In addition to providing private practice services at Authentically Living Psychological Services, Dr. Mahoney is a New York school psychologist with kids of her own. She's seen firsthand how children's media can be used in helpful ways.
If you're looking for that jumping-off point to start teaching and modeling empathy, Dr. Mahoney has one show that she always recommends.
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The Best Children’s Show To Work on Empathy in Kids and Grandkids, According to a Child Psychologist
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The show originally premiered on Nickelodeon in 2007, and it blends original music, live-action scenes, puppetry, animated segments and more. The series ran for four seasons (66 episodes total) until 2015, and it can now be watched on The Roku Channel and Apple TV+. The latter streaming platform rebooted the series in 2024 with the show Yo Gabba GabbaLand! Two seasons of the reboot have aired, with the second season most recently premiering in January 2026.
She adds, "After repeated exposure, I started to see what it was doing. It was breaking social behavior down into simple, memorable units and pairing them with repetition, music and visual cues."
One particularly impactful moment from the show for the child psychologist was the “Don’t Bite Your Friends" song from Season 1, Episode 11.
She adds that when working with children, it's important to label a behavior and connect it to something they're familiar with.
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Stream on Netflix or HBO Max
2. 'Bluey'
Stream on Disney+
She says that this conversation shift makes the feeling more accessible.
Stream on Disney+
4. 'Mickey Mouse Clubhouse'
"My youngest kid was obsessed, and he is one of the most empathetic teens I know," she adds.
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How To Improve Empathy in Kids
"When a child watches a show, even brief comments can activate learning," she explains.
"Without that layer, the child may enjoy the show but miss the deeper message," she tells Parade, adding, "Empathy is not just learned individually. It is learned socially. When children experience these moments alongside adults, the lesson becomes more meaningful."
2. Repetition
She adds, "I have seen children reference songs, characters or phrases during real interactions, which is a clear sign that the learning is transferring."
3. Beyond the screen
"Empathy is built in everyday interactions," she says, suggesting that you read books together, talk about emotions in real life and model behaviors for them.
She suggests taking moments to say things like, "Look at your friend’s face, what do you think they’re feeling?” followed by, “What could you do to help?”
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