The show that lifted the lid on the riveting, uncensored drama of life in the nursery - The Secret Life of Four Year Olds - returns as a seven-part series, comprising The Secret Life of 4 Year Olds x 2, The Secret Life of 5 Year Olds x 2 and The Secret Life of 6 Year Olds x 2, as well as the return of some of the original 4 year olds in a Nativity Christmas Special.
It's midsummer and over the course of the holidays more than 50 children come to a specially rigged school, where they meet each other for the first time, make friends, play together – sometimes harmoniously, sometimes less so – and learn skills that will stay with them forever.
This is arguably the most crucial period in a child's development as they cross the threshold from family life into the social arena of school, and the tools of social interaction these children are learning can lay the foundations for the relationships they will form right across their adult lives.
As before the children delight us with their ingenuity, their charm and their humour as we eavesdrop on their secret world. And seeing these pivotal ages alongside each other in one series offers an unprecedented window on the huge developmental milestones that children reach between the ages of four and six.
This time the action unfolds under the watchful eyes of three scientists. At any one time, two of the three are present throughout and filmed in situ as they observe and comment on the development of key social skills, such as emotional regulation, empathy and morality.
| CHANNEL |
BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174) |
| PREMIERE |
22 October 2017 |
| TIMESLOT |
Sundays, 17h00 |
| REPEATS |
Sundays, 23h00
Mondays, 02h30 |