There are certain phrases you never expect to become part of your parenting vocabulary—and then you have kids. “Use your words.” “Take a deep breath.” “Try again.” And, if you’ve spent any amount of time in Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve sung your way through at least one meltdown, doctor’s appointment, potty-training mishap or sibling disagreement.
There’s a reason Daniel Tiger has become such a familiar face to families with young children. Beneath the catchy songs and colorful neighborhood, he’s helping us teach our kids some pretty big things: how to handle disappointment, what to do when they’re angry, how to notice when someone else is hurting and how to keep trying when something feels hard. If we’re being honest, those are sometimes pretty big lessons for grown-ups, too.
This fall, families can step inside some of those lessons with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: A Grr-ific Exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix. Through imaginative play, music, building, reading and hands-on activities, kids can explore emotions, relationships and what it means to be part of a community.
One thing Daniel Tiger gets right is that he doesn’t tell kids not to have big feelings. Kids are allowed to be mad, nervous, sad or disappointed. Instead, he gives them simple strategies for what to do with those feelings. As parents, it can be so easy to say, “Calm down,” but that doesn’t necessarily tell a three-year-old how to calm down. Taking a breath, counting to five, asking for help or trying again gives them something they can actually do—and eventually, those little strategies start becoming skills they can use on their own.
The same goes for kindness. Saying thank you, waiting for a turn, helping someone and noticing another person’s feelings might seem like little things, but they’re really the beginning of teaching our kids how to care for the people around them. And the nice thing about Daniel Tiger is that none of it feels particularly complicated. They’re small lessons, repeated over and over, in ways little kids can actually understand.
But maybe one of the best reminders for us as parents is that we don’t have to turn every moment into a lesson. Sometimes we can just let them play. Kids are constantly learning while they build, pretend, create, problem-solve and figure out how to play alongside other kids. Our job doesn’t always have to be to lead or explain what they’re learning while they’re learning it. Sometimes we can simply get down on the floor, enter their world and follow along—maybe humming a Daniel Tiger song or two while we’re there.
TRY IT AT HOME: Make a Family Strategy Jar
Grab a jar and some slips of paper and come up with a few things that help when someone is mad, sad, worried or overwhelmed. Take five deep breaths. Ask for a hug. Get a drink of water. Put on a favorite song. Go outside. Find a quiet spot. Let your kids add their own ideas, too.
The next time someone is having a hard moment (parents included!), pull out a strategy and give it a try. It’s a simple way to start giving kids their own toolbox for handling those big feelings.
TRY IT AT THE MUSEUM
Step into Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: A Grr-ific Exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, where kids can play, sing, build, read and explore familiar places from the Neighborhood while practicing gratitude, perseverance, collaboration, imaginative play and handling big emotions.
DATES: now–Jan. 10, 2027
WHERE: Children’s Museum of Phoenix, 215 N. 7th St., Phoenix
ADMISSION: $19 per person; $18 for seniors 62+. Children under age 1 and Museum members are free. The Daniel Tiger exhibit is included with Museum admission.
MEMBERSHIPS: Annual memberships start at $149 for one adult and one child, with options for families of up to eight people. Membership includes unlimited Museum admission for one year.
LEARN MORE: childrensmuseumofphoenix.org
