7 Movies That Teach Children To Cope With Difficulties

Movies can teach your children great values. The 7 films we'll tell you about today will teach them to cope with difficulties. Keep reading!
7 Movies That Teach Children To Cope With Difficulties

Last update: 11 October, 2022

The seventh art is here not only to entertain us, but also to teach us great values. In fact, there are films that can be used for children to reflect and think about the life they have and the one they would like to lead. In addition, with them, you can share good times as a family. Ideally, after watching a movie of this type, you should talk with the little ones about its content in order to reflect on the highlights. Therefore, today we’re going to share with you some films that teach children how to cope with difficulties. 

We’ve prepared a selection of films that you can watch with your children together and that you can easily find on Netflix, HBO, or Amazon Prime Video. Take note!

1. Big Hero 6

This film contains a great story that will hook both young and old. This is a boy who is very good at computers and creates a special robot. Together with his robot and his friends, he’ll be able to cope with difficulties–some smaller and some greater. This is an ideal option for learning to handle losses and the most intense emotions.

2. I am Sam

If you want a wonderful compendium of values, this option is ideal. It tells the story of Sam, a single father with a cognitive disability who works as a waiter during the day and serves as a father at night. His life is perfect until suddenly, social services take custody of his little girl because they believe he’s incapable of raising her.

Along with the help of his loyal friends and an empathetic lawyer, Sam will fight to regain custody of his daughter because she’s the one who gives meaning to his life. Will he succeed? This movie is inspired by a true story and reflects the unconditional love between parents and children.

3. The Pursuit of Happyness

If you haven’t seen this movie, it’s still very likely that the titles will ring a bell. It’s about a father who loses his job, separates from his wife, and looks for a way to get ahead together with his young son, whom he loves with all his heart and to whom he tries to transmit enormous values.

The film reflects the importance of effort, hard work, and resilience. When you see it, you’ll love it, and it’s sure to become engraved in your heart. Based on a true story, it’s a film that you have to see as a family sometime in your life.

4. Billy Elliott

The protagonist of this film makes you fall in love at first sight. This is a small child who just wants to dance and must face the obstacles that social prejudices place in his way.

This movie teaches children to face adversity and overcome difficulties with integrity. With your family, you’ll be able to reflect upon important values such as personal improvement, the importance of putting aside prejudices, and respect for oneself and for others. It’s worth seeing as a family and reflecting on its teachings.

5. Brave

This movie is about a princess who’s not like all the others. She’s a warrior girl capable of facing everything and everyone. She wants to break the mold and fight against the stereotypes she finds in society and within her own family. She wants to find her own path without anyone getting in the way, and this path presents her with various adversities that she must face.

A wonderful film about equality and the fight against prejudice and stereotypes!

6. The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart

This movie is about Jack, a boy who was born with a frozen heart and who has a cuckoo clock as a substitute. He can live with that watch forever, but he can’t touch its hands because then you won’t be able to control his anger and he’ll never know love.

It’s a film that talks about self-knowledge and how to cope with difficulties.

7. Little Women

This is a film that narrates the difficult destiny of 5 women (four sisters and their mother) who try to survive in a very difficult time: the Civil War in the United States. The father of the family went to war and the girls try to lead a normal life, study, and help others.

It’s a good resource for reflecting on willpower in difficult times.

Now you have 7 wonderful titles to watch with your family this weekend. But they’re not just movies, they’re 7 educational resources for children to cope with difficulties. And they’re all wonderful!


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Simon Brew, S., Deza Guil, G. (2021) La vida secreta de las películas. Editorial: PhotoClub

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.