Going back to school — or starting school for the very first time — comes with many challenges for young kids, including separation anxiety, adjusting to new routines, learning consent and boundaries with peers, getting used to taking turns, and more.
Luckily, these are common struggles, and parents don’t have to reinvent the wheel when trying to find solutions. Familiar family educational resources like Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, the popular Emmy–winning animated preschool series on PBS KIDS from Fred Rogers Productions, and its catchy strategy songs can provide a fun, age-appropriate context for parents to introduce key routines and concepts to children.
Music, repetition, and relatable characters can help the ideas catch on and become part of your family’s habits. Here are five songs from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood episodes that will help kids and parents learn simple strategies for coping with those back-to-school challenges.
1. Morning routine and bedtime routine songs
A new episode highlights helpful routines: In “Daniel’s Morning Routine with Grandpere/Miss Elaina Gets Ready for Bed,” Daniel is excited to go to the pool for his swim lesson. But first, Grandpere helps him with his morning routine tasks: “Clothes on, eat breakfast, brush teeth, put on shoes, and off we go!” Watching how simple and satisfying the routine can be and listening to “The Morning Routine Song” can help the concept stick. In the second half of the episode, families can join Miss Elaina for her bedtime routine, which includes donning her bonnet as well as a special lullaby.
Try this at home: Make a simple checklist together with pictures of each task in the morning/bedtime routine. This way, your child can check off each item and independently remember what comes next. You can download Daniel Tiger’s morning routine checklist at PBS KIDS!
2. A strategy song about consent
One of the most important lessons of starting school is learning to respect others in a sometimes crowded physical space. The episode “Daniel Asks Before Touching Someone Else/Jodi Asks Before Touching Someone” introduces preschoolers to a brand-new strategy song: “Before you touch someone, ask if it’s okay.” When they’re at the playground, Daniel and Prince Wednesday learn to ask permission before touching someone else. And when Jodi wants to touch Miss Elaina’s hair, she learns it’s important to ask first.
Try this at home: Play a tickling (or holding hands, etc.) game where the tickler has to ask, “Can I tickle you now?” and wait for an enthusiastic “yes” before tickling. Then the person being tickled can say “stop” at any time, and the tickler has to stop right away.
3. A song to help with separation anxiety
Separation anxiety is a common challenge for young kids who are not used to being away from their loved ones and may have the feeling that goodbyes are permanent. One of the series’ go-to parenting strategy songs, “Grownups Come Back,” provides that helpful reminder once again in the new episode, “Grownups Come Back to the Music Shop/Katerina’s Mommy Comes Back Home.”
Try this at home: Role play the school drop-off routine with dolls or stuffed animals. Keep it simple and show that the grownup comes back at the end of the school day!
4. A turn-taking strategy song
School comes with lots of hard-to-learn social situations like having to share books or other school supplies with many others. The song, “You Can Take a Turn, Then I’ll Get It Back!”, walks kids through what to do when two friends want the same toy at the same time. In the episode “Daniel Shares His Tigertastic Car/Katerina Shares Her Tutu,” Daniel isn’t sure about sharing his favorite toy car at the park. Then, Daniel and Katerina have to navigate a disagreement about how they should use a costume during a dance. In both cases, they practice taking turns and learn that it’s a solution that benefits everyone.
Try this at home: Use a timer to pass a toy back and forth, declaring out loud whose turn it is. Start with a very short time period, and then gradually increase it to build up your child’s patience.
5. A song to navigate friends’ different preferences
In the episode “Daniel’s Lunch/Daniel’s Toy,” Daniel is excited about having an egg salad sandwich for lunch, but Miss Elaina says she doesn’t like egg salad, which upsets Daniel. Then, Daniel and Prince Wednesday have a disagreement about which toys they prefer. They realize it’s okay to like different things, but it’s important to be kind to one another — and the “We Like Different Things” song reinforces that message.
Try this at home: Draw a picture of a few things that you like, and a few things that a friend or family member likes. Then talk about the similarities and differences, emphasizing that it’s normal for people to like different things.
