket.*

Creative rainy day activities for kids

Creative projects often keep children busy for a while, and many children stay with them longer when they choose what to make.

13. Rain paintings. Paint with watercolors, then hold the paper out the door for a few seconds and see what the raindrops do to the colors. If it's only drizzling, a spray bottle works, too. *About 20–30 minutes. You need: watercolors, thick paper, a brush.*

14. A cardboard box house. One big box becomes a house, a car, a rocket, or a store. Cut doors and windows (the adult does the cutting) and let your child decorate. *About 45–90 minutes, often spread over a day. You need: a large box, markers, tape.*

15. Weather inside drawing. Ask your child to draw the weather outside, then the weather inside them right now: sunny, stormy, foggy, or rainy. In our program, this is lesson 5, "Weather Inside," a simple way to name a feeling. Our feelings wheel for kids comes with a printable if they want more words. *About 15 minutes. You need: paper, crayons.*

16. Sock puppet show. Draw faces on old socks with markers, or glue on yarn for hair. Skip buttons and other small pieces for children who still put things in their mouths. A table turned on its side is the stage. *About 30–45 minutes. You need: old socks, markers, glue.*

17. A paper road town. Tape sheets of paper together on the floor and draw roads, houses, and a park. Toy cars and blocks move in. *About 30–60 minutes. You need: paper, tape, markers, toy cars.*

18. A rainy day book. Fold three sheets of paper in half, and an adult staples the fold to make a small book. Your child draws one thing from today on each page, and you write down what they tell you. *About 20–30 minutes. You need: paper, a stapler, crayons.*

Rainy day activities in the kitchen

The kitchen is warm, it has a table, and it has a sink nearby, which makes it the best room in the house for messy projects. Keep knives, the stove, and hot water as adult jobs.

19. Slime. Glue slime and cornstarch slime for ages 6–8, with an adult at the table. Our guide on how to make slime has four recipes with exact amounts, plus what Poison Control says about borax. *About 15 minutes to make, 30 minutes or more of play. You need: depends on the recipe.*

20. Oobleck. For ages 4–8, and a good pick for the youngest. One cup of cornstarch and half a cup of water, mixed in a tray. It feels solid when you squeeze it and runny when you let go. *About 20–30 minutes. You need: cornstarch, water, a tray.*

21. Sink or float. Fill a big bowl with water and collect objects bigger than your child's fist: an apple, a plastic cup, a large spoon, a bath toy, a sponge. Keep coins, corks, and other small items out for children who still put things in their mouths, and an adult stays at the bowl. Your child guesses first, then tests, and you keep a two-column list. *About 15–20 minutes. You need: a bowl, water, large objects, a towel.*

22. Color mixing cups. Fill three clear cups with water and add red, yellow, and blue food coloring. Use a spoon or a dropper to mix new colors in empty cups. *About 15 minutes. You need: clear cups, food coloring, water, a spoon.*

23. Snack plate faces. Your child builds a face on a plate from cut fruit, cheese, and crackers, then eats it. Cut grapes lengthwise into quarters for young children. For more ideas, see healthy snacks for kids. *About 15 minutes. You need: fruit, cheese, crackers.*

24. Bake together. Use a muffin or cookie recipe you already know. A 4-year-old can pour and stir, a 6-year-old can measure, and an 8-year-old can read the recipe out loud. Then comes the hardest part: waiting for them to bake. *About 45–60 minutes. You need: your usual recipe.*

When they say "I'm bored"

At some point on a rainy day, you'll hear it. Boredom isn't always a problem to fix right away. Some children may find a game of their own a few minutes after complaining that there's nothing to do.

A few ways to respond:

• Keep a rainy day jar. Write a dozen ideas from this list on slips of paper. When your child is stuck, they pull one out. Drawing from a jar feels like a game, not a chore.
• Name the feeling and wait a little. "You're bored. That's an uncomfortable feeling. Let's see what you come up with." Then give it a few minutes before stepping in.
• Offer a job. Helping with something real, like matching socks, setting the table, or watering plants, may help with boredom. Our chore chart for kids has a printable with picture jobs.

On a long day indoors, many families notice the tablet comes out more. If that's a battle in your house, our guides to screen time rules for kids and what to do when your child won't turn off the tablet may help.

Keeping a long day indoors calm

A full day inside can bring more arguments: over who goes first, who won, and whose turn it is. Arguments are common, especially with siblings in a small space.

Agree on the rules before the game. "Everyone gets three turns. The timer decides when we switch." It's easier to point at a rule you made together than to judge in the middle of a fight.

Expect losing to be hard. Bowling and races have winners and losers. Losing can sting for many 4- to 6-year-olds. Our guide to the child who can't handle losing has phrases that help in the moment.

Build in a pause. When everyone is getting loud, stop the game for a minute: three slow breaths, a drink of water, then decide together whether to keep going. In our program, this is lesson 4, "The Pause Button": stop, breathe, choose.

Give each child some space. A fort, a corner with a book, or a separate room for 20 minutes may help siblings who have been together since breakfast. For more, see our guide to sibling rivalry.

End the day on purpose. Before bed, ask: "What was the best part of today?" A rainy day can end up a good day.

What to do on a rainy day?

Go outside, if there's no thunder or lightning. A puddle walk in rain boots and a raincoat is one of the best rainy day activities there is. Jump in puddles, float leaves, and listen to the rain on an umbrella. The National Weather Service's lightning slogan is "When thunder roars, go indoors." On stormy days, pick an idea from the lists above.

Where to take kids on a rainy day?

Try the public library, which often has story times and play areas. Children's museums, science centers, aquariums, and indoor pools are other good options, and some offer reduced-price days or library passes. Check opening hours and how crowded it gets, since rainy days are busy. Even a trip to a big grocery store can feel like an outing for a 4-year-old.

Are there any indoor play areas for kids?

Yes, most towns have some: indoor playgrounds, play cafes, trampoline parks, and community or recreation centers with open gym hours. Many have age zones or age limits, and trampoline parks often require grip socks and a signed waiver. Call ahead or check the website, since rainy days can mean waits or capacity limits.

What are some fun indoor games for kids at home?

Card and board games work well for ages 4–8: Go Fish, memory, Uno, and simple dice games. Classic party games need no equipment at all: Simon Says, hide-and-seek, charades with animals, and Hot or Cold to find a hidden toy. For more movement, try freeze dance or balloon keep-up from the active list above.

What are the best movies to watch on a rainy day?

For a family movie with children ages 4–7, start with films rated G by the MPA, then check each title's scary scenes. Our list of G-rated movies explains what the rating does and doesn't tell you. A movie can be a good end to a rainy afternoon, especially after a day of active play.

The Pause Button and Weather Inside are lessons 4 and 5 of the program, and both work on a long day indoors. The Pause Button is open in full.

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Riddles for kids: how to use this list

Short answer: Read one riddle aloud, give your child time to guess, and offer a clue before the answer. Start one level below their age; an easy win makes them want another.

Each set is numbered, and the answers come in a separate list right after it. If you're reading from a phone, scroll only as far as the riddles.

A few ground rules make riddle time more fun:

• Wait longer than feels natural. Ten seconds of quiet thinking is a long time for a young child, and that's fine.
• Give clues, not answers. "It's something in the kitchen." "You used it this morning."
• Every guess counts. A wrong answer that fits the clues is a good guess. Say so: "Ooh, a cat does have whiskers. But this one lives in water."
• Swap roles. Once they've solved a few, let them ask you, and take your time guessing.

Easy riddles for kids ages 4 and 5

These are "What am I?" riddles about everyday things a preschooler knows. Each clue is something they can picture.

1. I'm round and bouncy. You can kick me, throw me, and catch me. What am I? 2. I live on your bed. I'm soft and squishy, and your head rests on me every night. What am I? 3. I'm orange, I grow under the ground, and bunnies love to munch me. What am I? 4. I come out after the rain. I'm shaped like a bow, and I have lots of colors. What am I? 5. I say "woof," I wag my tail, and I love to fetch. What am I? 6. You put me on your feet before your shoes. I come in pairs, and sometimes one of me gets lost. What am I? 7. I'm cold and sweet, and I melt if you wait too long. You lick me on a hot day. What am I? 8. I'm yellow, and I shine in the sky all day. At night I go away, and the moon comes out. What am I? 9. I'm full of water and bubbles, and you sit in me before bedtime. What am I?

Answers: 1. A ball. 2. A pillow. 3. A carrot. 4. A rainbow. 5. A dog. 6. A sock. 7. Ice cream (or a popsicle). 8. The sun. 9. A bath.

If a 4-year-old shouts "a cat!" for the dog riddle, ask which clue doesn't fit: "Does a cat say woof?" Checking a guess against the clues is worth praising.

Riddles for kids ages 6 and 7

Some children ages 6 and 7 enjoy riddles where a clue means something a little different from what it seems to.

1. I have a mouth that's always open, and you feed me letters. What am I? 2. I get shorter every time you draw a picture with me. What am I? 3. I copy every move you make outside, but I never say a word, and I hide when it's cloudy. What am I? 4. You peel off my jacket before you eat me, and I'm shaped like a smile. What am I? 5. When it rains, I open up. When it's sunny, I fold myself up small. What am I? 6. I hang on the wall and have a box for every day. I know when your birthday is. What am I? 7. I'm what many kids call their father. I have three letters, I start and end with D, and I read the same backward. What am I? 8. I'm full of words, but I never talk. Open me, and I'll tell you a story. What am I? 9. I have lots of seats, big round wheels, and a long yellow body, and I pick up kids in the morning. What am I? 10. You can't see me, but you can hear me whistle, and I can make the trees dance. What am I?

Answers: 1. A mailbox. 2. A crayon (or a pencil). 3. Your shadow. 4. A banana. 5. An umbrella. 6. A calendar. 7. "Dad." 8. A book. 9. A school bus. 10. The wind.

Riddle 7 is a good door into palindromes, words that read the same both ways. Ask your child to find more: mom, pop, wow, noon.

Hard riddles and math riddles for 8-year-olds

These take a bit more thinking: some are math riddles, some are word riddles, and some have more than one fair answer.

1. Mia is taller than Leo. Leo is taller than Sam. Who is the shortest? 2. In the yard, there are 2 dogs, 1 chicken, and 1 kid. How many legs are there in all? 3. I'm a number. Double me and add 2, and you get 10. What number am I? 4. Take the first letter off a fruit, and you get something you hear with. What's the fruit? 5. Ana, Ben, and Cal stand in a line. Ben is not first. Ana is right behind Ben. Who is first? 6. I'm a number, but not zero. Add me to myself, or multiply me by myself, and you get the same answer. What number am I? 7. I'm a three-letter word for something you cook soup in. Spell me backward, and I'm the opposite of "bottom." What am I? 8. Four kids share 12 grapes equally. Then each kid gives 1 grape to the dog. How many grapes does each kid have now?

Answers: 1. Sam. 2. Twelve: 4 + 4 for the dogs, 2 for the chicken, and 2 for the kid. 3. Four. 4. A pear (pear without the p is ear). 5. Cal (Cal, then Ben, then Ana). 6. Two: 2 + 2 = 4, and 2 × 2 = 4. 7. A pot (backward, it spells "top"). 8. Two each: 12 ÷ 4 = 3, and 3 − 1 = 2.

For math riddles, paper helps. Drawing the dogs and the chicken and counting the legs is still solving the riddle.

Funny riddles for kids

These riddles have silly answers, so they work well with a group: everyone groans or laughs when the answer comes out.

1. I'm green, I hop, and I'm terrible at hiding in a red room. What am I? 2. I'm slow, I have a shell, and I bring my whole house to every sleepover. What am I? 3. I'm brown and sticky, and I glue the roof of your mouth shut. What am I? 4. I'm orange with black stripes, I roar, and I'd lose every game of hide-and-seek in the snow. What am I? 5. I tickle your nose first, and then I come out with a loud "ah-choo!" What am I? 6. What's always in the middle of every cookie?

Answers: 1. A frog. 2. A snail (a turtle works too). 3. Peanut butter. 4. A tiger. 5. A sneeze. 6. "OK": look at the middle of c-o-o-k-i-e.

Riddle 6 is a spelling riddle. If your child is just learning letters, write the word down and let them find the answer on paper.

Trick riddles that teach kids to stop and think

In these riddles, the first answer that pops into your head is wrong. That's on purpose. These riddles may give children a chance to practice noticing a fast answer and checking it before saying it out loud.

1. A spider has 8 legs. How many legs do 2 spiders and 1 goldfish have in all? 2. Leo picks 4 apples, then eats 1 banana. How many apples does Leo have? 3. Max is 5, and his sister is 3. When Max turns 6, how old will his sister be? 4. Which weighs more: a big dog, or the same big dog wearing a tiny hat? 5. Nora has 6 crayons. She lends 2 to a friend for one picture, and the friend gives them back. How many crayons does Nora have now? 6. A cat sits far away at the end of the yard. A mouse sits right in front of you, so it looks bigger than the cat. Which animal is bigger in real life? 7. Which is longer: a week, or seven days?

Answers: 1. Sixteen (8 + 8; the goldfish has no legs). 2. Four (the banana doesn't change the apples). 3. Four; Max is always 2 years older. 4. The dog wearing the hat, by a tiny bit. 5. Six; she got them back. 6. The cat; the mouse only looks bigger because it's close. 7. Neither; a week is seven days.

When your child falls for one, laugh together and point out what happened: "Your brain jumped to an answer really fast! That happens to grown-ups too. Let's try the next one slowly."

How to play "Pause first" with trick riddles

Trick riddles turn into a small practice game for something many young children find hard: not saying the first thing that comes to mind.

In our program, lesson 4, "The Pause Button," teaches a three-step routine: Stop. Breathe. Choose. You can borrow it for riddle time:

• Stop. After you ask the riddle, everyone puts their hands on their head. No answers yet.
• Breathe. One slow breath out, together.
• Choose. Now your child says the answer they choose, and why.

The point isn't to get every riddle right. It's to practice the gap between "I know!" and saying it. Some children who rehearse that gap in a game may find it a little easier to use when the stakes are higher, like when a sibling grabs a toy. That's our hope, not a research finding. For more games built on the same pause, see our list of self-control activities.

What to do when a riddle is too hard

A riddle that feels impossible can lead to tears, especially for a child who hates getting things wrong. A few ways to keep it fun:

• Use a clue ladder. Give clues from vague to obvious: "It's in the house." "It's in the bathroom." "You use it with toothpaste."
• Offer two choices. "Is it a pillow or a spoon?" Picking from two is still solving.
• Let the riddle wait. "Let's save this one for after lunch." Some children come back with the answer an hour later, very proud.
• Say what they did well. "You checked every clue. That's exactly how riddle solvers think."

If frustration comes fast, the ideas in how to teach kids patience may help, and a joke can lighten things up: our jokes for kids are sorted by age too.

What riddles practice, and what they don't

Riddles are a game first, and they don't need a learning goal to be worth doing. Still, a riddle asks a child to do several things at once: hold a few clues in mind, compare them, set aside a guess that doesn't fit, and try again. For some riddles, they also have to notice that a word can mean two things.

Those are useful habits, and riddles may give children a playful way to practice them. We don't know of good evidence that riddles on their own make children smarter or better at school, so it's best to treat them as fun practice, not a lesson.

What riddles do reliably give you is a few minutes of talking and thinking together, with no screen and no equipment. That alone makes them worth keeping in your pocket for the next long wait.

How to make up riddles with your child

Making up riddles is often more fun than solving them, and it's easier than it sounds. Use a simple pattern: three clues, then the question.

• What I look like: "I'm long and green."
• What I do or where I live: "I live in a pond."
• One extra hint: "I say ribbit."
• Then the question: "What am I?"

Start with things your child can see right now: a spoon, the car, the cat. Young children often give the answer away in the first clue ("I'm a dog and I say woof"). That's fine. Laugh, and show them how to hide the name: "Let's say 'I have four legs' instead of 'I'm a dog.'"

Hiding the answer may also help children think about what the other person knows and doesn't know yet. Writing riddles down, or drawing a picture for each answer, makes a small riddle book your child can share with grandparents or friends.

What is a riddle?

A riddle is a question or a short description that hides its answer, so the listener has to figure it out from clues. Some riddles describe a thing without naming it ("I have a long neck and spots"). Others play with words, use a trick, or hide a little math problem. For young children, the simplest riddles are "What am I?" riddles about everyday objects and animals.

What are "What am I?" riddles for kids?

"What am I?" riddles are written as if the answer is talking about itself: "I have a long neck, I eat leaves from tall trees, and I have spots. What am I?" (A giraffe.) They're a good first kind of riddle for ages 4 and 5, because each clue describes something real. They're also simple for a child to invent; the pattern is in the section on making up riddles.

What are "Who am I?" riddles for kids?

"Who am I?" riddles describe a person instead of a thing, usually a job or a character: "I wear a helmet, I drive a big red truck, and I spray water on fires. Who am I?" (A firefighter.) They work well for ages 4–7. You can make family versions too: "I make pancakes on Sundays, and I snore. Who am I?"

What are some riddles for kids?

Here are a few riddles for kids that aren't in the lists above: "I'm white and fluffy, I float in the sky, and sometimes I bring rain. What am I?" (A cloud.) "I'm big and gray, I have a trunk, and I never pack a suitcase. What am I?" (An elephant.) "I get bigger when you blow into me and pop if you blow too much. What am I?" (A balloon.)

Stop. Breathe. Choose. "The Pause Button" is lesson 4 of the program, and it's open in full.

Read the lesson See all 24 lessons

More to read

What Sinners is about

Sinners is a horror film written and directed by Ryan Coogler. In 1932 Mississippi, twin brothers Smoke and Stack, both played by Michael B. Jordan, come home from Chicago and open a juke joint, where a vampire named Remmick threatens their guests. Warner Bros. released it in US theaters on April 18, 2025. It received a record 16 Oscar nominations and won four, including Best Actor for Jordan, according to Wikipedia.

Sinners parents guide: what's in it

Short answer: R in the US, 15 in the UK, 16 in Germany.

• US (MPA): R, strong bloody violence, sexual content and language.
• UK (BBFC): 15, strong bloody violence, gore, horror, language, sex, sex references, racism.
• Germany (FSK): 16, violence, threat, injury.
• Common Sense Media: 16+.

The BBFC lists vampire bites with ragged bleeding wounds, grisly facial injuries, scenes of strong horror and threat, sex scenes with thrusting detail, crude sex references, strong language, and racist terms and references to lynchings in the 1930s setting. Common Sense Media adds frequent jump scares and characters who smoke throughout.

Why is Sinners rated R?

Short answer: The MPA rated it R "for strong bloody violence, sexual content and language."

The BBFC's detail matches all three: people and vampires are shot, impaled, slashed with blades, or set on fire, "resulting in gushing blood and gory injury detail"; there are sex scenes; and the strong language includes "fk" and "motherfker."

The habit kids may copy: the cigarette

Characters smoke throughout the film, and one drinks heavily from a flask, per Common Sense Media.

Try tonight: one job for someone else

At dinner, give everyone one small job that helps another person: passing the bread, filling a cup, carrying a plate. Ask: "Who can I help tonight?" In our program, this is the lesson "Stepping In": we're here to help each other.

What is Sinners rated?

R in the US, "for strong bloody violence, sexual content and language." It's 15 in the UK and 16 in Germany.

What age is Sinners for?

It's R in the US (under 17 requires a parent or adult guardian) and 15 in the UK. Common Sense Media lists it for 16+.

Is Sinners scary?

The BBFC lists scenes of strong horror and threat as people are attacked by vampires. Common Sense Media notes frequent jump scares.

How many Oscars did Sinners win?

Four, out of a record 16 nominations at the 98th Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, per Wikipedia.

More from “Is it good for kids?”

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "Stepping In": we're here to help each other.

See the program All games and shows

What Terrifier is about

Terrifier is a horror series written and directed by Damien Leone. In each film, Art the Clown, played by David Howard Thornton, stalks and kills people on a holiday: Halloween in Terrifier (2016) and Terrifier 2 (2022), Christmas in Terrifier 3 (October 2024). Terrifier 3 cost about $2 million and made about $90 million worldwide, according to Wikipedia. A fourth film is in development; as of October 2026, we couldn't confirm a release date.

Terrifier parents guide: what's in it

Short answer: Unrated in the US; 18 in the UK and Germany for all three films.

• Terrifier (2016): BBFC 18, strong gory violence, injury detail. FSK 18; a cut version is FSK 16.
• Terrifier 2 (2022): BBFC 18, strong gory violence, injury detail, very strong language. FSK 18.
• Terrifier 3 (2024): BBFC 18, strong gory violence, injury detail. FSK 18.
• Common Sense Media: 17+, 17+, and 18+.

The BBFC lists people being mutilated and dismembered, sustained sadistic violence, strong sustained threat, strong language, sexualized nudity and a strong sex scene, and drug misuse.

Why isn't Terrifier rated R?

Short answer: It isn't rated by the MPA at all. Filmratings.com, the MPA's rating database, has no entry for any Terrifier film, and Common Sense Media lists all three as NR (not rated).

When Terrifier 3 opened unrated, The A.V. Club reported, citing The Hollywood Reporter, that most theaters, including AMC, Regal, and Cinemark, treated it like an R-rated film and wouldn't sell tickets to minors who came alone.

Why young kids know Art the Clown

Spirit Halloween sold an officially licensed, 6.2-foot Art the Clown animatronic in 2024 for $200; it honks a horn and waves, per Halloween Daily News. The Philadelphia Inquirer called Art "the Spirit mascot" and reported children as young as 5 at a June 2026 Spirit Halloween event on the Wildwood boardwalk, some lining up for a photo with Art.

The habit kids may copy: the silent clown

Art the Clown doesn't talk. Common Sense Media calls him a "silent, evil killer clown"; the store animatronic just honks and waves.

Try tonight: person or machine?

If your child has seen Art the Clown in a store, look at a photo of the animatronic together. Ask: "Is that a real person, or a machine someone built?" Find the parts that show it's made: the stand, the plug, the switch. In our program, this is the lesson "True or Made Up": checking a fear against the facts.

What is Terrifier rated?

It has no MPA rating in the US. The BBFC and Germany's FSK rate all three films 18 (adults only).

Is Terrifier 3 rated R?

No. Terrifier 3 opened in US theaters unrated, and filmratings.com has no entry for it. The BBFC rates it 18 for strong gory violence and injury detail.

What age is Terrifier for?

The BBFC and FSK rate all three 18 (adults only). Common Sense Media lists Terrifier and Terrifier 2 for 17+ and Terrifier 3 for 18+.

Who is Art the Clown?

The killer in the Terrifier films, played by David Howard Thornton. Spirit Halloween sells a licensed Art the Clown animatronic.

More from “Is it good for kids?”

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "True or Made Up": checking a fear against the facts.

See the program All games and shows

What The Odyssey is about

The Odyssey is Christopher Nolan's film of Homer's epic poem. Matt Damon plays Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca, on his journey home from war; Tom Holland plays his son Telemachus, Anne Hathaway his wife Penelope, and Zendaya the goddess Athena. Universal released it in US and UK theaters on July 17, 2026, according to Wikipedia; it runs 173 minutes. According to Wikipedia, it's the first feature shot entirely on IMAX 70 mm film cameras, and, at $1.791 billion worldwide as of October 2026, the highest-grossing R-rated film ever.

Why is The Odyssey rated R?

Short answer: The MPA rated it R "for violence and some language." That's the MPA's full wording; it doesn't list more detail.

The UK's BBFC gives more detail. It rates the film 15 for strong violence: battles with bows and arrows, stabbings and impalings from bladed weapons with blood spurts, and fantastical creatures that bite, crush, and dismember people. It also lists drownings, poisonings, beatings, and a decapitation, and an animal thrown to its death. On language, the BBFC notes infrequent use of "f**k," plus "bastard" and "shit."

The Odyssey parents guide: what's in it

Short answer: R in the US, 15 in the UK, 12 in Germany for the home release.

• US (MPA): R, violence and some language.
• UK (BBFC): 15, strong violence.
• Germany (FSK): 12, violence and injury.
• Common Sense Media: 15+.

The BBFC also lists attacks by fantastical creatures, scenes of physical transformation, a brief implied sex scene, a character eating a flower with narcotic properties, drunkenness, brief verbal references to sexual violence, and references to the murder of children. Common Sense Media mentions monsters eating men, a Cyclops's eye being poked out, a six-headed snake with a jump scare, and a puppy tossed off a cliff.

The habit kids may copy: the lotus flower

Odysseus eats lotus flowers that make him forget, per Common Sense Media; the BBFC describes a flower with narcotic properties.

Try tonight: another way home

Make a path of pillows to the couch, the "island." Halfway, lay a blanket across it as the "storm." Ask: "That way's blocked. What's another way home?" Let your child find a second route. In our program, this is the lesson "Plan B": if one way doesn't work, try another.

Why is The Odyssey rated R?

The MPA rated it R "for violence and some language." The UK's BBFC rates it 15 for strong violence, including stabbings, impalings, and creatures that dismember people.

What age is The Odyssey for?

It's R in the US (under 17 requires a parent or adult guardian) and 15 in the UK. Common Sense Media lists it for 15+.

Is The Odyssey rated R or PG-13?

R. The MPA's certificate 55909 lists it as "Rated R for violence and some language."

What is The Odyssey rated in Germany?

FSK 12 for the home entertainment release, with violence and injury as content descriptors.

More from “Is it good for kids?”

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "Plan B": if one way doesn't work, try another.

See the program All games and shows

Average minutes per day spent on each media activity, children ages 5–8, US parent report, August 2024 (Common Sense Census 2025, Key Table B). Averages include children who did not do the activity. Source: Common Sense Media, The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Kids Zero to Eight, 2025, Key Table B (time spent with media, by activity and age, 2024) · © Common Sense Media; figures cited with attribution. Chart: Raising Stoics — free to embed with credit.

• In August 2024, US parents reported that children ages 5–8 averaged 3 hours 28 minutes a day of screen media, compared with 2 hours 8 minutes at ages 2–4 and 1 hour 3 minutes under age 2 (Common Sense Census 2025).
• At ages 5–8, the averages for listening to music (35 minutes a day; not a screen activity), games on a smartphone or tablet (34), longer videos on apps such as YouTube (32), and streamed shows and movies (31) were within a few minutes of each other; the report does not test whether these activities differ. Short videos on TikTok, Reels, or YouTube Shorts averaged 22 minutes, and 27% of children that age watched them every day.
• Reading or being read to from print books averaged 27 minutes a day at ages 5–8. Separately, the share of 5- to 8-year-olds who read or are read to daily was 52% in 2024, compared with 63% in 2020 and 64% in 2017.
• In Nielsen's ranking of streaming viewed on US TV sets, Bluey was the most-streamed title of 2025, at 45.2 billion minutes. From January to June 2026, it was the top title among viewers ages 2–11, followed by PAW Patrol and SpongeBob SquarePants.
• US toy dollar sales grew 6% in 2025, and Pokémon was the top toy property at $2.5 billion (Circana). Among the 2025 US children's print bestsellers were Dog Man #14, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and two Ms. Rachel board books (Circana BookScan via Publishers Weekly).
• Each source measures something different: minutes reported by parents, viewing on TV sets, global Netflix views, or units and dollars sold. The numbers sit side by side in this story but can't be added up or ranked against each other.

These numbers describe averages, not what your child should do. A child who spends an hour on YouTube and a child who never touches it both contribute to the 32-minute average. One practical use of these data is a quick check of your own family: which of these activities fills most of your child's day, who chooses what they watch, and what that time replaces. If one item, such as autoplay videos or a phone game, takes far more time than you'd like, it may be easier to start with that one item than to change everything at once. It also helps to know what Bluey, Dog Man, or KPop Demon Hunters are before your child asks.

Nielsen measures streaming viewed on TV sets in US homes, for everyone ages 2 and up. Its 2025 year-end ranking put Bluey first among all streaming titles with 45.2 billion minutes on Disney+. Nielsen notes that Bluey episodes average about eight minutes and that children make up more than half its audience. KPop Demon Hunters was the top kids movie of 2025 at 20.5 billion minutes, with 48% of its audience ages 2–11, and Moana 2 was second at 9.4 billion. Nielsen counts a movie as a kids movie when viewers ages 2–11 account for at least 30% of its minutes.

In the first half of 2026, Bluey was second among all titles with 22.81 billion minutes and, in Nielsen's words, the top title among viewers ages 2–11 "by a substantial margin." PAW Patrol (13.56 billion minutes) and SpongeBob SquarePants (16.89 billion) were second and third among ages 2–11. Zootopia 2 led kids movies with 6.54 billion minutes, and KPop Demon Hunters was second with 5.59 billion.

Netflix publishes its own global figures twice a year, counted as views: hours viewed divided by runtime. Its report on the second half of 2025 named kids and family titles such as Gabby's Dollhouse (108 million views across seasons), Peppa Pig (90 million), and Ms. Rachel (73 million); this is a list of examples, not a ranking. For the first half of 2026, Netflix called Ms. Rachel its most-watched kids title (69 million views across two seasons), followed by Mark Rober's CrunchLabs (36 million), Salish & Jordan Matter (29 million), and Danny Go! (26 million). In the same report, the animated films Swapped (131 million) and KPop Demon Hunters (130 million) had more views.

Because Nielsen counts US minutes on TV sets and Netflix counts global views on its own service, a title's place in one list says nothing about its place in the other. Our parent guides cover most of these kids TV shows and movies: Bluey, PAW Patrol, SpongeBob SquarePants, Ms. Rachel, Gabby's Dollhouse, KPop Demon Hunters, and Zootopia 2.

Nielsen 2025 (full year): US streaming minutes on TV sets, viewers ages 2+

Source: Nielsen ARTEY Awards 2025, period Dec. 30, 2024–Dec. 28, 2025. Measure: total viewing minutes on TV sets, persons 2+, Nielsen Streaming Content Ratings.

Nielsen, January–June 2026: US streaming minutes on TV sets, viewers ages 2+, and rank among viewers ages 2–11

Source: Nielsen first-half 2026 streaming charts and Streamscape 2026 (period Dec. 29, 2025–June 28, 2026). Measure: total viewing minutes on TV sets, persons 2+, Nielsen Streaming Content Ratings. The rank among ages 2–11 is Nielsen's, based on viewing by that age group, so it doesn't follow the minutes for all ages.

Netflix: global views of selected kids and family titles (hours viewed ÷ runtime)

Source: Netflix, What We Watched engagement reports for the second half of 2025 (published Jan. 20, 2026) and the first half of 2026 (published July 16, 2026). All Netflix members worldwide, all ages. Titles are those Netflix named in its kids and family summaries; the 2025 list is not ranked.

Pew Research Center surveyed 3,054 US parents of children 12 and under in May 2025, including 699 parents answering about a 5- to 7-year-old. Among those parents, 85% said their child ever watches YouTube and 48% said the child watches it daily. Ten percent said their 5- to 7-year-old uses TikTok.

The Common Sense Census asked what kinds of online videos children watch. At ages 5–8, the types most often watched "often or sometimes" were animal videos (62%), how-to and DIY videos (56%), educational videos (54%), learning videos about letters, numbers, or feelings (53%), and videos of people playing video games (52%). Nursery rhymes and children's music were reported for 37% of 5- to 8-year-olds, compared with 77% at ages 2–4.

Across all children 0–8, streaming services accounted for 35% of daily TV and video viewing, longer videos on apps such as YouTube 32%, short-video apps 16%, DVDs 11%, and live TV 6%. Our guides to YouTube Kids and YouTube cover settings and ratings.

Common Sense Census 2025: types of online video watched "often or sometimes," ages 5–8

Source: Common Sense Census 2025, Table 10. Sample: 1,578 US parents of children 0–8, August 2024. Measure: parent says the child watches this type of online video often or sometimes.

Gaming is where the age gap is widest. In the Common Sense data, 72% of children ages 5–8 played video games, and they averaged 1 hour 4 minutes of gaming a day, compared with 21 minutes at ages 2–4. More than half of that time at ages 5–8 (34 minutes) was on smartphones or tablets. Among 5- to 8-year-olds, 42% played online games on their own often or sometimes, 26% played social games online with people they know, and 17% with people they don't know.

Pew's 2025 survey shows how many young children use each device. Among parents of a 5- to 7-year-old, 81% said their child ever uses or interacts with a tablet, 58% a smartphone, and 52% a gaming device; 12% said the child has their own smartphone, which is a separate question about ownership. In the Common Sense survey, 58% of children ages 5–8 had their own tablet.

The two surveys ask different questions: Pew asks whether a child ever uses a device, while Common Sense asks about ownership and minutes. The most-played games among young children are not reported in either survey; for individual titles, see our guides to Roblox, Minecraft, and Pokémon.

Pew Research Center 2025: parents of a child ages 5–7 who say the child ever uses or interacts with…

Source: Pew Research Center, How Parents Manage Screen Time for Kids, Oct. 8, 2025, appendix tables. Sample: 3,054 US parents of children 12 and under, surveyed May 13–26, 2025, including 699 parents answering about a child ages 5–7 (margin of error ±4.6 points); parents with several children answered about one randomly selected child. Own smartphone (12% at ages 5–7) is a separate question and is not shown here.

Publishers Weekly's 2025 lists are based on US print unit sales at outlets reporting to Circana BookScan, which tracks about 85% of the print market. The lists are split by format (hardcover and paperback, new and backlist titles) and cover all children's and young adult ages. From them, we picked books for young children. Dog Man #14 sold 793,474 copies and Dog Man #13 another 683,485. The Very Hungry Caterpillar board book sold 565,688, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? sold 516,043.

Three of the nine books in our table are tied to screen characters: two Ms. Rachel board books, which together sold more than 690,000 copies, and Bluey: Let's Play Games! (171,010).

In the Common Sense survey, reading or being read to from print books averaged 27 minutes a day at ages 5–8. Separately, the share of 5- to 8-year-olds who read or are read to every day was 52% in 2024, compared with 63% in 2020 and 64% in 2017. Our guide to Dog Man covers the movie and books.

US print copies sold in 2025, selected books for young children (our selection)

Source: Publishers Weekly, 2025 children's bestsellers, based on Circana BookScan. Measure: print units sold in 2025 at reporting outlets. PW's lists are by format, not age; titles here come from the hardcover frontlist and backlist lists. We selected picture books, board books, and Dog Man, and left out titles for older readers, such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid #20 (838,492 copies).

Circana tracks US toy sales in dollars, not who plays with them. In 2025, total toy sales rose 6%. Games & Puzzles, the largest category, grew 37%, driven primarily by Pokémon, which became the top toy property at $2.5 billion in sales, up 87%. Building sets grew 15%. Outdoor and sports toys, plush, and dolls declined the most.

In the first half of 2026, US toy sales rose 17% compared with the same months of 2025. Much of that growth was in toys bought for adults ages 18 and over (up 25%) and for teens ages 12–17 (up 33%), and adult-only households made up 55% of toy sales. Licensed toys made up 39% of toy sales. So the fastest-growing toy categories are not necessarily the ones young children play with most.

Industry awards are a separate kind of list, not based on sales figures. At the Toy Association's 2026 Toy of the Year awards, Primal Hatch won Toy of the Year, Bluey was named License of the Year, and a Pokémon trading card set won the People's Choice award, which went to the entry with the most online votes from consumers.

Circana: change in US toy dollar sales

Source: Circana press releases of Feb. 3, 2026 (full year 2025) and on the first half of 2026. Measure: US dollar sales from Circana's Retail Tracking Service, all buyers and recipients, not only children. Pokémon, the top toy property of 2025, had $2.5 billion in US sales, up 87%. Toy of the Year winners: Toy Association press release, Feb. 13, 2026.

Music is the biggest single activity in the Common Sense data for ages 5–8, at 35 minutes a day. Audiobooks averaged 4 minutes and podcasts about 1. Screen-free audio players such as Toniebox and Yoto were in 8% of homes with children 0–8.

Edison Research released its first list of the most popular podcasts among US children 12 and under in April 2026, based on parents who listen to podcasts weekly. Wow in the World ranked first, followed by Brains On!, Story Pirates, Circle Round, and But Why. Our guides compare Tonies and Yoto.

Start with what your child actually does. For one ordinary weekday, write down roughly how long each activity in the chart took. If one or two items take far more time than the rest, start there.

Watch or play alongside them now and then. Among parents of children 0–8 in the Common Sense survey, 74% said they watch their child's TV shows with them at least some of the time, 62% watch YouTube together, and 27% play console video games together. Sitting in on a game or a channel once can show you what your child sees.

Look up the titles your child asks for. Our Is it good for kids? guides list official age ratings, ads, purchases, and contact with strangers for each show, game, and app. If a favorite creator also sells snacks, our Snack check lists what is in them.

Keep books near screens. Three of the nine bestsellers in our table are tied to shows (the Ms. Rachel and Bluey books), so a book about a show your child already likes may be an easy next step.

Source: Common Sense Media, The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Kids Zero to Eight, 2025, Key Table B (time spent with media, by activity and age, 2024). License: © Common Sense Media; figures cited with attribution.

The chart shows Common Sense Census 2025, Key Table B: average time spent in a typical day with each media activity, ages 5–8, as reported by parents in a nationally representative online survey (KnowledgePanel) of 1,578 US parents of children 0–8, conducted August 5–29, 2024; margin of error for the full sample ±2.9%. Values are published as hours:minutes; we converted them to minutes. Averages are across all children in the age group, including those who did not do the activity. Key Table B marks significant differences between age groups, not between activities, so the bars should not be read as a ranking. The report's wording on short videos is ambiguous: one passage describes the 22-minute average for ages 5–8 as among children who watch short videos; we show the value as printed in Key Table B. Reading rows are the report's "Reading/being read to" category, split into print and electronic. Activities under 4 minutes a day (podcasts, smart speakers, taking pictures, AI tools) are not charted. The tables below come from other sources, each labeled with source, year, sample, and measure; they are not comparable with the chart or with each other. We checked every figure against the original report, press release, or data page in October 2026. We left out figures we could not open at the source, including Ofcom's 2026 children's media report, Roblox experience rankings, and third-party YouTube channel charts.

Download the data (CSV) All figures, nine sources (CSV)

What do kids watch on YouTube?

In the Common Sense Census, which asked about online videos in general (including YouTube, PBS, and Khan Academy), the types most often watched by children ages 5–8 were animal videos (62% often or sometimes), how-to and DIY videos (56%), educational videos (54%), and videos of people playing video games (52%). Children ages 2–4 watched more nursery rhymes and learning videos.

Is YouTube Kids safe?

YouTube Kids selects videos with automatic filters, and YouTube's help pages say unwanted videos can still get through. Parents can choose an age level, turn off search, set a timer, block channels, or approve every video themselves. Our YouTube Kids guide lists these settings, its age rating, and links to YouTube's help pages.

How much screen time by age do kids have?

In Common Sense Media's 2024 survey of US parents, average daily screen time was 1 hour 3 minutes under age 2, 2 hours 8 minutes at ages 2–4, and 3 hours 28 minutes at ages 5–8. These are averages across all children, not recommendations; our data story on reducing screen time covers pediatric guidance.

Where to watch educational kids shows?

Netflix's engagement reports for late 2025 and early 2026 named Ms. Rachel, Mark Rober's CrunchLabs, and Sesame Street among its kids and family titles, with between 6 million and 73 million views each in a half-year. Netflix does not label titles as educational. In the Common Sense survey, 42% of children ages 5–8 often or sometimes watched educational TV programs such as Sesame Street.

The course is built around picture books you read together, with questions about how the characters feel.

See the program

Read next

• Screen Time Rules for Kids: A Simple Family Plan for Ages 4–7
• Best YouTube Channels for Kids: What to Turn On Instead
• When Do Kids Learn to Read? What's Normal From 4 to 7
• How to reduce screen time for kids: 1 in 5 children ages 6–11 spend 4+ hours a day on screens
• Blind box toys: 12 of 23 popular kids' toys sell some items in blind boxes

Bruh at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does bruh mean?

Short answer: "Bro," or "Seriously?"

• "Bruh, look at this" uses it like "dude" or "bro."
• "Bruh." on its own is a reaction. Dictionary.com says it can greet something impressive or something exasperating: "You left the milk out overnight? Bruh."
• Dictionary.com notes it's used by young women too, not only young men.

Where bruh comes from

Merriam-Webster says "bruh" began as a written form of a spoken version of "brother" in Southern African American English, related to "Brer," as in Brer Rabbit. According to Dictionary.com, it's recorded from the 1890s as a title before a man's name, meant a male friend by the 1960s, and spread as an interjection in memes and social media in the 2010s.

Is bruh a bad word?

Short answer: No. It contains no profanity. Tone matters: the same word can sound friendly or annoyed.

The habit kids may copy: one word for every feeling

"Bruh" can mean surprised, annoyed, impressed, or embarrassed. Kids who use it for everything sometimes skip saying what they actually feel.

Try tonight: which bruh?

When your child answers "bruh," ask: "Happy bruh, annoyed bruh, or surprised bruh?" Let them pick the word. In our program, this is the lesson "Weather Inside": naming what you feel.

What does bruh mean in text?

"Bro," or a one-word reaction like "seriously?" depending on context.

Is bruh a bad word?

No. It's ordinary slang with no profanity.

Where did bruh come from?

From African American English, as a form of "brother"; recorded since the 1890s.

What is a "bruh moment"?

A moment that makes you react with "bruh": something silly, surprising, or annoying.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "Weather Inside": naming what you feel.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

Chud at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does chud mean?

Short answer: Loser, troll, or jerk.

• "He's a chud" is a put-down, usually of a man or boy.
• In politics, it labels someone with far-right views.
• Dictionary.com notes that some right-leaning users now call themselves chuds, so the tone depends on who's saying it.

Where chud came from

According to Dictionary.com, the word likely comes from the 1984 horror film C.H.U.D., short for "cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers." A 2017 episode of the podcast Chapo Trap House popularized it as a jab at right-wing views, and in 2019 it spread through political compass memes and on 4chan.

Is chud a bad word?

Short answer: It isn't a swear word, but Dictionary.com describes it as an insult. Because it's also a political label, kids may repeat it without knowing that.

The habit kids may copy: one word for a whole person

"Chud" sums someone up with a single label. Kids may hear it online and try it on classmates.

Try tonight: what did they actually do?

If your child calls someone a name, ask: "What did they do that bothered you?" Then talk about how the other kid might feel hearing the name. In our program, this is the lesson "Stepping In": noticing when someone's hurt.

What does C.H.U.D. stand for?

"Cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers," from the title of a 1984 horror film.

Is chud a political word?

Often. Dictionary.com says it's used for people with far-right views, and some on the right use it about themselves.

Is chud a swear word?

No, but it's an insult.

When did chud become popular?

A 2017 podcast episode popularized it, and it spread through memes in 2019, per Dictionary.com.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "Stepping In": noticing when someone's hurt.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

Cringe at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does cringe mean?

Short answer: Embarrassing.

• "That's so cringe" means "that's awkward to watch."
• "You're cringe" is a put-down.
• "Cringey" or "cringy" means the same thing.

Where cringe comes from

"Cringe" is an old verb, first recorded between 1175 and 1225, meaning to recoil or cower. According to Dictionary.com, "cringey" dates to at least 1986, appeared on Usenet groups in the 1990s and on Twitter in the mid-2000s, and was widespread by 2018. Dictionary.com now also lists "cringe" itself as a slang adjective.

Is cringe a bad word?

Short answer: No. It's ordinary slang. Said about a person, it's a mild insult.

The habit kids may copy: fear of looking silly

Online, almost anything earnest can be called cringe: singing, dancing, being excited. Kids may hold back so no one calls them cringe.

Try tonight: something brave and silly

Do one silly thing together, like a made-up dance. Then ask: "Was it scary to look silly? What happened?" In our program, this is the lesson "Courage": being brave includes feeling silly or scared.

What does "so cringe" mean?

Very embarrassing or awkward to watch.

Is cringe a bad word?

No. Calling a person cringe is a mild put-down.

Is it cringe or cringey?

Both. Dictionary.com lists "cringe" as a slang adjective and "cringey" (or "cringy") as a synonym of "cringeworthy."

How old is cringey?

Dictionary.com says it dates to at least 1986.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "Courage": being brave includes feeling silly or scared.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

"..." in texts at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does "..." mean?

Short answer: A pause, or a thought left unfinished.

• "Ok..." can read as hesitant or unconvinced, unlike "ok" or "ok!"
• "..." on its own can read as "I don't know what to say."
• "Well..." leaves the rest unsaid.

What dictionaries say

Merriam-Webster defines an ellipsis as "marks or a mark (such as …) indicating an omission (as of words) or a pause." Its grammar guide says the dots show either that something was cut from a quotation or that "a speaker or writer has paused or trailed off." It also notes they're used in informal personal writing in place of periods. We couldn't confirm a separate texting meaning in any major dictionary.

Why the same dots can read differently

Merriam-Webster describes two informal uses: a casual break between thoughts, in place of a period, and a pause or trailing off. A reader can take the same "..." either way, and no dictionary says which one is meant in a text.

Is "..." rude?

Short answer: Not by itself. It depends on who sends it and how the other person reads it.

Try tonight: the dots game

Write "ok", "ok!", and "ok..." on paper. Read each one aloud in a different voice and have your child guess the feeling. In our program, this is the lesson "Weather Inside": naming what you feel.

What is "..." called?

An ellipsis. The plural is ellipses.

What does "ok..." mean in a text?

Often hesitation or an unfinished thought, unlike a plain "ok." The tone depends on the sender.

Is using "..." in texts passive-aggressive?

Not by definition. Dictionaries describe it as a pause or trailing off; how it reads depends on the people texting.

What does "..." mean in writing?

Something was left out of a quotation, or the speaker paused or trailed off.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "Weather Inside": naming what you feel.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

Emoji meanings at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

Laughing emojis: 😂 😭 💀

• 😂 Face with Tears of Joy: something is funny. Emojipedia says it was the most used emoji on all platforms from 2011 to 2021.
• 😭 Loudly Crying Face: often exaggerated, for "overwhelming emotion, including laughter, joy, affection," as well as frustration or real sadness. Emojipedia reports it was the world's most used emoji of 2025, based on Google keyboard data.
• 💀 Skull: "figurative death," Emojipedia says: dying of laughter, frustration, or affection. "I'm dead 💀" means "that's so funny."

Approval emojis: 🔥 💯 👍 🐐

• 🔥 Fire: something is impressive or excellent, like the slang "fire" or "lit." On Snapchat, 🔥 next to a friend's name marks a streak of messaging on consecutive days.
• 💯 Hundred Points: shorthand for 100%: "keep it real," pride, or general acceptance of an idea. On Snapchat, 💯 next to 🔥 marks a 100-day streak.
• 👍 Thumbs Up: approval, but Emojipedia notes it can read as passive-aggressive or sarcastic in some contexts.
• 🐐 Goat: shorthand for "GOAT," the greatest of all time. See our GOAT guide.

Attitude emojis: 🗿 💅 🙄 🙃 🫠 🤦

• 🗿 Moai: a stoic, deadpan, or silly face. Emojipedia says it's often used for "sigma" memes. See sigma.
• 💅 Nail Polish: confidence, sass, or nonchalance.
• 🙄 Face with Rolling Eyes: annoyance, boredom, or "yeah, whatever."
• 🙃 Upside-Down Face: irony, sarcasm, or "oh well."
• 🫠 Melting Face: embarrassment, dread, or feeling overwhelmed.
• 🤦 Person Facepalming: frustration or secondhand embarrassment ("cringe").

Slang emojis: 🧢 🤡 ✨ 🙏

• 🧢 Billed Cap: "cap," meaning a lie. A lone 🧢 means "that's a lie"; "no 🧢" means "no lie." See our cap guide.
• 🤡 Clown Face: silliness, or a put-down: someone acted foolishly. Kids also use it about themselves.
• ✨ Sparkles: excitement or something new; around words, ✨like this✨, it adds emphasis or sarcasm.
• 🙏 Folded Hands: "please" or "thank you," or prayer.

Is an emoji ever rude?

Short answer: Some can be. Emojipedia lists 🤡 as a way to mock someone and notes that 👍 can read as passive-aggressive. Several emojis also have sexual meanings, which this guide doesn't cover. The same emoji can mean different things in different friend groups.

Try tonight: emoji check-in

At bedtime, ask your child to pick one emoji for their day and tell you why. Then you pick yours. In our program, this is the lesson "Weather Inside": naming what you feel.

What does 💀 mean in a text?

Usually "I'm dying of laughter." Emojipedia says it expresses figurative death, from extreme laughter, frustration, or affection.

What does 😭 mean?

Any overwhelming feeling. It's often used for laughing hard, not only for crying.

What does 🗿 mean?

A deadpan, stony, or silly face; Emojipedia says it's often used in "sigma" memes.

What does 🧢 mean?

"Cap," slang for a lie. "No 🧢" means "no lie."

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "Weather Inside": naming what you feel.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

FAFO at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does FAFO mean?

Short answer: "Mess around and you'll regret it," with a swear word.

• "FAFO" on its own is a warning or a dare.
• "He FAFOed" means he did something risky and got the consequences.
• In computing, Dictionary.com says it can mean trial-and-error exploration.

Where FAFO comes from

Dictionary.com lists FAFO as American vulgar slang, with the verb forms FAFOed and FAFOing. It doesn't give an origin or date, and we couldn't confirm one in another dictionary.

Is FAFO a bad word?

Short answer: The full phrase contains the F-word, and Dictionary.com labels FAFO vulgar. The letters let kids say it without saying the word.

The habit kids may copy: consequences as a threat

FAFO is said as a dare or a taunt: "try it and see what happens." It points at the consequence, not at the choice before it.

Try tonight: two roads

Pick a small moment, like grabbing a toy. Ask: "What are two things you could do, and what happens after each?" In our program, this is the lesson "Two Roads": noticing that there's a choice.

What does FAFO stand for?

"F*** around and find out."

Is FAFO a swear word?

Dictionary.com labels it vulgar slang, because the full phrase contains the F-word.

What does FAFOed mean?

Someone acted in a way that brought serious consequences.

Does FAFO have a computing meaning?

Dictionary.com lists a computing sense, trial-and-error learning, but the word still comes from the vulgar phrase.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "Two Roads": noticing that there's a choice.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

FML at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does FML mean?

Short answer: "F*** my life": "this is the worst."

• It usually comes at the end of a short story: "Dropped my phone in the pool. FML."
• Dictionary.com says it expresses "frustration, self-pity, or self-deprecation."
• Dictionary.com says it's usually used as a joke, even though the meaning is negative.

Where FML comes from

According to Dictionary.com, the first known use of FML for the phrase is a 2005 Urban Dictionary entry. It took off in 2008 with the website FMyLife.com, an English version of a French site, where users posted short stories of bad luck that began with "Today" and ended with "FML."

Is FML a bad word?

Short answer: Yes, it stands for a swear word. Dictionary.com labels it "Vulgar, Slang." Dictionary.com notes that out loud, people usually say the full phrase rather than the letters.

The habit kids may copy: the worst-case punchline

FML turns every small problem into a disaster, as a joke. Said often enough, small setbacks start to sound bigger than they are.

Try tonight: retell the bad moment

Ask your child for one "worst thing today." Then ask: "Is there another way to see it?" A spilled drink is also a funny story by tomorrow. In our program, this is the lesson "It's Not the Thing, It's the Thought": how we see things changes how they feel.

What does FML stand for?

"F*** my life." It's said after something goes wrong.

Is FML a swear word?

It stands for one. Dictionary.com labels it vulgar slang.

Where did FML come from?

It took off in 2008 with the website FMyLife.com, where people posted short stories of bad luck ending in "FML."

Does FML mean "Forgive me, Lord"?

Dictionary.com notes that some Christian groups have tried to use FML for "Forgive me, Lord," but the vulgar meaning is far more common.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "It's Not the Thing, It's the Thought": how we see things changes how they feel.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

FR / fr fr at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does fr mean?

Short answer: "For real."

• It's added to a message to say the writer is serious or that something is true.
• Merriam-Webster defines "for real" as "genuine," "honest, serious," or "in earnest."

What does fr fr mean?

"For real, for real": the same thing, but stronger. Know Your Meme, a user-edited site, says the doubled version spread in tweets from 2014, largely through Vine.

Where fr comes from

The phrase "for real" is much older than texting. Merriam-Webster records it from 1950, meaning "genuine," "honest, serious," or "in earnest." Dictionary.com lists FR as an abbreviation of it.

Is fr a bad word?

Short answer: No. It contains no profanity.

Try tonight: fr or cap?

Take turns saying something about your day. The others answer "fr" if they think it's true or "cap" if they think it's made up. Then reveal. In our program, this is the lesson "True or Made Up": checking before you believe.

What does fr mean in text?

"For real." It shows agreement or that someone is serious.

What does fr fr mean?

"For real, for real": a stronger way of saying "I mean it."

Where does fr come from?

From the phrase "for real," which Merriam-Webster dates to 1950. Dictionary.com lists FR as its abbreviation.

Is fr a bad word?

No. It's ordinary slang with no profanity.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "True or Made Up": checking before you believe.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

IIRC at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does IIRC mean?

Short answer: "If I remember correctly."

• "IIRC, the movie comes out Friday" means "I think it's Friday."
• It's often written in lowercase: iirc.

Where IIRC comes from

Dictionary.com says it comes from digital communications and doesn't give a date. It's an older internet abbreviation.

Is IIRC a bad word?

Short answer: No. People use it when they aren't sure.

The habit kids may copy: saying "I'm not sure"

IIRC marks something as a memory, not a checked fact.

Try tonight: check it together

When your child says something they half remember, ask: "How could we check?" Then look it up together. In our program, this is the lesson "True or Made Up": checking before you believe or repeat.

What does IIRC stand for?

"If I remember correctly" or "if I recall correctly."

Is IIRC rude?

No.

How do you use IIRC?

Before something you think is right but aren't sure of: "IIRC, it starts at 5."

Is it IIRC or iirc?

Both are used; Dictionary.com lists the lowercase form too.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "True or Made Up": checking before you believe or repeat.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

ISTG at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does ISTG mean?

Short answer: "I swear to God."

• "istg I didn't do it" means "I'm serious."
• "istg if you touch my stuff" shows frustration.
• "istg that's the funniest thing" shows surprise.

Where ISTG came from

Dictionary.com doesn't give an origin. Its examples come from Twitter and Instagram posts dating from 2015, and it notes the acronym is usually used outside a serious religious context.

Is ISTG a bad word?

Short answer: No. It contains no swear words. It does use "God," so some families prefer kids not say it.

The habit kids may copy: swearing to be believed

Kids add "istg" to sound more convincing. The bigger the promise, the more it can feel like the words do the work instead of the facts.

Try tonight: true or made up

When your child says "I swear," ask calmly: "What happened, step by step?" Facts don't need a promise. In our program, this is the lesson "True or Made Up": checking before you believe.

What does ISTG stand for?

"I swear to God."

Is ISTG a bad word?

No, though it uses "God," which some families avoid.

What does "istg" mean in a text?

"I'm serious" or "I can't believe this," depending on the message.

How long has ISTG been used?

Dictionary.com's examples date from 2015.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "True or Made Up": checking before you believe.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

Looksmaxxing at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does looksmaxxing mean?

Short answer: Maximizing your looks.

• "Looks" means appearance; "maxxing" comes from gaming slang for maximizing.
• Softmaxxing means everyday changes. Merriam-Webster lists skincare, grooming, exercise, dieting, and fashion; Dictionary.com mentions a new haircut or skincare routine.
• Hardmaxxing means extreme ones. Dictionary.com lists crash dieting, facial surgery, and "bone smashing," hitting your face to reshape it, based on what it calls an unfounded belief.

Where looksmaxxing comes from

According to Merriam-Webster, the term started in the mid-2010s in online incel communities. Dictionary.com says these communities are "sometimes associated with violent, misogynistic content, particularly targeting women." By the early 2020s it had spread across social media, especially TikTok. Merriam-Webster says the trend's rise in late 2023 and early 2024 prompted discussion about health and safety.

How it connects to mewing

Merriam-Webster names mewing, a tongue exercise meant to sharpen the jawline, as a practice "closely associated with looksmaxxing." The American Association of Orthodontists says there's no scientific evidence mewing works. Our mewing guide covers it in detail.

Is looksmaxxing dangerous?

Short answer: It depends on the practice. Skincare and haircuts are ordinary. Dictionary.com says experts warn that looksmaxxing can take an emotional, physical, and financial toll, including body dysmorphia, low self-esteem, and depression, and that unregulated methods can cause physical harm.

The habit kids may copy: rating faces

Some looksmaxxing videos rate faces and jawlines. Kids who watch them may start rating themselves and their friends the same way.

Try tonight: what bodies can do

At dinner, each person names one thing their body did today, not how it looks: climbed, carried, ran, hugged. In our program, this is the lesson "Courage": being yourself takes courage too.

What is softmaxxing?

The milder side of looksmaxxing. Merriam-Webster lists skincare, grooming, exercise, dieting, and fashion.

What is hardmaxxing?

The extreme side: Dictionary.com lists crash dieting, facial surgery, and "bone smashing."

Is mewing part of looksmaxxing?

Yes. Merriam-Webster calls mewing a practice "closely associated with looksmaxxing."

Where did looksmaxxing come from?

From online incel communities in the mid-2010s, according to Merriam-Webster; it spread on TikTok in the early 2020s.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "Courage": being yourself takes courage too.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

Mukbang at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does mukbang mean?

Short answer: An eating show.

• A mukbang is a video of someone eating a big meal on camera.
• The host usually talks to viewers while eating.
• Kids may say "I'm doing a mukbang" when they film themselves eating.

Where mukbang comes from

According to Dictionary.com, the word comes from Korean meokbang: meok means "eat" and bang(song) means "broadcast." It was first recorded in English between 2010 and 2015.

Is mukbang a bad word?

Short answer: No. It's the name of a type of video.

The habit kids may copy: eating as a show

Mukbangs are about the amount and the reaction. Kids who watch them may want to film their own meals.

Try tonight: a slow bite

At dinner, take one bite slowly together and ask: "What do you taste? Are you still hungry?" In our program, this is the lesson "Enough": noticing what's already here.

What is a mukbang?

An online video of someone eating a large amount of food while talking to viewers.

What language is mukbang?

Korean: meok, "eat," plus bang(song), "broadcast."

When did mukbang enter English?

Dictionary.com dates it to 2010–15.

Is mukbang slang?

It's a Korean loanword for a type of video; Dictionary.com lists it as an ordinary noun.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "Enough": noticing what's already here.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

ONG at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does ONG mean?

Short answer: "On God": "I swear it's true."

• It's added to a statement to stress it: "That was the hardest test ever, ong."
• Dictionary.com says people use it more when they're angry, frustrated, or excited.
• It's often written in lowercase: ong.

ONG vs. OMG

"OMG" means "oh my God" and shows surprise. "ONG" means "on God" and swears something is true. Dictionary.com notes that "ong" is also a common typo of "OMG," which makes early uses hard to date.

Where ONG comes from

According to Dictionary.com, "on God" has been used on social media since at least the early 2010s, and the abbreviation since at least the late 2010s.

Is ONG a bad word?

Short answer: No. It contains no profanity. It does invoke God, and some families feel differently about swearing on God.

The habit kids may copy: swearing instead of showing

"Ong" makes any claim sound certain. Kids may add it to things they heard, not things they know.

Try tonight: how do you know?

Next time your child says "ong," ask with a smile: "How do you know? Did you see it, or did someone tell you?" In our program, this is the lesson "True or Made Up": checking before you believe.

What does ONG mean in text?

"On God." It's added to stress that something is true, like "I swear."

What's the difference between ONG and OMG?

OMG means "oh my God" and shows surprise. ONG means "on God" and swears something is true.

Is ONG a bad word?

No. It contains no profanity.

What does "ong fr" mean?

"On God, for real": a doubly strong way of saying "I mean it."

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "True or Made Up": checking before you believe.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

Pookie at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does pookie mean?

Short answer: A loving nickname, like "sweetie" or "honey."

• "Hi, pookie" is a cute way to greet someone you like.
• "She's my pookie" means she's someone I love: a best friend, a sibling, or a partner.
• Some people also say "pookie bear."

What is a pookie?

A pookie is the person you call that name. Merriam-Webster gives two senses: a term of endearment, often capitalized ("Pookie"), and "someone who is adored or loved," especially a romantic partner. Merriam-Webster says it can also mean a beloved friend or relative, not only a partner.

Where pookie comes from

Merriam-Webster finds "pookie" as a general term of endearment in print from the 1960s; before that, it was a name or nickname for specific people. The dictionary says its origin is uncertain. Its newer examples include a 2024 Instagram caption.

Is pookie a bad word?

Short answer: No. Merriam-Webster sums up how it's used in two words: "With affection." It's sometimes a romantic pet name, but just as often a family or friendship one.

Try tonight: who's your pookie?

At dinner, each person names one "pookie," someone they love, and one small thing they could do for that person tomorrow. In our program, this is the lesson "Stepping In": noticing others.

What is a pookie?

Someone who is loved, often a partner, friend, or family member. "Pookie" is the pet name you call them.

Is pookie a romantic word?

It can be. Merriam-Webster says it's often used for a romantic partner, but also for friends and relatives.

What does pookie bear mean?

The same as "pookie": a cute pet name for someone you love.

Is pookie a bad word?

No. It's an affectionate nickname with no rude meaning.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "Stepping In": noticing others.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

Preppy at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does preppy mean?

Short answer: A cheery, sporty style with lots of pink.

• "That's so preppy" usually means cute and on-trend.
• "She's a preppy" means a girl who loves the style.
• Merriam-Webster lists hallmarks such as pastel pinks and blues, smiley faces, lightning bolts, athleisure, hair bows, skincare, and trendy accessories, "with a premium placed on name brands."

New preppy vs. old preppy

The older "preppy" goes back to the 1880s, for students at prep schools, and later to their classic style: polo shirts, argyle sweaters, navy blazers, plaid skirts. Merriam-Webster says that look is sometimes now called "old preppy" to tell it apart from the new trend.

Where the new preppy comes from

Merriam-Webster finds the new sense on TikTok as early as 2021, spreading among preteen girls in 2022. In 2023, a viral video of a girl entering a boutique and saying "it's so preppy in here" became a meme, used both by fans of the style and by people mocking it.

Is preppy a bad word?

Short answer: It depends who's saying it. Merriam-Webster says fans use it as praise, while others use it to mock girls as too girly, attention-seeking, "basic," or showing off expensive brands.

Try tonight: preppy from the closet

Ask your child to put together the most "preppy" outfit they can using only what's already in their closet. In our program, this is the lesson "Enough": noticing what's already here.

What is preppy fashion?

Today, a bright, sporty style with pastel colors, smiley faces, bows, and name brands. The older meaning is classic prep-school clothing.

What does "it's so preppy in here" mean?

It's a line from a 2023 viral video of a girl entering a boutique. It's used to praise preppy things, or to mock them.

Is preppy an insult?

Sometimes. Merriam-Webster says it can mean too girly, attention-seeking, or showing off expensive brands.

What's the difference between old preppy and new preppy?

Old preppy is prep-school style, like blazers and polo shirts. New preppy is a pink, playful, name-brand style popular with preteen girls.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "Enough": noticing what's already here.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

Simp at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does simp mean?

Short answer: A put-down for being "too nice" to someone you like.

• "He's a simp" means he does too much for a girl.
• "Simping" means acting that way.
• More loosely, "I'm simping" can just mean "I have a crush."

Where simp came from

According to Dictionary.com, hip-hop in the late 1980s and 1990s used "simp" for a man seen as overly subservient to a woman. Separately, "simp" was short for "simpleton" in the early 1900s; the link is unclear. The word spread on social media in 2019, TikTok's "Simp Nation" trend made it mainstream in December 2019, and "No Simp September" went viral in 2020. The idea that simp is an acronym isn't true, Dictionary.com says.

Is simp a bad word?

Short answer: It isn't a swear word, but it's an insult. Dictionary.com says it's criticized for treating attentive men as weak and for implying women are manipulative.

The habit kids may copy: mocking kindness

Boys can hear "simp" when they help or compliment a girl. The insult is aimed at the kindness itself.

Try tonight: is helping weak?

Ask: "If a boy helps a girl carry her things, is that weak or brave?" Then talk about a time your child helped someone. In our program, this is the lesson "Courage": being yourself takes courage too.

Is simp an acronym?

No. Dictionary.com says that's a popular myth; it comes from hip-hop slang.

Is simp a bad word?

It isn't a swear word, but it's an insult.

What does simping mean?

Acting overly attentive to someone you like; also loosely, having a crush.

When did simp become popular?

It went mainstream on TikTok in December 2019, per Dictionary.com.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "Courage": being yourself takes courage too.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

SMH at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does SMH mean?

Short answer: "Shaking my head."

• "smh" after a message means "I can't believe this" or "really?"
• "I'm smh at him" means "he's being ridiculous."
• Less often, Dictionary.com says, it can mean "scratching my head": puzzled.

Where SMH came from

According to Dictionary.com, the exact origin is unclear. SMH appeared online by the 2000s as a way to show tone in texts, was entered on Urban Dictionary in 2004, and spread on Twitter by 2007. Dictionary.com says it may have been innovated by Black internet users.

Is SMH a bad word?

Short answer: No. "Shaking my head" has no swear words. Two common variants do: SMDH is "shaking my d* head," and SMFH is "shaking my f*ing head."

The habit kids may copy: disapproval without words

SMH says "you're being silly" without saying what's wrong. The other person is left guessing.

Try tonight: say it instead of smh

When something annoys your child, ask: "What's the feeling under the head shake?" Annoyed, embarrassed, let down? In our program, this is the lesson "Weather Inside": naming what you feel.

What does SMH stand for?

"Shaking my head." Less often, "scratching my head."

What does SMDH mean?

"Shaking my d*** head": SMH with a swear word for extra emphasis.

Is SMH rude?

No. It shows disapproval, but the letters themselves aren't a swear word. SMDH and SMFH are cruder.

How do you use SMH in a sentence?

Usually before or after a complaint: "smh, he ate my fries again."

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "Weather Inside": naming what you feel.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

SOS at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does SOS mean?

Short answer: Help!

• The ordinary meaning: the Morse code distress signal, used especially by ships and aircraft.
• The everyday meaning: any call for help, like "SOS, math homework."
• As a verb: to SOS someone is to send them a call for help.

Where SOS comes from

According to Dictionary.com, SOS was first recorded between 1905 and 1910. It comes from Morse code, where three dots stand for S and three dashes for O. Dictionary.com doesn't give "save our souls" as the origin.

Does SOS have a slang meaning?

Short answer: Mostly it's just "help." Some slang lists say teens use SOS for "someone over shoulder," meaning someone can see the screen. We couldn't confirm that in a dictionary, and it isn't among the first Urban Dictionary entries for SOS. Dictionary.com also lists an old American slang SOS that hides a swear word; it isn't the meaning kids use.

The habit kids may copy: help as a joke

"SOS" often means a small problem: lost shoes, a hard level in a game. It's also a ready-made word for asking for help.

Try tonight: a family SOS

Agree on a family code word that means "I need help right now, no questions." Practice when your child might use it. In our program, this is the lesson "Courage": being brave includes being scared.

What does SOS stand for?

Dictionary.com traces it to Morse code and doesn't give "save our souls" as the origin.

Does SOS mean "save our souls"?

That isn't the origin Dictionary.com gives; it says the letters come from Morse code.

What does SOS mean in a text?

Usually "help!" Some slang lists say "someone over shoulder," which we couldn't confirm in a dictionary.

What is SOS in Morse code?

Three dots, three dashes, three dots.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "Courage": being brave includes being scared.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

SYBAU at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does SYBAU mean?

Short answer: A rude "shut up."

• As defined on Urban Dictionary, it stands for "shut your b a up."**
• Kids post it in comments or texts to tell someone to stop talking.
• It's often paired with the wilted rose emoji 🥀.

Where SYBAU came from

Urban Dictionary has entries for it from as early as 2003. According to Know Your Meme, a user-edited site, it spread on TikTok and went viral in late 2024 and early 2025. In mid-2025, a reaction picture of rapper Lazer Dim 700 known as the "SYBAU" picture became a common comment, shown with the 🥀 and 💔 emoji. We couldn't confirm the word in a standard dictionary.

Is SYBAU a bad word?

Short answer: Yes. The letters hide two swear words. In February 2025, a joke TikTok claimed it meant "so you're beautiful and unique," according to Know Your Meme; that isn't what it stands for.

The habit kids may copy: shutting people down

SYBAU ends a conversation instead of answering. Because it's just letters, young kids may say it without knowing the words inside.

Try tonight: the pause before "shut up"

Ask: "When someone bugs you, what can you say instead of 'shut up'?" Practice one line, like "I need a break." In our program, this is the lesson "The Pause Button": stop, breathe, choose.

What does SYBAU stand for?

As defined on Urban Dictionary, "shut your b** a up."

Is SYBAU a swear word?

The full phrase contains two swear words.

Does SYBAU mean "so you're beautiful and unique"?

No. Know Your Meme says that was a joke TikTok from February 2025.

Why do kids put 🥀 with SYBAU?

Know Your Meme says the wilted rose appeared with the "SYBAU" reaction picture that spread on TikTok in mid-2025.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "The Pause Button": stop, breathe, choose.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

TBH at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does TBH mean?

Short answer: "To be honest."

• An opinion: "Tbh the first movie was better."
• An admission: "Tbh I didn't do the reading."
• A blunt comment: "Tbh that haircut is a choice."

Where TBH comes from

Dictionary.com says TBH comes from digital communication, like texting and online chat. Merriam-Webster lists it as an informal abbreviation, and Dictionary.com lists related ones such as "IMO" (in my opinion).

Is TBH a bad word?

Short answer: No. It contains no profanity. What follows it can still be unkind.

The habit kids may copy: "just being honest"

"Tbh" can introduce a mean comment and make it sound like a virtue: "I'm just being honest."

Try tonight: true and kind

Play a quick game: one person names a thing, like a drawing or a dinner. Everyone says one thing that's both true and kind about it. In our program, this is the lesson "Stepping In": noticing when someone's hurt.

What does TBH mean in text?

"To be honest." It flags an opinion, an admission, or a blunt comment.

Is TBH rude?

No. It's ordinary slang, though it sometimes comes before an unkind comment.

How do you use TBH?

At the start or end of a sentence: "Tbh I'm tired" or "I'm tired tbh."

What does TBH stand for?

"To be honest."

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "Stepping In": noticing when someone's hurt.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

Woke at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does woke mean?

Short answer: Dictionaries give two main senses.

• Aware of social issues. Merriam-Webster: "aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)." Oxford: "aware of social and political issues and concerned that some groups in society are treated less fairly than others." Cambridge: "aware, especially of social problems such as racism and inequality."
• A disapproving label. Merriam-Webster's second sense, marked "disapproving": "politically liberal or progressive … especially in a way that is considered unreasonable or extreme." Oxford says the word "is often used in a disapproving way by people who believe that progressive attitudes and beliefs about social and political issues have gone too far." Cambridge also gives a disapproving example.

Merriam-Webster labels both senses "chiefly US slang." Oxford labels the word "informal, often disapproving."

Where woke comes from

"Woke" began as a form of "awake" in African American English. Dictionaries date its early figurative use differently:

• 1924: Merriam-Webster cites an African American newspaper, the Houston Informer, describing "stay woke" as new slang meaning to stay alert.
• 1940s: Dictionary.com dates the figurative sense to this decade, quoting a 1940 union official in a 1943 Atlantic article: "we'll stay woke up longer."

Both dictionaries then list:

• 1962: a New York Times article on Black slang titled "If You're Woke You Dig It."
• 2008: Erykah Badu's song "Master Teacher," with the line "I stay woke."
• 2014: "woke" and "stay woke" become tied to the Black Lives Matter movement; Merriam-Webster links this to the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

Merriam-Webster also cites a 1938 use by blues musician Lead Belly, in a recording about the Scottsboro Boys.

How the meaning changed

Merriam-Webster says that by the end of the 2010s, "woke" was also being used as a general insult for anyone who is or appears to be politically left-leaning. It notes the word also came to be used mockingly for performative activism, and in phrases like "woke-washing" and "woke capitalism" about companies. Dictionary.com notes that in Black English the word can still simply mean "awake."

Is woke a bad word?

Short answer: It isn't profanity. Whether it's praise or criticism depends on who's using it: Merriam-Webster marks one sense as "disapproving," and Oxford calls the word "often disapproving."

Try tonight: where did you hear it?

If your child brings home "woke," ask where they heard it and what they think it means. Then look it up in a dictionary together. In our program, this is the lesson "Wisdom": thinking before deciding.

What is the dictionary definition of woke?

Merriam-Webster: "aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)." It also lists a disapproving sense.

Where did the word woke come from?

From African American English, as a form of "awake." Merriam-Webster finds "stay woke" in print by 1924; Dictionary.com dates the figurative sense to the 1940s.

When did woke become popular?

In 2014, when it became tied to the Black Lives Matter movement, according to Merriam-Webster.

Is woke an insult?

It can be used either way. Merriam-Webster marks one sense "disapproving," and Oxford labels the word "often disapproving."

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "Wisdom": thinking before deciding.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

WYF at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does WYF mean?

Short answer: Usually "where you from?"

• "hey wyf" is a greeting that asks where someone is from, as defined on Urban Dictionary.
• "wyf food?" can mean "what's your favorite food?"
• Urban Dictionary also lists some crude readings submitted by users.

Where WYF came from

We couldn't confirm WYF in a standard dictionary. On Urban Dictionary, the "what's your favorite" entry dates to 2008 and the earliest "where you from" entry to 2014. It belongs to a family of texting questions with WY-: WYLL means "what you look like."

Is WYF a bad word?

Short answer: Not in its common readings. Because some Urban Dictionary entries are crude, the meaning depends on who's asking and how.

The habit kids may copy: answering strangers

"Where you from?" is a friendly question from a classmate. Online, the same question can come from people kids haven't met.

Try tonight: one rule for the internet

Agree on one family rule: "We don't tell people online where we live." Practice a reply, like "I don't share that." In our program, this is the lesson "My Fort": the few rules a child keeps no matter what.

What does WYF stand for?

Usually "where you from?" or "what's your favorite?", as defined on Urban Dictionary.

What does "hey wyf" mean?

"Hey, where are you from?"

Is WYF rude?

Not in its common readings, though some other user-submitted Urban Dictionary entries are crude.

Is WYF the same as WYLL?

No. WYLL means "what you look like?"

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "My Fort": the few rules a child keeps no matter what.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

WYLL at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does WYLL mean?

Short answer: "What do you look like?"

• "wyll?" usually means "send a picture."
• Sometimes it means "describe yourself."
• Dictionary.com says it's often used in hopes of getting a picture back.

Where WYLL came from

According to Dictionary.com, WYLL has been used as a shortening of "what do you look like?" since at least early 2020. By late 2022 it was common enough on Snapchat that it was criticized on other social media platforms.

Is WYLL a bad word?

Short answer: No. It has no swear words. Dictionary.com notes that people who send it bluntly are often seen as superficial, annoying, or desperate.

The habit kids may copy: photos on request

WYLL turns a chat into a photo request. Kids who use messaging apps may get it from people they don't know.

Try tonight: a fort rule for photos

Agree on one rule: "We only send photos to people we know in real life." Practice a reply, like "I don't send pics." In our program, this is the lesson "My Fort": the few rules a child keeps no matter what.

What does WYLL stand for?

"What you look like?"

What does WYLL mean on Snapchat?

A request to send a photo or describe your looks; Dictionary.com says it was common on Snapchat by late 2022.

Is WYLL rude?

It isn't a swear word, but blunt askers are often mocked as superficial, per Dictionary.com.

How long has WYLL been around?

Since at least early 2020, according to Dictionary.com.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "My Fort": the few rules a child keeps no matter what.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

Yeet at a glance

Checked October 2026. Slang changes fast; meanings can differ between groups of kids.

What does yeet mean?

Short answer: A happy shout, or a hard throw.

• "Yeet!" on its own is a cheer, like "Yes!"
• "I yeeted it" means "I threw it hard." Merriam-Webster defines the verb as throwing "especially with force and without regard for the thing being thrown."
• Some kids joke that the past tense is "yote."

Where yeet comes from

According to Dictionary.com, "yeet" spread in 2014 as the name of a dance in Black social media culture, and a Vine video of the dance set off remixes and memes. A 2016 viral video showed a young woman shouting "Yeet!" as she threw a can into a school hallway. The American Dialect Society named it the slang word of the year for 2018. Merriam-Webster dates the shout to 2007 and the verb to 2017.

Is yeet a bad word?

Short answer: No. It contains no profanity, and Merriam-Webster lists it as ordinary slang.

The habit kids may copy: throw first, look later

In yeet videos, the joke is the throw itself. Some kids copy it with whatever is in their hands, including things that break or hurt.

Try tonight: yeet zone

Set up a basket and a pile of soft things, like socks or a pillow. Your child may yeet only those, only into the basket. Before each throw, they say "Stop, look, yeet." In our program, this is the lesson "The Pause Button": stop, breathe, choose.

Is yeet a real word?

Yes. Merriam-Webster lists "yeet" as slang, both as a shout of excitement and as a verb meaning to throw hard.

What does yeeted mean?

"Threw something hard." "He yeeted the ball over the fence" means he threw it with force.

Where did yeet come from?

From a 2014 dance that spread on Black social media and Vine, according to Dictionary.com.

Is yeet a bad word?

No. It's ordinary slang with no profanity.

Related

Raising Stoics is a 12-week program for ages 5–6, built on Stoic philosophy and developmental psychology. One lesson is "The Pause Button": stop, breathe, choose.

See the program Kids' slang dictionary

Like a Tonie, but the story plays from a card and your phone. Teo & Biscuit Story Cards: hold a card to your phone and a short story about one big feeling starts to play. No player to buy, nothing for your child to watch.

See the five decks

Tonie figures: how this list works

Short answer: These Tonie figures are grouped by type: stories, characters, music, sleep and calm, and learning. Each was listed on us.tonies.com in October 2026 with a tonies age label that fits children ages 4–7.

tonies gives each figure a single age, such as 3+, 4+, or 5+, and a run-time range, such as 45–60 minutes. We list both as tonies shows them. Most single Tonies list at $19.99 as of October 2026, some at $14.99, and tonies runs frequent sales. We picked by criteria, not by ranking: the age label fits, the content is clear from tonies' description, and the run time suits a 4- to 7-year-old.

Tonies play on the Toniebox. tonies labels the Toniebox 2 on its own 1+ and starter sets with a figure 3+; details in our Toniebox guide. Still choosing a player? See Tonies vs Yoto.

How to choose Tonie figures for a 4- to 7-year-old

Short answer: Read three things on the product page: the age label, the run-time range, and the description.

• Age label. A 4+ or 5+ Tonie is written with this age in mind. A 3+ Tonie may feel young to a 6-year-old, and a 6+ one may be too long or too intense for a 4-year-old.
• Run time. tonies lists a range, from 15–30 minutes to 120+ minutes. Short ones are easy to finish in one sitting; long ones suit car trips.
• Description. It tells you whether a Tonie is one story, several episodes, songs, or a podcast.
• Language. Some Tonies come in Spanish, marked "en Español" in the name.

Start with characters and books your child already knows. A familiar story may be easier to follow by ear.

Tonies for stories

• Julia Donaldson: The Gruffalo. The picture book, narrated by Imelda Staunton. Age 4+; 15–30 minutes.
• Julia Donaldson: Room on the Broom. A witch, her cat, and a crowded broomstick. Age 4+; 15–30 minutes.
• Frog and Toad. Stories from four of Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad books. Age 3+; 60–90 minutes.
• Paddington Bear. Michael Bond's story of the bear from Peru and his new family. Age 3+; 120+ minutes.
• Favorite Classics: The Velveteen Rabbit. Margery Williams' story, narrated by Meryl Streep. Age 3+; 30–45 minutes.
• Favorite Myths: Greek Mythology. Five Greek myths with gods, heroes, and monsters. Age 5+; 60–90 minutes. Some of the creatures may be too much for a sensitive 5-year-old, so listen to one myth together first.

Short picture-book Tonies, such as the Julia Donaldson ones, are easy to finish before lights out. Longer ones suit the car or a quiet afternoon.

Character Tonies kids ask for

• Bluey Tonies 3 Pack. Bluey, Bingo, and Muffin, with twenty full episodes and over two hours of audio, according to tonies. Age 3+; $59.99.
• PAW Patrol: Chase. Chase goes missing and the pups find a lost world of dinosaurs. Age 3+; 45–60 minutes.
• Disney Moana. Age 4+; 30–45 minutes.
• Disney and Pixar Inside Out. Stories from Inside Out and Inside Out 2, with Riley meeting new emotions, featuring original voices including Amy Poehler. Age 5+; 45–60 minutes.
• Pokémon: Pikachu. Age 5+. tonies didn't list a run time.

Character Tonies are often the ones a child asks for by name. Inside Out is a natural way to start talking about feelings: after an episode, ask which emotion was in charge and what happened next.

Music Tonies

• Laurie Berkner. Classic songs from the children's musician, about rocket ships, elevators, fish, and dinosaurs. Age 3+; 45–60 minutes.
• Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. 21 songs, including "It's You I Like," "You Are Special," and "What Do You Do with the Mad That You Feel." Age 3+; 30–45 minutes.
• Maestro. An introduction to classical music and the orchestra with the London Symphony Orchestra and conductor Duncan Ward. Age 5+; 60–90 minutes.
• Ms. Rachel. Sound field trips with songs such as Old MacDonald and Big Feelings. tonies labels it 1+, so it may suit a younger sibling more than a 6-year-old.

"What Do You Do with the Mad That You Feel" fits a lesson in our program, The Dragon Inside: Meeting anger: a child learns to notice anger before acting on it.

Sleep and calm Tonies

• Mindfulness: Meditation with Mo the Sloth. Guided journeys to eight places, including the jungle and the savannah. Age 3+; 60–90 minutes.
• Moshi: SleepyPaws. Sleepy stories, meditative moments, and gentle music from the Moshi sleep series. Age 3+; 60–90 minutes.
• Calm x tonies: Cap'n Dreambeard. A pirate who teaches breathing and then tells a sleepy story, made with the Calm app. Age 3+; 45–60 minutes.
• Nap Time: White Noise. Steady sound with no story. Age 3+; 120+ minutes.

On the Toniebox 2, the Sleep Timer with Light lets you choose when the box turns off and fades the sound and glow. Set it in the tonies app before bedtime, so the story ends on its own.

Learning Tonies

• Wow in the World: Reggie. The science podcast from Wondery for curious kids. Age 5+; 60–90 minutes.
• National Geographic Kids: Octopus. National Geographic Explorer Dr. Alexandra Schnell on octopuses and what makes them unusual. Age 5+; 60–90 minutes. Other National Geographic Kids Tonies, such as Dinosaur and Astronaut, are labeled 6+.
• Sesame Street: Elmo. Elmo learns about music with Abby Cadabby and Cookie Monster. Age 3+; 30–45 minutes.
• The 7 Habits of Happy Kids. Seven stories from the Seven Oaks friends, built around the 7 Habits. Age 5+; 30–45 minutes.
• Wondery Kids Pocket Tonies, 4 Pack. Four small Tonies with episodes from Wow in the World, Who When Wow, Whose Amazing Life, and Little Stories Everywhere. Age 5+; $24.99.

Pocket Tonies are sold in sets, cost less per figure, and mostly carry learning content. They play like any other Tonie.

Creative Tonie: how it works

Short answer: A Creative-Tonie is a figure you fill with your own audio. tonies says it holds up to 90 minutes.

1. Buy a Creative-Tonie. Most designs, such as the pirate, fairy, or superhero, list at $9.99 on us.tonies.com as of October 2026. A Create Your Own Creative Tonie comes undecorated, for your child to paint. 2. Add audio in the tonies app. Tap the microphone icon to record on your phone, or the upload icon to add audio files. tonies lists MP3, M4A, WAV, OGG, and WMA, with files up to 1 GB each. 3. Sync the Toniebox. The box needs Wi-Fi to download new or changed content. Then put the Creative-Tonie on top. 4. Change it any time. Delete tracks in the app to make room, and sync again.

Full instructions are in tonies' Creative Tonies guide. The Toniebox Lite My Story Set, $79.99, includes Rubie, a Creative-Tonie that comes with a 25-minute story you can keep or replace.

Ideas for ages 4–7: a grandparent reading a bedtime book, your child's own made-up story, songs the family sings in the car, or a recording of you explaining a new routine, such as the first day of school.

Tonieplay games on the Toniebox 2

Short answer: Tonieplay adds screen-free audio games to the Toniebox 2. Each needs a Tonieplay controller, and the games don't work on the first Toniebox.

tonies says Tonieplay games are designed for kids ages 3–9+. A child turns, points, and presses the controller to play along. Examples on the US store include Bluey: Play All Day, which collects eight games from the show and is labeled 3+, and games based on PAW Patrol, Peppa Pig, and Spider-Man. As of October 2026, a game alone usually cost $24.99 on the US store, and the controller $14.99; the Bluey game with a controller was $39.98.

A game is built to be replayed, like any game. It has no screen, but it's still worth deciding together how long a round lasts.

What Tonies cost over time

Short answer: The Toniebox 2 is $129.99 on its own, starter sets are $149.99, and most single Tonies list at $19.99, as of October 2026.

• A small starting collection. Five Tonies at list price come to about $100, on top of the box.
• Sales. tonies runs frequent sales, so prices change often.
• Subscriptions. tonies offers optional subscription boxes: 2 or 3 Tonies every 1, 2, or 3 months, at 10–20% off list price with shipping included. You don't need one to use the Toniebox.
• Creative-Tonies. Listed at $9.99 for up to 90 minutes of your own audio, they cost less than most content Tonies.

For a 5-year-old, a few Tonies they love and replay may get more use than a large shelf of figures.

Tonies and the "one more" habit

Short answer: Because changing the story is as easy as swapping a figure, a few house rules help.

• Choose before you start. Offer two or three Tonies and put the rest on a shelf your child can't reach.
• One Tonie at bedtime. Choose it before lights out, and let the sleep timer end it.
• Set a volume limit. In the tonies app, you can cap the maximum volume, separately for the speaker and headphones.
• Keep the box in one room. It helps the player stay a calm part of the day rather than something that follows your child everywhere.

Our guide to screen time rules for kids has more, and our list of podcasts for kids includes shows that also come as Tonies. In our program, the lesson Enough: Noticing what's already here practices the moment after the last story: one was enough, and there will be another tomorrow.

How much are Tonie figures?

Most single Tonie figures list at $19.99 on us.tonies.com as of October 2026, a few at $14.99, and sale prices change often. Pocket Tonies come in sets of four, usually $24.99. A Creative-Tonie, which you fill with your own audio, lists at $9.99 for most designs. Prices change often, so check the product page before buying.

What age are Tonies for?

Each Tonie has its own age label from tonies, such as 3+, 4+, 5+, or 6+. The Toniebox 2 on its own is labeled 1+, and starter sets that include a figure are labeled 3+, with a choking warning for small parts. For a child ages 4–7, the figure's label and description tell you more than the box does.

Do Tonies need Wi-Fi?

Only the first time. A new Tonie needs Wi-Fi the first time it's placed on a Toniebox, so the box can download its audio. After that, it plays offline, which helps on trips. tonies suggests testing each figure in offline mode before you travel. A Creative-Tonie also needs Wi-Fi whenever you change what's on it.

Can you re-record a Creative Tonie?

Yes. You can delete tracks in the tonies app and add new recordings or files whenever you like, as long as the total stays within about 90 minutes. After each change, the Toniebox needs Wi-Fi to download the new content. You can reuse one Creative-Tonie for seasonal songs, new bedtime books, or messages from relatives.

Do old Tonies work on the Toniebox 2?

Yes. tonies says all Tonies work with the Toniebox 2, so figures bought for the first Toniebox carry over. Tonieplay games are the exception in the other direction: they work only on the Toniebox 2, with the Tonieplay controller. A figure moved to a new box downloads once, which needs Wi-Fi.

In the program for ages 5–6, the lessons The Dragon Inside: Meeting anger; and Enough: Noticing what's already here use the same moments a Toniebox brings up: big feelings and one more story.

See the program See all 24 lessons

More to read

Like Yoto cards, but with stories about big feelings. Teo & Biscuit Story Cards: hold a card to your phone and a short story about one big feeling starts to play. No player to buy, nothing for your child to watch.

See the five decks

Yoto cards: how this list works

Short answer: These Yoto cards are grouped by type: stories, music, sleep, learning, feelings, and podcasts. Each one was listed on Yoto's US store in October 2026 with an age range that covers at least part of ages 4–7.

For each card, we give Yoto's own age range and the run time Yoto lists. Prices are US list prices as of October 2026, excluding sales and bundles; most single cards cost $6.99 to $14.99, and packs cost more. We picked by criteria, not by ranking: the age range fits, the run time suits a 4- to 7-year-old's attention, and the content is easy to describe to a parent before buying.

Yoto cards play on the Yoto Player and the Yoto Mini. Yoto labels its players for ages 3 and up; more on that in our Yoto Player guide. If you're still choosing a player, see Tonies vs Yoto.

Yoto cards for stories

• First Fairy Tales. A Yoto Original with ten classic tales and fables, including Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks, and The Hare and the Tortoise, retold for younger children with sound effects. Ages 3–6; 1 hour 27 minutes.
• Frog and Toad Audio Collection. All four Frog and Toad books, read by their author, Arnold Lobel. Ages 5–8; 1 hour 32 minutes.
• 5-Minute Myths & Legends. Short retellings of myths and legends, which suit a child who is new to listening. Ages 4–7; 31 minutes.
• Winnie-the-Pooh: The Complete BBC Collection. The classic Pooh stories. Ages 5–8; 3 hours 42 minutes.
• The Junie B. Jones Collection. Funny chapter-book stories about a kindergartner. Ages 6–8; 2 hours 46 minutes. It fits the older end of this range.

A good first story card is short and complete. A child who finishes a story often asks to hear it again, which is easier on everyone than a long collection they abandon halfway.

Music cards

• Sing with Raffi. Ten Raffi songs, including Baby Beluga, Down by the Bay, and Shake My Sillies Out. Ages 3–7; 21 minutes.
• Laurie Berkner's Animal Songs. Animal songs from the children's musician and her band. Ages 0–14; 40 minutes.
• Songs for Little Scientists. A Yoto musical story about Suki the Scientist, who tries an experiment. Ages 3–10; 26 minutes.
• Peter and the Wolf. Prokofiev's musical story and two more from the Naxos Children's Classics series, introducing the orchestra. Ages 0–14; 1 hour 13 minutes.

Music cards tend to get replayed the most, so a short album can last longer than its run time suggests.

Sleep and bedtime cards

• Journey to Sleep. A Yoto pack of calm, vehicle-themed sleep stories, each followed by continuous sound. Ages 3–7; 7 hours 1 minute across the pack.
• 5-Minute Sleepy Stories. Five short animal stories for bedtime by Joe Vitale. Ages 4–7; 45 minutes.
• Moshi: Close Your Eyes. Sleepy stories and music from the Moshi sleep series. Ages 1–7; 34 minutes.
• Sounds for Sleep. Soundscapes rather than stories, for children who fall asleep better without a plot to follow. Ages 0–14; 5 hours 39 minutes; $6.99.

At bedtime, one card chosen before lights out is easier to stick to than a stack within reach.

Learning cards

• Yoto Daily: Around the World. Host Jake visits ten countries, with five facts about each and a 50-question quiz. Ages 5–8; 1 hour 19 minutes.
• Meet the Pirates. A short, funny introduction to pirates and history. Ages 5–8; 42 minutes.
• Little People, Big Dreams: Little Dreamers. Short life stories of well-known people from the picture-book series. Ages 3–7; 38 minutes.
• BrainBots: Wildlife Defenders. A Yoto Original from the BrainBots science series, in which three robots learn about the natural world. Ages 6–10; 39 minutes. Most BrainBots cards start at age 6.

Learning cards work well in the car. Pause one after a few minutes and ask what your child remembers; it turns listening into a conversation.

Cards about feelings, calm, and waiting

• Mindful Mr. Sloth and Waiting on Mr. Sloth. Two picture-book stories about Sasha, who does everything fast, and Mr. Sloth, who does everything slowly. Ages 4–8; 11 minutes.
• Explore Emotions with Ralph the Rainbow. Seven sleepy stories in which Ralph helps a child notice their emotions and relax. Ages 2–10; 2 hours 8 minutes.
• Mini Mindfulness: Mindful Moments. Short mindfulness activities. Ages 3–8; 31 minutes.

Stories like these give you words to use later. After a story about waiting, "What would Mr. Sloth do?" may work better on a busy morning than "Hurry up." In our program, the lesson Weather Inside: Naming what I feel uses the same idea: a child who can say what they feel has a moment to choose what to do next.

How to choose a Yoto card for a 4- to 7-year-old

Short answer: Check four things on the card's page: the age range, the run time, the track list, and whether it's a physical or digital card.

• Age range. Yoto sets one for every card. A range such as 4–7 or 5–8 fits most of this age group, including 5- and 6-year-olds; 6–10 suits the older end.
• Run time. A 20- to 40-minute card is easy to finish in one sitting. Multi-hour packs are good value for the car but harder to stop at bedtime.
• Track list and reader. Most card pages list every track and who reads it. Look for anything that may be too scary or too long for your child.
• Physical or digital. Digital cards live in the app and can be added to a Make Your Own card or the Green Button. They usually cost less than physical cards, but a child can't hold them.

Yoto says interactive cards, such as some quizzes and games, don't work on its 4th-gen players yet. If you have a new player, check the card page first.

Podcasts on Yoto

Short answer: Yoto has podcasts in its app and a few on cards. You can link an app podcast to a Make Your Own card.

• What If World: A Best Of Collection. Episodes from the kids' podcast What If World, in which each episode answers a real child's "what if?" question. The card is ad-free and edited for Yoto. Ages 4–12; 4 hours 23 minutes.
• Yoto Daily. Yoto's own daily show, described below.
• Podcasts in the Yoto app. The app has a Podcasts section. Yoto says you can link a podcast to a Make Your Own card, including one that isn't in the app.

Not every kids' podcast fits a 4-year-old. Our list of podcasts for kids groups shows by type and age, and many of them can be linked to a card.

Free Yoto cards and free content

Short answer: Yoto doesn't give away physical story cards, but each player comes with a blank card, and the Yoto app includes free daily shows, radio, and podcasts.

• Yoto Daily. A free, ad-free show with a new episode every day, hosted by Jake, a former elementary school teacher, with facts, jokes, games, and draw-alongs. On a Yoto player, tap the right-hand button once when connected to Wi-Fi. It's also in the app's Podcasts section and on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
• Yoto Radio and sleep audio. Yoto's US product pages list "Free Yoto Daily and Yoto Radio" with the 4th-gen players. On 4th-gen players, the default Green Button playlists include Yoto Daily, Yoto Radio, Yoto Sleep Radio, and Yoto Dreams, a weekly bedtime podcast.
• The card in the box. Every Yoto Player and Yoto Mini comes with a Welcome card that is also a Make Your Own card. The Player 4th Gen also comes with a digital card, 5 Minute Stories From Around the World.
• Your own audio. Recordings you make yourself cost nothing to put on a Make Your Own card.

Yoto Club is a paid subscription, from $4.99 a month as of October 2026, with a two-week free trial. You don't need it to play cards you own.

How to make your own Yoto card

Short answer: Get a blank Make Your Own card, build a playlist in the Yoto app, and link it to the card. You can change what's on it as often as you like.

1. Get a blank card. One comes with every player; a pack of 10 is $29.99 as of October 2026. 2. Choose the audio. In the Yoto app, record your own audio, upload audio files, or pick podcasts, radio, or Club titles from the app. 3. Make a playlist. In the app's Make Your Own section, create a new playlist and add your tracks. You can give each track a pixel-art icon from Yoto's library or draw your own. 4. Link the card. Hold the card to your phone, and Yoto says it links in seconds.

Yoto lists the limits as 100 tracks per card, 1 hour per track, 100 MB per file, and 500 MB per card. Full instructions are on Yoto's Make Your Own page.

Ideas for ages 4–7: a grandparent reading a favorite book, your child telling their own story, a playlist for the car, or a "getting ready" card with one song for each step of the morning. If you cancel Yoto Club, Club titles you linked to Make Your Own cards are removed.

Yoto cards and the "one more" problem

Short answer: A screen-free player still makes it easy to keep going. A few simple rules help.

• Choose before you start. Lay out two or three cards and let your child pick one. Put the rest away.
• Finish what you start. Play the chosen card to the end before switching.
• Let the settings help. Set volume limits and the day and night playlists in the Yoto app, so fewer rules depend on you saying no.
• Keep the cards in one place. A case on a shelf is easier to manage than cards all over the house.

More ideas in our guide to screen time rules for kids. In our program, the lesson Enough: Noticing what's already here practices this exact moment: one story was enough, and there will be another tomorrow.

How much do Yoto cards cost?

Most single Yoto cards cost $6.99 to $14.99 on Yoto's US store as of October 2026, and packs of several cards cost more, often $19.99 to $39.99. Digital cards in the app usually cost less than physical ones. Collector plans in Yoto Club add monthly Club Credits; most cards cost 1 credit.

Do Yoto cards work on all Yoto players?

Almost all Yoto cards work on every current Yoto player, including the Yoto Player 4th Gen and Yoto Mini 4th Gen, according to Yoto. The first time a card plays, the player needs Wi-Fi to download it. Yoto says interactive cards aren't compatible with 4th-gen players yet, because they run on a new platform.

What age are Yoto cards for?

Each Yoto card has its own age range, set by Yoto, such as 3–6, 4–7, or 6–10. Yoto's store also sorts cards into ages 0–2, 3–5, 6–8, and 9+. The players themselves are labeled for ages 3 and up. For a 5-year-old, check both the age range and the run time.

Do you need a subscription for Yoto cards?

No. Cards you buy play without a subscription. Yoto Club is optional: as of October 2026, plans start at $4.99 a month with 300+ titles in the app, and the Collector plans add monthly credits for cards. Titles from Club that you link to Make Your Own cards stop working if you cancel.

Can you lose Yoto cards?

Yes. Cards are small and flat, so they do go missing. Yoto says you can link a Make Your Own card to any title in your Yoto library, which is useful for replacing a lost card. A card case or a single spot on a shelf also helps a 5-year-old keep track.

In the program for ages 5–6, the lessons Boss of My Want: "I want it now," and learning to wait; and Enough: Noticing what's already here help when one more card is the only thing your child wants.

See the program See all 24 lessons

More to read

Best YouTube channels for kids: how this list works

Short answer: The channels below are grouped by what a child does while watching: learns about science and animals, moves, sings, draws, listens to a story, or practices letters and numbers. For each one, we list who makes it and whether the videos we checked are marked "made for kids."

On parenting forums such as r/daddit, the request tends to sound like "clean, quality channels." That usually means three things: no shock humor or brainrot, a real person or studio behind it, and videos that end rather than blur into the next one.

We checked one or two recent videos from each channel in October 2026. When a video is marked made for kids, YouTube turns off comments, notifications, the miniplayer, and personalized ads on it. Channels change, so watch a few videos yourself before you hand them over. YouTube channels have no official age rating, so the ages here come from the channels' own descriptions or from what the videos cover.

Educational YouTube channels for kids: science and nature

SciShow Kids. From the team behind SciShow (Complexly). Host Jessi and a robot rat named Squeaks explain science questions. The videos we checked are made for kids. The newest uploads we saw were compilations from May 2025, so treat it as a large archive.

Nat Geo Kids. National Geographic's channel for children: animals, science, and "weird but true" facts. New videos were posted in October 2026. Made for kids.

Crash Course Kids. From the creators of Crash Course; it's aimed at elementary-school kids, so it fits the top of this age range. Made for kids.

Mark Rober. A former NASA engineer and founder of CrunchLabs who builds engineering experiments and gadgets. His videos are not marked made for kids, and comments are on. Some recent ones are cash-prize challenges.

Brave Wilderness. Coyote Peterson and Mark Vins film close-up animal encounters, including videos in which the host is stung or bitten on purpose. Not marked made for kids; comments are on. Preview before showing a younger child.

Channels that get kids moving

GoNoodle. A Nashville company that makes short dance, stretching, and mindfulness videos, designed as classroom "brain breaks" for elementary students. Made for kids.

Cosmic Kids Yoga. Jaime Amor leads story-based yoga adventures: children act out a story with yoga poses. Started in 2012. Made for kids.

Danny Go! A live-action show with songs, dances, and movement games, made in Charlotte, North Carolina. Made for kids. More in our Danny Go guide.

Movement channels may work better when there's floor space and the screen is across the room, not in a child's hands.

Music channels

Jack Hartmann Kids Music Channel. Songs for counting, letters, and movement, from children's songwriter and performer Jack Hartmann. Made for kids.

Super Simple Songs. Nursery rhymes and original songs from Skyship Entertainment in Toronto. Made for kids. See our Super Simple Songs guide.

Ms Rachel. The channel, now called Ms Rachel - Toddler Learning Videos, offers songs, sign language, and speech practice from former preschool music teacher Rachel Accurso. It's aimed at babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, so many 5- and 6-year-olds have moved past it, but younger siblings often haven't. Made for kids. More in our Ms Rachel guide.

Art and drawing: Art for Kids Hub

Art for Kids Hub. Rob Jensen started the channel in 2012, and his family appears in the videos. A parent and child draw the same picture step by step, so a child can follow along with paper and markers. Made for kids.

A drawing video is what parents often call "active" screen time: the child draws along instead of only watching. Pausing to finish a step is part of how it's used, which also makes it easier to stop after one drawing.

Read-aloud channels

Storyline Online. A literacy program from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation in which actors read children's picture books aloud, with the book's illustrations on screen. Recent uploads include *Room on the Broom* read by Kate Winslet. Made for kids.

Free School. A channel that introduces famous art, classical music, children's literature, and natural science, including read-alouds. Made for kids. The newest uploads we saw were from March 2025.

Read-alouds sit closest to a book: slow, one story, a clear ending. Some families keep them as the last video of the day.

Preschool learning: letters, numbers, and Sesame Street

Numberblocks. Animated blocks that each represent a number, made by Blue Zoo Animation Studio for Alphablocks Ltd and shown on the BBC in the UK. Made for kids.

Alphablocks. From the same makers: 26 letters that make words when they hold hands, built on phonics. It also airs on CBeebies in the UK. Made for kids.

Sesame Street. Sesame Workshop's official channel, with clips and songs from the long-running series. Made for kids. More in our Sesame Street guide.

Blippi. A live-action host in an orange-and-blue outfit visits playgrounds, farms, and machines. Created by Stevin John in 2014 and owned by Moonbug Entertainment since 2020. Made for kids. More in our Blippi guide.

Good YouTube channels for kids on YouTube Kids: approved content only

Short answer: In the YouTube Kids app, choose "Approve content yourself." Your child will then see only the videos, channels, and collections you've picked, and search is turned off.

Following YouTube Kids Help as of October 2026:

1. Open the YouTube Kids app on your child's device and select Settings. 2. Solve the multiplication problem or enter your custom passcode. 3. Select your child's profile and enter your parent account password. 4. Select Edit settings. Turn on Approve content yourself. 5. Review the "Getting Started" pop-up and tap Select. 6. Tap the approval icon on any collection, channel, or video, then tap Done.

YouTube says this setting has to be turned on in the YouTube Kids app itself, not from Family Center. You can edit the list later under Manage. From the main YouTube app, a linked parent account can also share a video or channel to a child's YouTube Kids profile, and blocking a channel there blocks it in YouTube Kids. More about the app in our YouTube Kids guide.

YouTube channels for kids on the main YouTube app

Some channels on this list, such as Mark Rober and Brave Wilderness, aren't marked made for kids, so they may not appear in YouTube Kids unless you share them from YouTube. On the main app, comments and recommendations work the way they do for adults.

The main YouTube app is rated 12+ on the App Store, and YouTube's minimum age for its own accounts is 13. For younger children, Google offers supervised accounts with their own content settings. Our YouTube guide explains the differences.

One practical habit: watch the older-audience channels together, on a TV, rather than on a child's own tablet.

How to check a YouTube channel yourself

Short answer: Look at who makes it, whether its videos are marked made for kids, when it last posted, and then watch three videos start to finish.

• Who's behind it. The channel's About section usually names a company, a nonprofit, or a person. A named studio or a teacher with a long track record is easier to check than an anonymous channel.
• The made-for-kids label. Under a video, "Comments are turned off" with a link about made-for-kids content is the quickest sign. Comments can also be off for other reasons, so it's a clue, not proof.
• Recent uploads. A channel that stopped posting years ago can still be useful, but reuploads of its videos by other channels may look similar and aren't from the same makers.
• Three full videos. Watch for pace, shouting, product placement, and how each video ends. What sits in the "up next" column matters too, since that's where a child goes when you look away.

Even good channels end in "one more"

A carefully chosen channel still has a next video. YouTube's list of features turned off for made-for-kids videos includes only "Autoplay on home" (previews on the home feed), not autoplay of the next video, so another video may still start when one ends. Check the autoplay toggle in the player settings. For many children, stopping is the hard part, not choosing.

What may help: decide the number before the app opens. "Three videos, and you pick them." Line them up together, then end with something off-screen. In our program, this is the lesson "Enough": noticing what's already here. Its companion, "Boss of My Want," practices waiting through "I want it now."

If screens have already become a daily fight, our iPad kid guide covers endings and transitions, and screen time rules for kids puts limits into a simple family plan. If a child is repeating what they hear in videos, see kids copying bad behavior from TV.

“My 7-year-old only watches AI-made 'slop' videos. Is that hurting them?”

Short answer: no rating will tell you, and parents disagree about how much it matters. A practical step is to choose channels with a named person or studio behind them, and use "Approve content yourself" in YouTube Kids so only those appear. Watching a few videos together may also show you what your child likes about them. See what brainrot means.

“My kids have outgrown PBS Kids. What do we watch now?”

Short answer: many families move to channels where children do something while watching. Science channels like SciShow Kids and Nat Geo Kids, drawing along with Art for Kids Hub, or a read-aloud from Storyline Online are a few of the options on this page. Watch a few videos yourself first, since channels change over time.

“How do I get rid of the shouty gaming and slime channels without banning YouTube?”

Short answer: in YouTube Kids, "Approve content yourself" limits your child to the videos and channels you pick, with search turned off. Blocking single channels also works, but the same videos reuploaded on other channels may not be blocked. Lining up a few chosen videos before the app opens may also cut down on drifting toward loud channels.

“My child's teacher shows YouTube videos in class that I wouldn't allow at home. Can I say something?”

Short answer: yes, it's reasonable to ask, kindly and with curiosity. Ask what the videos are for and how they're chosen, and share what worries you, such as fast-paced or ad-heavy content. Some parents suggest a channel or two the class could use instead. If you're still concerned, ask whether the school has a policy on classroom videos.

What are the best educational YouTube channels for kids?

For children ages 4–8, widely used educational channels include SciShow Kids and Nat Geo Kids for science, Numberblocks and Alphablocks for numbers and letters, Storyline Online for read-alouds, and Art for Kids Hub for drawing. All of the videos we checked on these channels were marked made for kids, which turns off comments and personalized ads. Watch a few videos yourself first, since channels change over time.

What is the most-watched YouTube channel for kids?

Among the made-for-kids channels in this guide, Super Simple Songs had the most subscribers when we checked in October 2026: 47.1 million. Mark Rober, which isn't made for kids, had 84.4 million. Sesame Street had 30.4 million, and Blippi had 27.5 million. Subscriber counts measure popularity, not quality or fit for your child, and Cocomelon, which isn't on this list, had 203 million.

Are YouTube channels for kids rated?

No. YouTube channels don't get official age ratings the way movies and TV shows do. What YouTube has instead is the "made for kids" label, which creators set and which turns off comments, notifications, and personalized ads. It tells you who a video is aimed at, not whether it suits your child. Shows that also stream on Netflix or PBS carry TV ratings there.

How do I block a YouTube channel on YouTube Kids?

While signed in to YouTube Kids with your parent account, you can block a video or channel directly in the app. From the main YouTube app, a linked parent account can also block a channel for a child's profile from the channel page. YouTube notes that blocking a channel doesn't block the same videos reuploaded on other channels, so "Approve content yourself" is the stricter option.

Can I make a playlist for my child on YouTube Kids?

Not in the usual sense, because made-for-kids videos can't be saved to playlists on YouTube. The closest options are approving specific videos and channels with "Approve content yourself," or sharing chosen videos from the main YouTube app to your child's YouTube Kids profile, where they appear under the Shared tab.

"Enough" and "Boss of My Want" are lessons 14 and 13 of the program for ages 5–6: practice for stopping when the next video is right there.

See the program See all 24 lessons

What the research says

• Kids shows, games, books, and toys: what the 2025–2026 data show about young children · Data

More to read

Breakfast ideas for kids: what to aim for

Short answer: Aim for a protein food plus a fruit or vegetable, with a whole grain or dairy if there's room. Eggs and toast with fruit, plain yogurt with berries and oats, or a whole-grain tortilla with cheese and an apple all fit.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 ask families to prioritize protein foods at every meal and, for children ages 5–10, to focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods such as protein foods, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains. They also say no amount of added sugars is recommended for children that age.

The AAP's HealthyChildren.org makes a practical point about protein in the morning: it can help keep a child from feeling hungry again soon. Protein foods that work at breakfast include eggs, milk, plain yogurt, cheese, nut or seed butter, beans, and leftover chicken or fish.

Breakfast doesn't have to look like breakfast. Leftover rice and beans, a bowl of soup, or last night's pasta are all fine morning meals if your child will eat them.

Easy breakfast ideas for kids (five minutes or less)

These need no recipe and little cleanup.

1. Whole-grain toast with a thin layer of peanut butter or sunflower seed butter, and banana slices 2. Plain yogurt with berries and a spoonful of oats or whole-grain cereal 3. Scrambled egg with whole-grain toast and a few orange segments 4. Whole-grain tortilla with melted cheese, folded in half, with apple slices 5. Bowl of whole-grain cereal with milk and fruit on top 6. Cottage cheese with peaches or pineapple 7. Hard-boiled egg (made ahead), cheese, and whole-grain crackers 8. Smoothie: milk or plain yogurt blended with frozen fruit 9. Leftovers from dinner, warmed up

Keep two or three of these in steady rotation. A short, predictable menu means fewer decisions at 7 a.m., for you and for your child.

Make-ahead kids breakfast ideas

A little prep on the weekend can cover several weekday mornings.

Overnight oats. Mix oats with milk or plain yogurt in small jars, add fruit, and refrigerate. In the morning it's ready cold, or warm it briefly.

Egg muffins. Beat eggs with chopped vegetables and cheese, bake in a muffin tin, and refrigerate. Reheat one or two in the morning.

Batch pancakes or waffles. Make a whole-grain batch on the weekend, freeze them in a single layer, and toast from frozen.

Hard-boiled eggs. Boil several at once and keep them in the fridge, peeled or not.

Breakfast burritos. Scrambled egg, beans, and cheese in a whole-grain tortilla, wrapped and frozen, then warmed through.

Cut fruit. Wash and cut melon, pineapple, or strawberries for several days at a time.

The night before, set the table with bowls and spoons and put the cereal or oats out. Children who can see breakfast waiting are often quicker to sit down.

Healthy breakfast for kids: cereal, pastries, and added sugar

Short answer: A healthy breakfast for kids is mostly whole foods with little or no added sugar. Sweetened cereals, pastries, and breakfast bars are where added sugar most often shows up in the morning.

The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines name "ready-to-eat or packaged breakfast options" among the refined carbohydrates to cut back on, and suggest fiber-rich whole grains instead. They also say a single meal should contain no more than 10 grams of added sugars, while stating that no amount of added sugars is recommended for children ages 5–10. Even whole-grain packaged cereals fall under those "ready-to-eat or packaged breakfast options"; oats, eggs, and plain yogurt are less processed choices.

You don't need to ban cereal. A few practical steps: - Read the ingredient list. The guidelines suggest looking for words with "sugar" or "syrup," or ending in "-ose." Honey and fruit juice concentrate are added sugars, too. - Choose plain versions and add sweetness with fruit: plain oats with banana, plain yogurt with berries. - Add protein. Cereal with milk and a hard-boiled egg holds a child longer than cereal on its own. - Offer water or milk instead of juice. The guidelines say 100% juice should be limited or diluted with water.

No single breakfast decides your child's health. What matters more is the pattern across most mornings.

Rushed school mornings: a plan that works

Most breakfast problems are really time problems. A few changes make a difference.

Start the night before. Lay out clothes, pack the backpack and lunch, and set out bowls. Every task moved to the evening is one less thing competing with breakfast.

Look at bedtime. HealthyChildren.org suggests making sure your child gets to bed early enough to get up in time for breakfast. A late bedtime and a rushed morning can leave no time to eat, so bedtime is part of the breakfast plan.

Eat first, screens later. Many families find breakfast goes faster when the tablet and TV stay off until everyone is dressed and fed.

Sit down together, even briefly. Many children eat better at the table, with you nearby, than on the way out the door.

Have a plan B. On the worst mornings, a banana, a cheese stick cut into thin strips or small pieces, and a few whole-grain crackers in a bag is still breakfast. Eat it seated, not while walking.

A steady morning routine is also part of getting ready for school. Our kindergarten readiness checklist covers the rest of that routine.

When your child isn't hungry in the morning

Short answer: Offer something small rather than nothing, and send a second option for later. HealthyChildren.org puts it simply: any effort to make breakfast nutritious is better than no breakfast at all.

Some children wake up without an appetite. A few things to try:

• Shrink the portion. Half a slice of toast and a few bites of egg may be all your child wants, and that's still breakfast.
• Drink it. Milk or a smoothie made with milk or yogurt and fruit is easier for some children than chewing early in the morning.
• Give it time. Offer breakfast after dressing and teeth brushing instead of right after waking up.
• Pack a second breakfast. A piece of fruit and a cheese stick for the car or school, where allowed, catches the appetite that arrives later.
• Check the evening. A late, large snack or dinner may leave some children less hungry in the morning.
• Don't force it. Pressure tends to make mornings tense without making children hungrier.

If your child is rarely hungry at any meal, or you have questions about growth or weight, talk to your pediatrician.

Breakfast at school

HealthyChildren.org notes that most schools have breakfast available, and that eating breakfast at school has many advantages. If your child isn't hungry at home, breakfast at school may fit better, because it comes later in the morning.

Check what your child's school or kindergarten offers, when it's served, and whether your child needs to arrive early to get it. Some young children need practice with the routine: where to go, how to get a tray, and how long they have.

If the school doesn't offer breakfast, a small breakfast at home plus a snack your child can eat at school, if allowed, is another way to cover the morning. Our healthy snacks for kids guide has ideas that travel well.

Picky eaters and breakfast

For many picky eaters, breakfast is the meal they accept most reliably. Many have one or two breakfasts they'll eat, and that's a reasonable place to start.

Keep the familiar breakfast and add a small piece of something new on the side, a few blueberries or a quarter of an egg, without asking them to eat it. Many children need to meet a new food many times before they accept it. Estimates vary: AAP pediatricians mention 13 or more exposures, or 15 to 20 tries, and the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines mention 8 to 10 exposures for infants and toddlers.

When your child says "I don't like that," you can answer "Not yet," and leave it. Tasting something new is a small brave step for a 4- or 5-year-old, whether or not they like it.

Let your child choose between two options. Many children are more willing to eat something they've chosen themselves. Our guide to the picky eater covers what's typical and when to talk to your pediatrician.

"I want pancakes now!": waiting for breakfast

Hungry children often want food immediately, especially in the morning. A few minutes of waiting while eggs cook can feel very long to a 5-year-old.

What helps: - Say when, not just no. "Eggs in three minutes. You can set out the forks." - Offer something to start. A few slices of fruit on the table while the rest cooks. - Give them a job. Cracking an egg into a bowl, stirring oats, or pouring milk from a small pitcher keeps hands busy and makes the wait shorter. - Notice the wait afterward. "You waited for the pancakes, and they were ready."

Waiting for something you want is a skill a child builds with practice. Breakfast offers a small chance to practice it every day.

Safety and allergies at breakfast

Choking risk is highest for children under 4, but the AAP notes that readiness for higher-risk foods depends on each child's development. At breakfast: - Spread nut butters thinly, never by the spoonful. - Cut whole grapes lengthwise into quarters, and cut sausages lengthwise into strips, then small pieces. - Have your child sit at the table to eat, not walk around with food.

If your child has a food allergy, check labels on cereals, breads, and baked goods, which may contain milk, eggs, wheat, soy, nuts, or sesame. The FDA recognizes nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame. For more on breakfast and learning, see the AAP's Breakfast for Learning. For lunch, see our lunch ideas for kids, and for the whole topic, our hub on food for kids 4–8.

“My kid will only eat sugary cereal in the morning. Do I just give in?”

Short answer: you don't have to ban it to change the pattern. Try offering two options you're happy with, add a protein such as milk, yogurt, or a hard-boiled egg, and sweeten plain versions with fruit. Some parents serve the favorite cereal next to a plain one. Changing one thing at a time may go more smoothly than a sudden switch.

“Every morning is a fight about getting dressed, so there's no time left for breakfast.”

Short answer: many parents move decisions to the night before: clothes picked out, backpack packed, bowls on the table. Offer two outfit choices instead of an open question. Some families serve breakfast first and get dressed after, or the other way around; pick the order that leaves less to argue about, and keep screens off until both are done.

“My child takes forever to eat breakfast, and we're always late.”

Short answer: try a smaller portion, sit down together so breakfast feels like a meal rather than a task, and keep the TV off. Offering breakfast after dressing, rather than right after waking, may help some children eat faster. On rushed days, pack a simple second breakfast for school, where allowed, rather than eating in the car or on the walk.

What is a good breakfast for a 5-year-old?

A good breakfast for a 5-year-old includes a protein food, such as an egg, plain yogurt, milk, or cheese, plus a fruit and a whole grain. Scrambled egg with whole-grain toast and orange segments, or yogurt with berries and oats, are simple examples. Portions can be small; many young children eat more at some meals than others.

Is it OK for kids to skip breakfast?

Occasionally skipping breakfast is common, but it's better to offer something small than nothing. HealthyChildren.org reports that 13% of school-aged kids skip breakfast (the page doesn't give a year) and notes that breakfast has been associated with many benefits. If your child often isn't hungry, try a smaller breakfast, a later one at school, or a snack packed for mid-morning.

Are smoothies a good breakfast for kids?

A smoothie made with milk or plain yogurt and whole fruit can be a good breakfast, especially for children who aren't hungry early. The dairy adds protein, and blending whole fruit keeps its fiber. Skip added sweeteners and fruit juice as a base, and serve it with a piece of toast if your child is hungry.

Is it OK to eat breakfast in the car?

It's best kept for occasional mornings. The AAP asks that children sit down to eat, and in a moving car no one can watch closely. On a rushed day, choose soft foods that aren't on choking-hazard lists, such as a banana or a whole-grain muffin, and skip whole grapes, nuts, and hard foods. Breakfast at the table, or a snack at school where allowed, is the safer routine.

Waiting for breakfast and tasting one new food are everyday practice for two lessons of the program: lesson 13, "Boss of My Want," and lesson 17, "Not Yet."

See the program See all 24 lessons

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Why your child is having kindergarten behavior problems

Short answer: kindergarten asks a lot of a 5-year-old at once: sitting, waiting, following group directions, and handling noise and other children for a whole day. Some children aren't ready for all of that on the same day, and it often shows as behavior.

Parents on forums describe a common pattern: the child does fine during structured lessons and gets in trouble at recess and lunch. Unstructured time has fewer rules, more noise, and more chances to bump into other children, and that may be hardest for a child who is still learning to stop and think first. Tiredness, hunger, a new classroom, and the start of a school year may add to it. Some children settle as the routine becomes familiar, though others need more help.

What parents argue about

ADHD or the class. On parenting forums, some parents say a school that calls every day is a sign to get an evaluation for ADHD or another difference early, and that an evaluation is not a label. Others say the real cause in their case was the class: a poor fit with the teacher, a crowded room, or a long day, and that a change there helped.

Punishing at home. Some parents add a consequence at home for trouble at school. Others say the school has already dealt with it, and a second punishment hours later only makes evenings harder and doesn't change tomorrow.

Charts and rewards. Some parents use small rewards for a good day, one setting at a time. Others find that a daily frowny face, or taking everything away after one, stops working fast and leaves the child feeling bad about themselves.

What to do today

1. Ask the teacher for specifics. When, where, and what happened just before: recess, lunch, carpet time, transitions. Treat the teacher as a partner, and keep short notes. Say: "Thank you for telling me. Can you help me see when it usually happens, so we can work on the same thing?" 2. Plan for the hardest part of the day together. If it's recess or lunch, agree on one thing your child can do there: find a set friend, play one game they know, or go to a grown-up when they feel stuck. Say: "At recess, you can play tag, swing, or find Ms. Lee. Which one first?" 3. Talk about tomorrow, not the punishment. Skip a second consequence at home. Say: "School was hard today. Let's figure out one thing that could help tomorrow."

If your child falls apart at home after a hard day, start with food and rest. See after-school restraint collapse.

What to say instead

When the behavior chart comes home with a frowny face, try to keep your reaction small.

• Instead of "Why did you do that?" try: "Tell me what happened at lunch."
• Instead of "You'll lose your tablet" try: "What could you do next time someone takes your spot?"
• Instead of "You're always in trouble" try: "You had a hard day. Tomorrow is a new day."

If they can tell you what happened before the trouble, you've learned something useful. If they can't, that's normal at 5; ask the teacher instead.

When to talk to your pediatrician

Talk to your pediatrician if the behavior is frequent, severe, lasting, or happening in more than one setting, such as at school and at home or with other caregivers. Also bring it up if your child seems unhappy about school most of the time, sleeps poorly, or isn't eating well. Your pediatrician can check sleep, hearing, and other things that may be making school harder, and talk with you about whether an evaluation makes sense. If your child talks about hurting themselves, contact your pediatrician right away. If they're in danger, call 911 or call or text 988.

In the program

In our program for children ages 5–6, the matching lesson is "The Pause Button" (the gap between what happens and what I do). Children practice the routine "Stop. Breathe. Choose." at home while everyone is calm, so it's there when someone takes their spot in line. The lesson is open in full, no sign-up needed. Your child's app adds a small mission in the morning and a few short questions in the evening. For readiness skills, see the kindergarten readiness checklist, and for other everyday struggles, more answers to questions parents often ask.

“The school is talking about suspending my 5-year-old. What should I ask for?”

Short answer: ask for a meeting, and come with questions: what happens, when, what comes just before it, and what support the school has tried. You can also ask, in writing, whether an evaluation would help; some parents on forums say asking early doesn't put a label on a child. Talk to your pediatrician too, especially if behavior is also a concern at home.

“My kindergartner can't sit still or follow directions. Is it ADHD or just being 5?”

Short answer: only a professional can answer that, and many 5-year-olds have trouble sitting still. It's worth raising with your pediatrician if the behavior is frequent, lasting, and shows up in more than one setting, such as at school and at home. Ask the teacher what they see, and keep short notes before the appointment. Pediatricians often check sleep and hearing too.

“My child gets a frowny face every day and now calls themselves 'the bad kid.' How do I help?”

Short answer: separate the behavior from your child: "You had a hard day. You're not a bad kid." Ask the teacher whether you can work on one goal together and notice the good moments, not only the bad ones. At home, point out times your child stopped and thought first. If they seem unhappy about school most of the time, talk to your pediatrician.

“My kindergartner said a really bad word at school and the teacher called me. How do I handle it?”

Short answer: stay calm, since a big reaction may make the word more interesting. Ask where they heard it, explain simply that it's a word that hurts people and isn't used at school or at home, and give them another word to use when they're upset. Then let the teacher know you've talked about it.

Is it normal for a kindergartener to get in trouble at school?

Yes, some trouble is common, especially early in the year. Kindergarten is many children's first full day of group rules, and learning to wait, share, and follow directions takes practice. It's worth a closer look if the reports come most days, are serious, keep going as the year goes on, or match what you see at home.

Should I punish my child at home for bad behavior at school?

Usually it works better not to add a second punishment. The school has already responded, and by evening a 5-year-old may not connect the two. Talk briefly about what happened, ask what could help tomorrow, and stay in touch with the teacher. If the school asks you to back up a plan, follow the same plan at home.

What should I do if my kindergartener has trouble at recess?

Ask the teacher what usually happens and when. Then give your child a short plan for recess: a game they know, a friend to look for, and a grown-up to go to when they feel stuck. Some parents ask the school whether their child can have a small job at recess or lunch, which gives the time more structure.

Do behavior charts work in kindergarten?

They work for some children and not for others. A chart that focuses on one specific behavior and notices good moments may help. A chart that shows a frowny face most days may leave a child discouraged. If your child's chart is mostly bad news, ask the teacher whether you can work on one goal together.

The lesson "The Pause Button" gives your child a three-step routine for the moment between what happens and what they do.

See the program See all 24 lessons

More to read

What are healthy snacks for kids?

Short answer: Healthy snacks for kids are mostly whole foods: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, dairy, and protein foods such as eggs, beans, or nut butter, with little or no added sugar.

The current federal guidance, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, asks families to focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods for children ages 5–10 and says no amount of added sugars is recommended at that age. It also suggests water or unsweetened drinks with meals and snacks.

A simple way to put that into practice is to think of a snack as a small meal. Pick two food groups instead of one. Apple slices alone may hold a child for a short while. Apple slices with a piece of cheese, or with a thin layer of peanut butter, tend to make a more filling snack.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) makes the same point on HealthyChildren.org: snack time is a chance to add fruits and vegetables, and pairing produce with protein or whole grains makes a snack more balanced.

Healthy snack ideas for kids: easy pairings

Here are combinations that need little or no cooking. Mix and match them across the week.

Fruit + protein or dairy - Apple or pear slices with cheese - Banana with a thin spread of peanut butter or sunflower seed butter - Berries or diced peaches stirred into plain yogurt - Orange segments with a hard-boiled egg

Vegetable + dip - Cucumber rounds, bell pepper strips, or steamed carrot sticks with hummus - Snap peas or cherry tomatoes (cut into quarters) with a yogurt dip - Leftover roasted vegetables with a little cheese

Whole grain + something else - Whole-grain toast with mashed avocado - Plain oatmeal with fruit, made the night before and eaten cold - Whole-grain tortilla rolled around cheese or beans - A small bowl of whole-grain cereal with milk

Leftovers count. A few spoonfuls of last night's dinner is a perfectly good snack. For more on meals, snacks, and picky eating in one place, see our hub, food for kids 4–8.

What healthy protein snacks work well for kids?

Short answer: Eggs, plain yogurt, cheese, milk, beans and hummus, thinly spread nut or seed butters, and small pieces of chicken or turkey all work well as protein snacks for kids.

The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines list both animal and plant protein foods: eggs, poultry, seafood, and meat, plus beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy. For a 4- to 8-year-old, that translates into simple options:

• Hard-boiled eggs, made in a batch and kept in the fridge
• Plain yogurt, with fruit added at home
• Cheese, cut into thin strips or small pieces
• Hummus or mashed beans with vegetables or whole-grain bread
• Peanut, almond, or sunflower seed butter, spread thinly on toast or fruit
• Leftover chicken, fish, or turkey, cut into small pieces

The Dietary Guidelines also suggest choosing meat with no or limited added sugars, refined starches, or chemical additives, which is worth checking on packaged deli meats and meat snacks. Many meat sticks also appear on the AAP's list of choking hazards for young children.

What are healthy non-processed snacks for kids?

Short answer: Non-processed or minimally processed snacks are foods that look close to how they started: fresh or frozen fruit, raw or cooked vegetables, eggs, plain yogurt, milk, cheese, beans, and plain whole grains such as oats.

The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines are the first federal guidelines to tell Americans to avoid highly processed foods. They describe them as packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat foods that are salty or sweet, such as chips, cookies, and candy, along with foods that contain artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie sweeteners.

You don't have to make everything from scratch. The guidelines count frozen, dried, or canned fruits and vegetables with no or very limited added sugars as good options, too.

To spot added sugar on a label, the guidelines suggest looking for ingredients that contain the word "sugar" or "syrup" or end in "-ose." Honey, agave, and fruit juice concentrate are also added sugars. The sugars naturally in fruit and plain milk are not.

Snacks for kids after school and on the go