Caillou

YMA recommendation

	Approved as non-violent media
Most suitable age range: 2-4

Availability

About the program

Synopsis

Caillou lives at home with his Mum and Dad and is learning to adjust to life with a new sister Rosie. Through every day activities Caillou learns all about life and what the world has to offer.

Points to consider

Words of caution

• None

Positive aspects

• Caillou gives small children a third person perspective on many of the inevitable happenings in a toddler's life, such as having to share toys, give clothes to a younger sibling or, more importantly, compete for attention with Mum and Dad. Positive and practical solutions are offered in a loving and respectful manner, thereby giving parents ideas for dealing with these common issues and also reiterating to the child that despite the new addition, and the changes that ensued, he or she is truly loved.
• Role reversals are also commonplace, such as seeing Dad in an apron cooking in the kitchen and Mum outside mowing the lawn, thereby demonstrating gender equality and giving children the idea that it is ok to see dads in roles traditionally occupied by women and vice versa.

Questions to ask

• Parents can use the example of Caillou to talk to their children and get a good idea of how they’re feeling about a new sibling or other issues
• The show provides a spring base for talking about what children should do or would do in various situations, such as if they were lost at the shops.