Written by Natascha Crandall, PhD. - Educational Curriculum Consultant

With the help of parents, children begin to develop ideas of what is right and what is wrong at a young age. But during the preschool years, as they gain the ability to consider other perspectives, they start to understand that not all issues are black and white, or right or wrong. Rules are put in place to deter chaos, but some rules help us develop our own guidelines for right and wrong- they help us develop our moral compass. Helping children develop their moral compass will help them grow into responsible, confident adults, who care about others. This is what our society needs now and will also value in the future.

The Zoonicorns feature the core characteristics of optimism and resilience in every episode. These characteristics provide a natural tie-in to morality and ethics. We want children to know the right thing to do, and then feel that they have the power within themselves to make it happen. When this occurs, the world becomes less chaotic and seems manageable. These underpinnings are critical to developmental growth and to fostering complex but critical behaviors, such as empathy, justice and fairness.

Throughout the Zoonicorn series, our characters demonstrate their evolving understanding of these differences between right and wrong. This includes emphasizing the caring and compassionate aspects of morality.  Regardless of the situations that our characters find themselves in, the Zoonicorns will model positive, optimistic and resilient ways to engage with – and treat - other people.