Happy birthday Mister Rogers! Today, March 20, marks what would have been Fred Rogers 89th birthday. A champion of children’s television, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood set a tone and a standard for educating the preschool set as testify and advocate to congress the need for federal funding for PBS. I will never forget the gentle, thoughtful and relaxing transition he created for me and my siblings as we moved on from crazy afternoon cartoons into early evening with dad coming home and the need to settle down!
The Mr. Rogers routine was a fixture in my home growing up! From the minute he walked into his “house” he embedded routines and skills that us young ones were just beginning to learn. In each episode, he would carefully talk to us and guide us through what we were doing and why we were doing it, instilling our first sense of responsibility. He has always been a valued part of my early education and I even won a school wide “knowledge bowl” in junior high for knowing his first name! We also have kind of a weird connection- he passed away on my birthday, February 27.
Now as I stated, the basic focus of this television series was on children’s emotional development, and its success is based on a combination of several factors regarding the show’s philosophy as outlined on http://www.pbs.org/parents/rogers/series/philosophy.html :
I. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood encourages children to feel good about themselves.
II. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood helps children learn the skills needed for growing up.
III. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood is made for children. Some adults feel the series is slow and simple.
IV. There are solid reasons behind what’s included in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood programs
V. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood encourages appreciation of and respect for others.
VI. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood promotes values that are universally important to children and families.
I feel there is no question as to why these ideals still have an impact today, as it did so many years ago. Without the solid emotional foundation, no true learning can occur. Children that do not feel good, do not do good work. It’s like in any school or workplace environment- it’s all about the culture, attitude and development. Fred Rogers, after changing into more comfortable clothes, patiently took us beyond the “Land of Make-Believe” and in to a deeper understanding of the world around us from the simple to the tragic. He was dedicated to discipline as “a kind of love” and setting the best example for all of us! He strove to be a positive impact in every child’s growth and made every day beautiful in the neighborhood!
PBS Kids has some activities planned to mark the occasion and celebrate more than just Fred Rogers’ birthday.
New Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood iOS stickers added to the free PBS KIDS sticker pack.
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Trolley-themed takeover of pbskids.org and a special new Trolley kart in PBS KIDS’ online world Kart Kingdom (now also available as a free app for iPad).
Fred Rogers-related content on pbsparents.org, PBS Teachers’ Lounge blog and a playlist on the PBS KIDS YouTube channel.
Share your favorite Fred Rogers memories on social media using the hashtags #ILovePBS and #BeMyNeighbor
14 comments
I remember watching Mr.Rogers with my son. I loved this show. He was so soft spoken and such a joy.
This was truly one of my favorite shows growing up. I wish my children could see Mr. Rogers. Happy Birthday!
One of my favs growing up. He reiterated the values that were important. Seeing them repeated on the big screen made it even more of a goal for me to “be right/do right”
I loved Mr. Rogers as a kid. My own kids watched him a bit too when they were smaller. I just happened to see Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood while switching channels one day and noticed that it has some similarities. It’s awesome that PBS commemorates his birthday!
As an adult I never thought about all the lessons that I learned as a kid from watching this show. I love this article and long to watch an episode right now!
Aww, my kids grew up watching Mr. Rogers’ shows too! I do feel that they had a positive impact on my kids and taught them a lot.
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This was one of my favorite shows growing up! The memories it brings back. I’d love to watch an episode right now!
Aww I LOVED this show growing up. The crayon episode is still one of my favorites. And we support PBS!
Mister Rogers is a hero and icon to me. I grew up with him. I so wish there was Mr Rogers still on tv. Love it in syndication.
Mr. Rogers was my absolute favorite! Such a great guy.
I always loved this show growing up, his message was one of kindness and acceptance, I wish more shows offered these points. I found him to be comforting .
I grew up watching Mister Rogers. My kids have enjoyed watching the reruns. I hope he has a great birthday up in Heaven.
My husband loved Mr. Rogers when we were little. He loved the positive, upbeat messages. On a side note, my husband’s birthday is the day after Mr. Rogers, so that seems fitting that he was such a fan!
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I LOVED Mr. Rogers. I wish there was children’s programming like this today. I find the current stuff very odd.