Donkey Hodie
“Donkey Hodie,” a puppet series for children ages 3 to 5, is inspired by the quirky, funny side of Fred Rogers as well as his mission to help kids navigate the frustrations and challenges of childhood. Donkey Hodie and her pals empower kids to dream big and overcome obstacles in their own lives! To work hard and persevere in the face of failure! To be resourceful and discover that they are capable of solving problems on their own! Oh, and to laugh themselves silly along the way! Learn More About the Show
Articles
Get Ready for Bedtime With These Tips From “Donkey Hodie”
Bedtime can be challenging for kids, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are five tips to help your kids wind down for bed.
4 Ways to Quiet a Busy Moment With “Donkey Hodie”
Finding quiet in a busy moment is a helpful skill for young children to learn. Here are some things to keep in mind.
Learning How to Set Goals With Donkey Hodie
Setting and achieving goals helps kids (and grown-ups) build self-esteem — and teaches perseverance, too. Try these 3 easy steps for goal-setting with kids.
4 Things to Do When Your Child Is Worried
Worry can be confusing and scary for young children. Here are four things you can do to help your child understand and work through their worries.
5 Ways to Help Kids Handle Disagreements With Friends
“Can two friends disagree?” asks Donkey Hodie. Yes, friends can disagree, and they often do! Here are some ways to help your child understand that conflict is normal, and provide them with tools to handle disagreements when they arise.
"We Can Do Hard Things:" Building Resilience in Kids
In "Donkey Hodie," characters set goals, encounter obstacles, experience failure, and persist toward their goal, asking for help as needed. Here are four ways parents and caregivers can support kids with these skills of perseverance and resilience.
5 Ways to Build Your Preschooler’s Confidence
Building self-confidence for preschoolers is essential. We want our kids to see what’s good about themselves, to believe in themselves, and to know they are important. Here are some ideas, with help from Donkey Hodie and her pals.
"It’s Okay to Make Mistakes:" How Being Wrong Can Help Us Learn
To preschoolers, getting something wrong often results in frustration, a feeling of failure, and an explosion of big emotions. Here’s how to help your child learn from mistakes.
5 Ways to Help Kids Be Flexible When Plans Change
A change in plans can be tough to handle at any age, but especially for kids. Here are five ways to build flexible thinking skills and help your kids go with the flow when plans change.
Birthday Party
Donkey Hodie Birthday Party
Hee-hawesome! This Donkey Hodie-themed birthday party will show how to make adorable snacks, a themed cake, decorations and activities that are based on the show.
Hands-On Activities
Make a Donkey Hodie Puppet
30 min activityWhenever your child faces a challenge or fear, they can work through it in a fun way with a puppet of their favorite Someplace Else pal.
No-Sew Donkey Hodie Costume
30 min activityLet your child enter a world of make-believe with this no-sew Donkey Hodie costume that you can create together!
Stacking Cups as a Team
20 min activityPractice working together as a team with this cup stacking challenge.
Explore How Making Mistakes Changes an Art Project
20 min activityWorking on an art project like making a robot — or something else — is a fun way to use recyclable materials and help your child explore their creativity when they make a mistake.
Learn to Hoof Dance With Donkey Hodie
25 min activityThis family dancing activity is a great way to have fun and incorporate physical movement into your day! Sing along with Donkey Hodie and Grampy as you learn the steps with your child.
How To Make A Glitter Jar To Help Kids To Stay Calm
20 min activityPull out this mindfulness jar when your child needs help relaxing and settling down.
Make Music With Everyday Objects
30 min activityThere are so many ways to make and experience music. One possibility is to explore how different items around your house sound as musical instruments.
Make Mealtime More Hee-hawesome With Donkey Hodie Placemats
20 min activitySpecial meals with our family and friends are a hee-hawesome time to enjoy delicious foods and engaging conversations!
It's Trolley Time! Make Your Own Trolley at Home
30 min activityMake your own Trolley to ride in and visit friends during imaginative playtime.
Recipes: Make Food Inspired by "Donkey Hodie"
Donkey Hodie Birthday Cake
60 min activityHave a hee-hawesome time with this delicious DIY Donkey Hodie birthday cake!
FroYo Bites
140 min activityMake these frozen yogurt bites inspired by one of Donkey Hodie’s favorite desserts — FroYo! It’s a cool treat that is super simple to make!
Planet Purple Party Punch
5 min activityAll the way from Planet Purple, this party punch will be a hit at your Donkey Hodie birthday party.
Make Flying Flapjacks for Breakfast
30 min activityMaking Flying Flapjacks is an easy way to help your child learn some basic kitchen skills! They’re so delicious, you might see them “fly” off the plate!
Printables
Meeting New Friends with Donkey Hodie and Daniel Tiger
When Daniel Tiger and Donkey Hodie meet for the first time, they have lots of questions for each other. Encourage your child to get to know a friend better by helping them ask questions and writing or drawing their answers.
Donkey Hodie Coloring Page
Color in Donkey from Donkey Hodie!
Purple Panda Coloring Page
Color in Purple Panda from Donkey Hodie!
Duck Duck Coloring Page
Color in Duck Duck from Donkey Hodie!
Bedtime Cards
Learn how to get ready for a good night’s sleep with these Donkey Hodie and pals cards. Cut out each card and follow the steps to help you plan your hee-hawesome bedtime routine!
Donkey Hodie Matching Activity
Match Donkey and her pals to their homes in Someplace Else.
Looking Carefully with Donkey Hodie
Donkey Hodie reminds us that if you look and listen carefully you will find a lot of things. Can you find the nine things listed in Donkey’s room?
Games
Donkey's FroYo Stand
Donkey Hodie is serving frozen yogurt treats to her pals, and she needs help! In this game, players follow steps to complete customers’ orders. As they play, they practice following a plan and being persistent.
Detective Donkey
Join Detective Donkey Hodie as she travels along with Trolley solving her pals’ cases in this hee-hawesome hidden picture adventure! Players can practice goal setting and persistence by making a list of items to find.
Let's Do Magic with Duck Duck
Duck Duck has a new magic book full of step-by-step instructions to perform many magnificent tricks. Players can flex their working memory and learn strategies to help remember the steps of each trick.
Cousin Hodie Playdate
Playing games with friends and family can be a lot of fun and can also cause a lot of big feelings. In this game, players guess how Cousin Hodie is feeling by paying attention to context clues, listening to him, and noticing body language.
Art Pals
Donkey Hodie and her pals are making art projects from materials found around Someplace Else. As they play and create their art projects, players practice collaboration, cooperation and perspective taking.
Speedy Delivery
In this game, players put their problem-solving and persistence skills to the test as they navigate obstacles and solve puzzles to help Donkey Hodie make speedy deliveries to her pals around Someplace Else.
Purple Panda's Space Bop
Purple Panda's on his way to Planet Purple to visit Mama Panda! Players can fly his spaceship into space, through the Lavender Lights, and back home by successfully completing on-screen button prompts in the correct order.
Go Fetch With Bob Dog
Bob Dog is on a mission to become a top fetcher with his coach, Penguin Referee! Players use classification, flexible thinking, and visual discrimination to help Bob Dog sort the toys he wants as fast as they can.
Daily Donkey
This tile-matching, Mahjong solitaire-style game offers a new puzzle every day. Each new puzzle allows players to practice resilience and flexible thinking, and playing over time allows opportunity for mastery and strategy.
Streaming Free on PBS KIDS
Funding for Donkey Hodie is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Acton Family Giving, The Heinz Endowments, and CME Group Foundation.
DONKEY HODIE © 2021, The Fred Rogers Company. All rights reserved.