TPP 010: Angela Santomero on How Children Can Grow SEL Skills Through Preschool TV

On this episode, I’m talking with preschool television show creator, executive producer, writer, and show runner, Angela Santomero about just that. I first met Angela while working on Blue’s Clues, a show that she, incidentally, co-created, and we’ve been friends ever since. I wanted to bring Angela on the podcast because not only do we share a lot of core beliefs when it comes to parenting, but the shows she’s creating are having a powerful impact on young children who are wired differently. 

In this episode, Angela and I talk about why children’s TV can be so powerful as a tool for education, the merits of screen time for young kids, the research foundation behind all of Angela’s shows that ensure the lessons and messages are landing with kids the way they’re intended to, and why some children’s TV shows can be a great way to present social and emotional learning opportunities for differently-wired kids.

Angela Santomero is the cocreator, executive producer, and head writer for the award-winning Blue’s Clues and the creator and executive producer for the smash hit Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Super Why!, airing on PBS; Creative Galaxy and Wishenproof for Amazon Studios; and Charlie’s Colorforms City on Netflix. She is the Chief Creative Officer at 9 Story and the recipient of more than twenty-five Emmy nominations. 

Things you’ll learn from this episode:

• What the research says about the merits of educational television programming and media for kids
• How some shows are trying to incorporate social stories that can support differently-wired kids’ social thinking about things like friendship challenges, anxiety, and aggression
• How parents can capitalize on social learning opportunities presented by preschool programs
• How approaching parenting from a playful perspective helps ground in social learning
• How you can use your child’s interests in fictional characters to encourage social thinking

Resources mentioned for SEL and Preschool TV

• Angela Santomero’s website Angela’s Clues
• Preschool TV Creator Angela Santomero on Her New Book Preschool Clues (podcast episode)
• Preschool Clues: Raising Smart, Inspired, and Engaged Kids in a Screen-Filled World by Angela Santomero and Deborah Reber
• Radical Kindness: The Life Changing Power of Giving and Receiving by Angela Santomero
• Daniel Tiger Becomes a Boy with Autism’s Guide to Social Life (article from New 

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