Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (TV Series) Someone Else's Feelings/Empathy at School (2014) User Reviews

Great episode but it bothers me its wrong about Empathy vrs Sympathy

[ariboersma · 8/10 · 30 December 2015]

Such a great message BUT! it really bothers me when children's shows are very wrong about something that is fairly important. In the episode they are NOT talking about Empathy but SYMPATHY. Empathy is knowing how someone else feels because you have been there. You have experienced that exact thing and know that feeling. They do describe a situation like that but it is sort of a side note and not explained. Mostly they describe sympathy which is seeing that someone is having feelings and comforting them and acknowledging that they are having those feelings. The song is about that and the statement of the show is just that. This is good! Don't get me wrong but children this age usually do NOT know what others are feeling. They most likely will never have experienced the feeling that others have and if they have they do not recognize this. I really wish that the writers had used the right word, it makes a difference and would have made me and other parents who know the difference a lot happier.

great message!

[scottmorgan1-153-320199 · 10/10 · 7 November 2014]

This is a wonderful show, and a particularly good episode. It makes having empathy for someone else a really accessible concept to the preschool-set through a really relatable story and a song. Now when my daughter is having a hard time with a friend or her sister I can sing, "think about how someone else is feeling" and she is usually able to do it! We have watched our share of "good" kids TV and this is the only show that is both engaging for her and has great messages/lessons that stick! There is another empathy episode that takes place at school. They use the same strategy and song so work well together. Highly recommend!