Listen, I am not great at limiting screen time in my house! Some days the TV stays on all day, even if we aren’t actively watching. It goes on when I shower, cook a meal, or do a chore that I need to do without little bodies underfoot. While I don’t limit screen time, I am incredibly picky about the shows my girls watch! They have to be educational, engaging, and they can’t annoy me! By far our family favorite is Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood!
Growing up, I watched lots of PBS shows and a lot of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood reruns, so I was pretty excited to find a fun spinoff in the Land of Make-Believe. The opening notes of “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood ” and “It’s Such a Good Feeling” bring me as much joy now as they did when I was little and it’s so fun to share that with my kids. It’s so neat being reintroduced to some of my favorite characters, like Lady Elaine and King Friday, as well as Daniel Tiger himself, in such a fun way.
One of my favorite things about watching Daniel Tiger with my girls is the original songs! Daniel has a song for just about every situation and feeling. The repetition and catchy little tunes are a great way to teach and remind your kiddo of the little lessons they’ve learned! We sing Daniel Tiger songs on a daily basis. On my daughter’s first day of school, we sang “Grownups Come Back” dozens of times, so she knew and remembered that mom was going to come back for her. During potty training, we sang, “if you have to go potty, stop and go right away!” and even a year later, I sometimes hear my daughter singing “flush and wash and be on your way” through the bathroom door. My daughter sings “When You Feel so Mad” to me when I get upset.
I love that watching Daniel and his friends can help reinforce the emotional regulation I try to teach my girls as well as inclusion and being a good friend. Seeing Daniel in normal, everyday situations—being sad, mad, or feeling ignored, or having a tough time with his sister or friends and learning how to navigate those big feelings—is great at helping to normalize the big feelings my girls may experience. I appreciate the range of emotions they show because it just isn’t realistic for kids to be happy 24/7 and it is ok to feel sad, mad, or left out, or to miss someone, or to be nervous about a new experience.
Shows about letters and numbers are a dime a dozen and that is great! But I love having a show that prioritizes normal emotions and emotional intelligence targeted to such a young audience. I love that I can turn on Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and know that they are actually learning, and that the things they are learning are such valuable life lessons.
