In addition, as children acquire language, they love playing with the sounds of words. Preschoolers are just beginning to learn to identify various emotions, both in themselves and in others. Theodore Tugboat helps make emotions clear through the story line, tone of voice, facial expressions, and especially with background music. Music is also used to help young viewers anticipate transitions. For example, the same familiar music indicates the end of every story and return to The Harbor Master's office.
Simple repetition increases memory.
In addition, presentation of the same material in different ways reinforces lessons by providing viewers with multiple opportunities to take in the same information. Theodore Tugboat provides such repetition by presenting stories that parallel the situations of The Harbor Master. By returning to The Harbor Master at the end of each episode, the show is able to provide a review and to give an explanation of the main lesson to make sure the youngest viewers understand. The series also uses repetition in the overall structure of the show. Each episode, and each story within each episode, begins and ends the same way.