In The Field
Sesame Street & Headspace team up to teach children mindfulness
Freya Lucas
May 06, 2020
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Many experts are sharing advice about how to support children to manage their anxiety, particularly during these changing times. One consistent message is that having access to comforting and familiar characters, settings and messages can support children to feel calmer and more at ease while circumstances around them change.
With this in mind, Sesame Street and Headspace, a global leader in mindfulness and meditation, announced they have teamed up to create “Sesame Street Monster Meditations,” six animated shorts to help children learn the fundamentals of mindfulness, meditation and social and emotional learning.The new content includes animated shorts which feature Cookie Monster, Elmo, Grover and Headspace co-founder Andy Puddicombe, showing children how they can manage their emotions and practice mindfulness.
Dealing with feelings such as frustration, impatience, being overwhelmed, nervousness, disappointment, and excitement, the first two shorts are now live on YouTube and YouTube Kids, with four more to be launched in a biweekly pattern.
Roughly three minutes in length, the clips feature animated versions of the Sesame Street who work with Mr Puddicombe through their feelings, using various breathing and sensory activities and other mindfulness techniques to better manage relatable, everyday scenarios.
Mr Puddicombe said Headspace was “so excited” to be partnering with Sesame Street on the shorts, supporting children to learn mindfulness fundamentals which they will be able to use throughout their lifetimes.
These skills, he said, will always be of value, but are especially important at the moment, when children and families may be experiencing higher levels of stress and anxiety. By practicing these skills, children are not only given a greater sense of calm and clarity, but are also able to cultivate the qualities of compassion, creativity, and kindness.
“In knowing that thoughts and emotions do not have to rule their lives, children can grow up empowered, comfortable with who they are, and free to explore their limitless potential,” Mr Puddicombe added.
Speaking on behalf of the Sesame Workshop, SVP of Curriculum and Content, Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, said that today’s children are facing “unprecedented uncertainty” giving rise to a range of big emotions like anger, frustration, disappointment, and nervousness.
“Through Sesame Street Monster Meditations, we are modeling an array of mindfulness strategies and activities to help children manage and regulate their emotions. Whether taking slow, deep belly breaths, shifting attention by playing a game of I-Spy, or repeating affirmation self-talk phrases, we’re helping kids pay attention to what is happening around and inside of them.”
The animated shorts are a collaboration between Sesame Street and Headspace Studios, and are available to view here.
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