Lulubug’s Garden Teaches Kids Emotional Regulation

We really don’t want to have kids addicted to our show, said Jil Hunter, the creator of “Lulubug’s Garden.”

Puppets and handmade sets set a slower pace in the Utah-made series, intentionally avoiding the rapid cuts, flashy animations and high-stimulation visuals common in contemporary children’s television. Hunter noted that they could choose not to go the high-stimulation route, knowing what it does to the brain.

Series Teaches Children to Identify and Regulate Emotions

Aimed primarily at children ages 3 to 5, the series was developed around the idea that young children can and should begin learning how to understand and talk openly about their emotions long before facing mental health challenges. In the show, characters learn that nervousness can feel like a squirmy feeling in the stomach, optimism can feel smiley, light and energetic, and shame can make someone want to hide. Simple emotional regulation techniques, such as balloon breathing and pausing to count to 10 before reacting, are woven throughout the series and often shared in song.

The hope behind the programming is that open conversations about feelings will normalize a culture of speaking about emotions while broadening children’s emotional literacy. By practicing on lower-stakes situations for a long time, children will not feel burdened by stigma around emotional expression as they get older, and they will already have tools to work through difficult situations like getting a bad grade or being left out.

Hunter Creates Show to Prevent Early Childhood Struggles

For Hunter, the mission of the show is personal, stemming from a desire to see children become more resilient and struggle less by preventing difficulties early rather than always trying to cure them. She wishes she had learned emotional regulation tools earlier in life during her own bouts of anxiety. After having her fifth of seven children, Hunter developed severe anxiety with physical symptoms including facial numbness and leg stiffness, leading a neurologist to suggest she might have multiple sclerosis. After a second doctor listened intently and stated she did not believe Hunter had MS, the lifted weight gave Hunter immense hope, prompting her to make a promise to give that hope back to someone feeling hopeless if she ever felt normal again.

Following her recovery, Hunter initially gave back by hosting classes on anxiety, depression, yoga and cooking for young adults before deciding to create the series after a dinner with her friend Christena.

Hopefully they will be more resilient and struggle less, Hunter said. If we could start preventing, that’ll be way better than always trying to cure.