This article analyses the children’s programmes which were made by, and broadcast on, Spanish television channel Televisión Española from the time when programme schedules were first published in the press (1958) until the end of the Franco era (1975). The programming is then linked to the evolution of Televisión Española as an institution, as well as with the social and political context of the nation. The study takes into account the days and times of transmission, programme duration, the number of new shows broadcast per year and the most common content/formats. Each programme’s structure, its characters, the role of the presenter, involvement of children and the values and ideas conveyed are also assessed. We will demonstrate that the dictatorship initially used these programmes to promote patriotic and religious feelings, and later on, to prepare children and young people for the new social and economic realities of the country (such as urbanisation and industrialisation).