‘Sesame Street’ Sparks Mental Health PSA Teaching Kids To Connect With Emotions

Nurturing emotional well-being in young ones is crucial in equipping them with the right skills to get them through life’s stresses. And there’s perhaps no better way to teach them these things than through the colorful world of Sesame Street.
 
Sesame Workshop partnered with Ad Council in April to devise the Sound it Out campaign PSA, including a sing-along video.
 
Me & My Grown-Up is a song about letting kids know that their guardian is always there for them, and that it is alright to talk about their feelings when they are frightened, confused, or upset. It is sung by Elmo and his father Louie, Big Bird and Granny Bird, Abby and her mom, Maggie, and Wes and his dad Elijah. 
 
Here are some of the lyrics: “You’re my grown-up, and I know you’re there. I’m your grown-up, and you know I care. ’Cuz it’s you and me and me and you… So when you are OK or not OK, I’ll take care of you.” 

 
It’s a Sesame Street way of getting the message across in a manner that little kids can understand without needing an explanation. And it’s also a way for grownups to translate their own thoughts to their children because no matter how old we get, there are still times when it’s hard to articulate how we feel.
 
“With resources and content for the whole family launching today, we’re raising awareness about the importance of nurturing children’s emotional well-being—and challenging the stigma associated with seeking support for children’s mental health,” states Sesame Workshop.

In response to the growing mental health crisis among children, Sesame Workshop has created research-based resources to support the emotional well-being of young children and families. Learn more: https://t.co/4WNM8tqqnY #EmotionalWellbeing pic.twitter.com/tMOmSfbV8J

— Sesame Workshop (@SesameWorkshop) May 3, 2023

The campaign includes strategies for families and caregivers on how to recognize when a child is undergoing emotional distress, and how to deal with it.
 
Accompanying this is a 45-minute Elmo special titled Elmo’s Mindfulness Spectacular, where Elmo and Abby learn how to deal with anxiety ahead of “The Big YouTube Talent Show.” The characters are joined by celebrities and online personalities such as Jenny Slate, Marques Brownlee, and LaurDIY.
 
In addition, a special parent-oriented episode of The Happiness Lab by Yale professor Dr Laurie Santos will air, where one can learn emotional regulation strategies. Similarly, Sesame Workshop, Headspace, and Penguin Random House will release a six-book series based on the Monster Meditation videos on Sesame Street’s YouTube. Not only that, after linking up with Mayo Clinic Press Kids, a separate book that stresses the importance of whole-body wellness will reach shelves in the fall of 2024.
 
 
 
[via Mashable and Muse by Clio, screenshot via Sesame Street]