しまじろうチャンネル on YouTube: Habit Songs for Brushing, Mealtime and the Potty (and How to Watch Safely)
FamilyTube channel guide #13
Brushing teeth at night is often a little tug-of-war: the kid clamps their mouth shut and runs off, and a grown-up chases after them, toothbrush in hand. Picky eating, not wanting to use the potty, refusing to get dressed before heading out: they're all the same kind of battle. Reasoning rarely settles these, but when a character kids love sings a song about it, sometimes things just go smoothly. If you want short songs made specifically for daily habits and sorted by age, しまじろうチャンネル (Shimajiro Channel) is well worth getting to know.
This is the official YouTube channel of Benesse's こどもちゃれんじ (Kodomo Challenge), starring Shimajiro. The channel has habit songs about brushing teeth, bath time, using the potty and table manners, plus the TV anime しまじろうのわお！ (Shimajiro: A World of Wow!). For parents who want screen time to help with the little everyday stuff (including me, a dad of twins), it's a really practical channel, as long as you know it also has long anime videos and promos for the learning program, and you pick what you add.
- Official channel: youtube.com/@SHIMAJIROCH (about 2.58 million subscribers and 2,112 videos as of October 2026)
- Latest upload (October 10, 2026): "【32分アニメ】「はじめての わすれもの」ほか｜生活習慣｜しまじろうのわお！アニメ" (32-Minute Anime: "My First Forgotten Thing" and More, Daily Habits, Shimajiro: A World of Wow! Anime)
What is しまじろうチャンネル?
しまじろうチャンネル is the official channel of こどもちゃれんじ, Benesse's learning program for young children. The biggest difference from a typical kids' channel is that it's clearly built around daily habits. The channel description says it's for ages 1 to 6, and the playlists break that down further by age, into groups like 0・1歳 (ages 0–1), 1・2歳 (ages 1–2), 2・3歳 (ages 2–3) and 4～5歳 (ages 4–5). Whatever stage your child is at, you go straight to that playlist instead of digging through everything from the start.
The playlists are also neatly organized by everyday situation. For example, はみがき・おふろ・手洗い (Brushing, Bath Time, Handwashing) has 32 videos, トイレ・着替え・片づけ (Potty, Getting Dressed, Tidying Up) has 45, and ルール・マナー (Rules and Manners) has 132. The TV anime しまじろうのわお！ also has videos for catching up if you missed an episode when it aired. And there's a crafts playlist, 【工作あそび】コロルちゃんとつくろ！ (Craft Play: Let's Make Things with Coloru-chan!), with six episodes in all.
The channel has 2,112 videos and was still uploading as of October 2026. There's a lot of content, and lengths vary widely: short videos with one or two songs, and long anime compilations like the latest upload. On top of that, some videos are trial or promotional videos for the こどもちゃれんじ program. These are the brand promoting its own program, not third-party ads, but it's good for parents to know they're there before deciding what to add.
Age note: The channel description says it's for ages 1 to 6, and the playlists have finer age groups too, so you can go straight by the channel's own labels.
Why parents love it
1. Already sorted by age, so no guessing
The channel itself splits its playlists into age groups like 0・1歳 and 2・3歳, and video titles often say 2・3歳向け (for ages 2–3). Instead of guessing which of 2,112 videos will work, you just look by your child's age.
2. One song for one everyday task
Brushing teeth, eating, falling down and getting hurt, using the potty: each song zeroes in on one specific situation. Play it right before or during that moment, and screen time leads straight into real life.
3. A character kids know, so they're more willing to go along
Shimajiro is a character a lot of kids recognize. "Go brush your teeth" from a grown-up might not work, but when Shimajiro sings about brushing, kids are often more willing to give it a try.
4. Made by an official brand, with a clear focus
This is the official channel of a learning-program brand, and its content revolves around daily habits and しつけ (good manners and behavior), not trendy unboxing or challenge videos. The topics are clear, and parents have a better idea of what their kids are watching.
My take as a twin dad
My approach to habit songs is simple: the song is there to help with the task, not to replace it. Play the brushing song right before brushing, and when it's over, grab the toothbrush. Play the mealtime song at the table, and when it's over, dig in. One song for one task, and kids quickly connect the two.
My advice is to pick songs based on where your child is getting stuck right now. If brushing is the hardest part, start by adding はみがき戦隊ミガクンジャー！ (Brushing Squad Migakunjar!). For picky eating, try ぜんぶ たべたら (When You Eat It All) once. And at the age when kids have just learned to run and fall down a lot, いたいの いたいの とんでいけ (Pain, Pain, Fly Away) is a great fit. There's no need to add a bunch of videos on day one. One habit, one song; take it slow.
To be honest, this isn't a channel you can hand over and let kids explore on their own. The habit songs themselves are gentle, but the long anime goes on for a long time once it starts, and program promos are mixed in with everything else. So I think of it as "habit songs a parent picked," not "a channel kids scroll through by themselves."
The catch: great show ≠ safe YouTube
Even a learning brand's official channel runs into the same problems once it's on YouTube: suggested videos in the sidebar, autoplay, and the comments section. Your child finishes a brushing song, and the next thing YouTube recommends might be a long anime compilation, a promo for the program, or some other kids' channel you've never even seen. What started as one song before brushing can easily drag on past bedtime.
That's the gap FamilyTube is built for:
Kids only watch parent-approved YouTube videos.
No recommendation feed. No endless scrolling. No surprise next video.
You keep Shimajiro's habit songs. You drop the algorithm.
Where to start: your first week
Step 1 — Start with the toothbrushing song
For the first one, I'd go with はみがき戦隊ミガクンジャー！ (posted February 27, 2014, with about 70.77 million views), the most-viewed of these three. Always play it right before brushing, and head straight to the sink when it ends, so the song becomes the signal that it's time to brush.
Step 2 — Add songs for mealtime and tumbles
Once the brushing song is working, add ぜんぶ たべたら げんき もりもり｜生活習慣｜2・3歳向け (Eat It All and You'll Be Big and Strong, Daily Habits, for Ages 2–3; posted March 23, 2015, with about 48.77 million views). Play it before a meal, and when it's over, say いただきます (the phrase Japanese families say before eating) together. After that, you can add いたいの いたいの とんでいけ｜生活習慣｜2・3歳向け (posted November 19, 2014, with about 41.35 million views). It comes in handy when your child takes a little tumble and needs some comfort. Both titles say 2・3歳向け, so kids around that age can start right here. Add just one at a time, and wait a few days before adding the next.
Step 3 — Preview the long anime and program promos first
The long しまじろうのわお！ anime compilations are fine in themselves, but they go on for a long time once they start. I'd skip them for the first week, and decide after you've watched them yourself and know you have the time that day.
Also, some videos on the channel are trial or promo videos for the こどもちゃれんじ program. This is the brand introducing its own learning program, not a third-party ad, but its purpose is different from the habit songs. I'd preview them before deciding whether to include them in the videos your child can watch.
Step 4 — When the song ends, go do the thing
The best way to use a habit song is to follow it right away with the real thing. When the brushing song ends, pick up the toothbrush; when the mealtime song ends, start eating. You can also ask, "How did Shimajiro brush just now?" and have your child try it the same way. It doesn't have to be perfect every time. The point is linking the song to the task.
How to watch しまじろうチャンネル safely in FamilyTube
- Open FamilyTube on your iPhone or iPad and go to the Parent Area.
- First, check Recommend to see if しまじろうチャンネル is there. If it isn't, tap Search at the bottom, switch to the Search channels tab, and type the channel name, しまじろう.
- Once you open the channel, you can see every video on the Videos tab, or switch to Playlists to browse by topic or age. しまじろうチャンネル has playlists like はみがき・おふろ・手洗い, トイレ・着替え・片づけ and ルール・マナー, plus playlists split by age, like 0・1歳 and 2・3歳, which makes finding things much easier than scrolling through 2,112 videos one by one.
- Tap ＋ next to a video to add it, or open a playlist and check the videos you want. Start with one starter video, like はみがき戦隊ミガクンジャー！, and add more over time.
- Turn on Child Mode and hand over the device: your child can only tap videos you approved.
Result: your child can brush, eat and learn manners along with Shimajiro, and every video they see is one you picked.
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Quick FAQ
Is しまじろうチャンネル free on YouTube?
Videos on the official channel are generally free to watch, though availability may vary by region.
What ages is it for?
The channel description says ages 1 to 6, and the playlists break it down further by age, into groups like 0・1歳, 1・2歳, 2・3歳 and 4～5歳. When you're picking videos, you can go by the age labels on the playlists and in the titles.
Are the program promos ads?
They're not third-party ads. They're Benesse introducing its own こどもちゃれんじ program. It's not that kids can't watch them; they just have a different purpose from the habit songs, so I'd preview them before deciding whether to add them.
Can I add the whole channel at once?
I wouldn't. The channel has 2,112 videos, including long anime compilations and program promos. Starting with three short habit songs and keeping your approved list short is much easier to manage than adding everything at once.
Does FamilyTube replace YouTube?
No. FamilyTube plays the YouTube videos you choose. It just keeps YouTube's recommendations and that never-ending "next video" off your child's side of the screen.
Bottom line
しまじろうチャンネル is a really useful channel for building daily habits: official content from a learning-program brand, playlists sorted by age and everyday situation, and each song aimed at one small daily task. You'll need to weed out the long anime and program promos first, but pick well and those little daily battles over brushing and meals get a bit easier.
Start with these three: はみがき戦隊ミガクンジャー！, ぜんぶ たべたら げんき もりもり and いたいの いたいの とんでいけ. Keep your approved list short, and watch in FamilyTube so a brushing song doesn't get dragged past bedtime by YouTube's recommendations.
For numbers, check out our セサミストリート日本公式 (Sesame Street Japan Official) guide. For nursery songs and hand-play, there's the ボンボンアカデミー (Bom Bom Academy) guide, and for gentle kids' songs, the Super Simple 日本語 (Super Simple Japanese) guide. To get kids moving, see the ケロポンズ&プッピーズ (Keropons & Puppies) guide, and for three-minute science, the でんじろう先生のはぴエネ! (Denjiro-sensei's Happy Energy!) guide. You can also browse all channel guides for more picks parents can trust.