Life
How To Celebrate Mister Rogers' Cardigan Day (Hint: Just Be Kind)
November 13 is World Kindness Day, and if you know anything about being kind, you may have learned it from Mister Rogers himself — that’s why it’s also known as Cardigan Day. How to celebrate Mr. Rogers’ Cardigan Day is totally up to you, but whatever method you choose, it’s sure to have you smiling. And ideally, whatever you do to celebrate kindness today will bring a smile to someone else’s face, too.
World Kindness Day takes place each year in November, and in each year, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood studio WQED encourages fans to wear cardigans to celebrate. Fred Rogers and his children’s show became known for teaching young viewers about being kind to others, how to process difficult emotions, and much more. Every episode opened with the theme song "Won't You be My Neighbor?” and showed Mister Rogers entering his home, swapping his suit jacket to a cardigan knitted by his mother, and putting on his house shoes.
So, if you’re feeling like spreading Mister Rogers’ spirit of kindness and compassion today, don your favorite cardi. But, if you’ve already headed out the door today, there are plenty of other ways to share his timeless lessons. Here’s how to spread some love and lessons to your own kids, your coworkers, and yourself.
1Watch an episode of 'Mister Rogers' with your own kids.
If you’d like to share your favorite childhood show with your own children, you can watch full-length episodes of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood for free at misterrogers.org/watch. They can learn straight from the man himself about how to treat others, be a good neighbor, and rock a cardigan. And if they love it, have no fear — additional episodes are added the first and third Monday of each month.
2Perform a small act of kindness.
As Mister Rogers once said, “I hope you’re proud of yourself for the times you’ve said ‘yes,’ when all it meant was extra work for you and was seemingly helpful only to somebody else.” Whether that’s bringing dinner over to a friend’s house to help during a tough time, or simply sending an encouraging email to a coworker, it’s important to show others around you that you care. There are plenty of online lists with ideas for random acts of kindness if you need some inspo.
3Check out a Fred Rogers biopic or documentary.
If you’ve been needing a pick-me-up, or someone to show you how to fight the system in your industry, check out one of the films covering Rogers’ life. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is available on HBO, while Mister Rogers & Me and the Mister Rogers: It’s You I Like are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
4Revisit some of his speeches.
Fred Rogers wasn’t just a TV talent and child advocate, but also a talented writer. He has given a number of acceptance speeches and commencement addresses in his time. One of his most famous was also his last. In 2002, Rogers gave his final commencement speech at Dartmouth College. Fittingly, he asked them to take a moment of silence to think about all the people who helped them get to their graduation day.
