Have you ever found yourself drawn into TV for preschoolers, like a Sesame Street episode — mesmerized by the art of the “edutainment†of young children? More than once in my book. Move over, kiddo, this is intriguing! Most recently, in our home… it has been Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood that has been distracting me from cleaning up after breakfast.
Moms of kids ages 1-99 …this is a PBS Kids show worthy of much praise. Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is targeted at preschool-aged children, and is based on the Neighborhood of Make-Believe from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, the long-running family-oriented television series created and hosted by Fred Rogers.
Firstly, what I love about Daniel Tiger are the relevant themes related to family issues, potty-training, relationships, overcoming fear and learning new things. Secondly, the music is incredible. Every episode incorporates short, simple and amazingly catchy tunes — jingles, that solidify the learning and stick with you throughout the day. I find myself singing Daniel Tiger songs a lot! Thirdly, this is a show that actually can entertain more than just the toddler. Even though Daniel Tiger is a 3-year-old Tiger boy who loves to play with trucks…my 2, 5, 7 and 9 year-old girls can watch for an hour.
And the best part of all, is when our toddler throws a fit later in the day…the older girls turn around and sing their Daniel Tiger tune… “When you feel so mad that you want to roar, take a deep breath and count to four.”
So, forget about those breakfast dishes, moms. Sit down and enjoy some Daniel Tiger this week. My guess is you will walk away with a clever jingle that might even help you parent a little better!
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (1/18/2015) balu (Flickr)
