How Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood Songs Help My Parenting During COVID-19

We can’t control all the ways COVID-19 has changed our families’ lives, but we can choose to work through our feelings together — and even commit to finding new ways to have fun!

As much as we’ve hoped to return to regular routines and schedules, life continues to look different as parents and kids adapt to a “new normal.” As a parent to four young children, I’m learning to navigate and nurture the big emotions my little ones have in the wake of canceled events, missing friends and family, and needing to entertain themselves as I work from home.

Though there’s no guidebook for how to parent in a pandemic, I’ve sometimes joked with my husband that everything I know about parenting in these times, I learned from Daniel Tiger. That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I’ve found myself humming his helpful tunes on more than one occasion. (It turns out counting to four when you’re about to roar really works!) While the songs in Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood may be aimed at the youngest among us, the strategies nestled within them resonate with me as a mom, too.

In Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood’s new Sing-Along Special, "Won't You Sing Along With Me?," my family (grown-ups included!) found ways to cope with the frustrations we’ve been feeling and struggles we’ve been facing as we continually adapt to the changes the coronavirus has caused us to make. As our kids hold the confusion, sadness, and even frustration that this year has brought, it’s encouraging to have these little songs to guide and uplift them as we work through their emotions and create new ways to have fun together.

Here are five helpful phrases and songs for our "new normal" from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood:

As Daniel Tiger’s parents remind him in this special episode, sometimes things don’t go as planned. But when we’re sad or disappointed, we can still take care of each other. And what that looks like right now is washing our hands to get rid of germs or staying home to keep our neighbors safe. I like to remind my kids that grown-ups are here to keep them safe, and that we can all find ways to be helpers, even in these times.

We’re all missing our friends — kids and grown-ups alike. Sometimes the best thing we can do is sit with our feelings and create a safe space for our children to process their sadness so they can move through it. We can also provide comfort by reminding our kids that there is still happiness and hope to be found, too.

Daniel Tiger misses his friends, teachers, and loved ones. So relatable! And "it's okay to feel sad sometimes." Even if we’re apart, or if we have to play differently, we can still be good neighbors and have fun with our families. It just takes a little imagination! When Daniel drew a picture of Grandpere to send it in the mail, it reminded my family of the little ways we can stay connected, even when we’re apart. And to feel better again, make a jar filled with activity ideas that will brighten your spirits!

In this episode, Dad Tiger works from home and has to focus on his work, much to the disappointment of Daniel, who wants to play. I’ve seen this play out in my home countless times with my kids as I’ve worked from my own kitchen table.

I relate to Dad Tiger’s frustration at not being able to do two things at once when my kids are around, so I’ve taken a cue from what he tells Daniel: “While I’m working, there’s a way you can help me. One of the best ways to be a helper is to find something to do on your own.” Empowering kids to be big helpers who make their own fun in their family varies on age and ability. Our family has worked together to brainstorm different ideas for on-your-own play. And these DIY Fun Time Spinners encourage playing alone while I work.

In this episode, Daniel Tiger asks a question I’ve heard often in my home: “When can we do everything like we used to?” As a parent, it’s easy to feel pressure to have all the right answers. It can feel so overwhelming! But "things may change and that's okay." And as Mom Tiger shares, it’s okay for us to say, “I don’t know.” Even if we can’t do all the things we used to, we can find different ways to play together and create special memories.

There’s magic in the little moments together — and opportunities to make memories haven’t been canceled! As Daniel learns in this song, being together as a family is what matters most of all. The Family Fun Time Spinner is a great way to bond with my children once the workday is done.

We’re all learning as we go — kids and parents alike — and nestled in these little songs are big truths that help us remember that who we’re with matters even more than what we’re doing.

Sometimes the best I can do as a parent is give myself permission to not have all the answers, share my own feelings of disappointment with my kids, and to create space for them to feel their emotions, too. And no matter what, we can always create special moments of fun in the daily rhythms and routines of being together at home.