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“Bluey” cartoon
He is six years old, lives in Brisbane and can be one of the best resilience coaches on television.
We talk about Bluey, the Animated Australian Puppy whose adventures have conquered the hearts of families around the world.
But, as a new one reveals, Bluey is not just entertaining children, Examples of how to deal with the ups and downs.
Why is resilience so important?
Resilience is not just about “enduring”. Is the ability to deal with challenges, adapt to setbacks and recover. It is a vital part of healthy child development.
Research shows that resilience helps children manage stress, regulate their emotions, build better relationships, and even better school performance. Without it, children can be more vulnerable to anxiety and depression later in life.
Today’s children face growing mental health challenges, including anxiety and emotional deregulation. For example, a national resilience inquiry from 2023 to nearly 140,000 students found that more than one in four primary students and one in three of secondary education reported high levels of psychological suffering.
The investigation shows that the sooner we support the development of resilience, the better. Early interventions help develop healthy skills before negative standards are installed.
How can TV help
Telling stories in movies, books and TV can show children how to deal with challenges – not through lectures, but modeling behaviors such as emotional regulation, problem solving and empathy.
Animal characters in stories also offer valuable learning opportunities for children, which are naturally attracted to animals.
Bluey was first broadcast in 2018. Since then, it has become Australia’s most successful children’s program, with Thousands of millions of views all over the world.
It is known for its realistic portrait of young family life. However, so far, no one had systematically examined the way this one – or any children’s TV show – presents the screen resilience.
Thus, all 150 episodes of Bluey were seen
In the study, all episodes of Bluey, from the first to third season were analyzed. The 150 episodes totaled 18 hours of Bluey, Bingo, Chilli, Bandit and his friends.
For each episode, it was carefully analyzed the plot, the characters and the themes, identifying moments when a character faced a challenge and demonstrated a resilient response.
To guide the analysis, the Grotberg resilience structure. This is a widely recognized model in psychology that divides resilience into three main elements.
- I have: involving support systems around the child, such as family, friends, and community models you can trust.
- With you: involving practical skills, such as solving problems, managing emotions and asking for help when necessary.
- I am: involving the child’s internal forces, such as trust, optimism, emotional regulation and self -esteem.
“It’s out of our control”
The research found that almost half of all episodes (73 in 150) included a clear message of resilience as the main or secondary theme.
Almost Two thirds of the moments of resilience They were facilitated by a parent – most of the time, by Bluey’s mother. This fits into the “I have” category of resilience, which highlights how children are strengthened with attentive adults when things become difficult.
For example, in The Show (season two, episode 19), Bingo accidentally drops a breakfast board and begins to cry. The mother kindly exemplifies the Emotional coachingexplaining your process to deal with problems: “I cry a little, I get back and go ahead.” Research shows that when caregivers exemplify how to recognize anguish, express feelings and then calmly recover, children gradually learn to deal with negative emotions effectively.
Ahead in the episode, Bingo repeats exactly these words when things go wrong again.
“Well, this was fun”
Bluey and her sister also often demonstrate practical competencies of confrontation on their own.
In Keepy Uppy (season first, episode three), bursts the last balloon of a joke. Children stop, absorb the emotion and smile. “Wow, it was fun“They say.
In a single moment we see the disappointment, emotional regulation and reformulation – the core of the category “I can.”
Everyday moments, powerful messages
We also see characters to overcome challenges with their own inner strength. In Seesaw (Season Second, Episode 27), Pom Pom demonstrates determination and self -confidence to reach the top of the Balancé and Save your friendsin an example of “I am.” As he herself declares, “Pomeranians are a small but resistant race.”
We found that Bluey addresses almost all the essential elements of resilience: relationships of trust, emotional communication, problem solving, self -regulation, empathy and more.
In Sheepdog (season third, episode 11), mother Chilli tells the family that she needs “20 minutes” alone. Bluey is worried about doing something wrong. Later, during the game, Bluey kindly repeats her mother’s words to a toy: “Taking care of you takes a lot of work. I just need 20 minutes“.
This simple moment demonstrates self -care and perspective, as well as empathy. For children, learning that adults also need to rest is a powerful message.
How to see Bluey with your children
Of course no screen replaces real relationships. But when parents see programs like Bluey with their children, they become powerful teaching tools.
So the next time your child wants to see an episode for the tenth time, don’t feel guilty-join him. When parents also watch, these moments become conversation initiators. For example, “What do you think Bluey felt then?”, “Have you felt like this?” or “What did you do in this situation?”
Talking about what children see on the screen can help them reflect, process and develop the skills needed to deal with, adapt and grow.
