One of the downsides to having moved to the United States as a teenager is that there are a lot of cultural references I have no connection to. The majority of these have to do with children’s music, literature and television programs that my generation grew up with here. That’s why I have no connection to something like Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, for example. While I’ve heard people rave about the program and I’m sure it was truly amazing, I’d be lying if I said it has any kind of meaning for me. I guess it’s the price you’ve got to pay when you live between two cultures.
Even though I feel no connection to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, after seeing Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, the first TV series inspired by it, I can definitely see the reason why it was such a beloved program. Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, which premiers on PBS KIDS on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 3, is an animated for preschoolers ages 2-4, just like my son Santiago. The main concept behind it is to teach little ones some of the social and emotional skills they’ll need to be able to do well in both school and in life, including self-control, patience, persistence and resilience.
Not only are the characters super cute, but the songs are catchy and the Daniel Tiger’s neighborhood seems like a lot of fun — at least to my almost 3-year-old preschooler. Santiago and I had the opportunity to watch the first episode last week which was all about how to turn something bad into something good. As soon as my boy saw Daniel Tiger on the red trolley, he was hooked. He loves anything on wheels so much that he couldn’t take his eyes off it!
Because Santiago turns 3 years old at the end of the month, he also loved that the first episode of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is all about Daniel’s fourth birthday because he was able to relate to the topic immediately. I’m not 100% sure how much he understood, since, at this point in his short life, Santiago only speaks Spanish. But I translated some stuff for him and I answered some of his questions and he asked to see it another time!
While I normally don’t really let my children watch TV in English, I must confess I’ll be making an exception with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Created by Angela Santomero, the mastermind behind hits like SUPER WHY and Blue’s Clues, this new series is definitely worth watching and I don’t think it’ll have any problems becoming just as popular as the iconic children’s show that inspired it.
Looking for more info about the show? Go ahead and check out Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood’s website which is full of games, activities and videos. You can also visit Daniel Tiger’s Facebook page. Or, you can join the Twitter party being hosted by PBS on Tuesday, August 28 from 9 – 10 pm ET which will be all about the new show and the social-emotional curriculum in the show.
THE GIVEAWAY
To celebrate the launch of this great new show on PBS KIDS, we’re giving away a Daniel Tiger luggage bag, crayons, Daniel Tiger printables, backpack, pencils and stickers to one lucky winner. All you have to do is tell us what you think about Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood after watching the video above.
I think my daughter would like it.
kerrie@mayansfamily.com
I think my daughter would love this
I Think Daniel Tiger’s neighborhood is very friendly,I Love that he invited his neighbors to the bakery!, Looks Like This will we a wonderful program for kids everywhere !:)
My children will love the cute animal characters and it will be good for my daughter to learn more about different emotions.
I think it’s great! I LOVED Mister Rogers as a kid and feel like I can sort of share it with my daughter through this program!
I love how “slow” the show is!
Subscriber!
My son loves watching the PBS Sprout channel and we have seen the preview of Daniel the Tiger. I think this show will be one of his favorites as well.
I think it is great and my kids will really like it.
Email subscriber
This will be a great shoe for young children.
I’m an email subscriber.
Thanks for the giveaway.
I think my little one will love it!
I think it will be a really great show that keeps the little ones interest.
The show looks really cute and my kids will love it!
my son will love it. he loves trolleys and things that move
nannypanpan@gmail.com
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nannypanpan@gmail.com
I think my granddaughter would love the show after watching the clip!!
My little girl has watched the previews and can’t get enough! I can’t wait for her to see more.
Cute! And looks like it would catch my sons attention!
I think the characters they introduced are just super cute. I like the singing and the mommy and me relationship it shows a peek of. And I wish that a trolly picked me up at home and took me everywhere I needed to go because I dont like driving and instead it would be more of an opportunity for mommy and me time
My daughter would watch this show, completely engrossed!
email subscriber
I think it’s great that they brought back a little of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood….absolutely LOVED watching it when I was little, so I’m sure my kids would enjoy this one too
I think its definitely a show my 3 yr old would love!! thanks!
I am a subscriber. We love PBS at our house and this show is going to be a hit with my girls.
It looks like it should be really fun. My son already loves the clip!
looks interesting, I think my daughter would like it.
I like the scenery. And I had to laugh at Daniel wanting to carry his own cake. My daughter wants to do everything by herself these days!
My youngest turns 3 in a month and she LOVES Daniel Tiger. While I am a little put off by the resemblances in font and the trolley to Mr. Rogers, if that didn’t exist it would be a wonderful show that stands on its own merit. It’s sweet and I like it a lot, mostly because my daughter loves it and there’s nothing in there I have to worry about as a parent.
My two-year-old loved it, and so did I! It was so cool to revisit so many aspects of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
My son is already loving the clips of the show on the PBS Kids app! I love the song about turning something bad around and finding something good!
My daughter already knows the song. I grew up watching Mister Rogers, so we’re excited about it.
This show looks so great! Can’t wait!
Having grown up watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, I can see the similarity’s. My son will love watching this show. .
This looks cute! I watched this with my son, who is 22 months old. He liked it! Especially the train (trolley). We look forward to seeing more!
I am super excited to see how my 2 little Sprouts take to Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood! I absolutely LOVED Mr Rogers Neighborhood as a child myself and think there are many similarities. My children already LOVE PBS so this will probably be their new ‘fave ‘ once it premiers on the 1st of September.
Email subscriber
My son LOVES this show! He has this episode on the Ipod and he watches it over and over and I hear him singing the song after! Its a great show that teaches good lessons!
the show looks adorable! i like the song
My daughter watches PBS Kids each morning, and LOVES to play at PBSKids.org! She found Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood online and went crazy for it! She sees the preview each morning on TV and is SO excited for Monday! She says her favorite character is Katerina KittyKat (that’s fitting, since my DD says she part cat, and takes ballet classes)! She would be beyond THRILLED to win this prize pack! *Fingers Crossed!* – Thank you PBS for putting some wonderful shows on that are both fun and educational for our children! — Elizabeth (and Desiree) — Mom2Desiree@gmail.com
very cute i love the trolly and that they have seat belts on it. this show looks really cute
We already love Daniel Tiger! Can’t wait for the premiere!
I don’t care for the show. I have foster children and if they would have heard Daniel and his parents sing, “Grownups Come Back” I know I would have had a mess on my hands. Not all of their parents come back. As a mater of fact, most are left to fend for their selves. Plus, I feel the second show is too repetitive to the first show of the day.