Sesame Workshop Launches Resource Site for Stuck-at-Home Kids (and Bored Adults)

Big Bird, demonstrating how to greet you without shaking hands. Photo: Sesame Street

“Look for the helpers,” said Mr. Rogers, according to your aunt’s Facebook status. “You will always find people who are helping.” Wrong PBS kids show, right idea. As they have done for over 50 years, Sesame Street is answering the call of stressed-out parents and restless preschoolers in response to an uncertain world. According to a statement from Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, the beloved brand and its cast of Muppets will launch the Caring for Each Other Initiative, which offers “a broad variety of free resources to help children and families during the coronavirus pandemic.” The initiative features resources “designed to help parents provide comfort and manage anxiety, as well as help with creating routines, fostering playful learning at home, and staying physically and mentally healthy.”

The Sesame Street website already has a number of resources available, including a playlist of “Fun at Home” activity videos, an animated “How to Wash Your Hands” video, and downloadable coloring pages that feature Elmo walking you through the steps of — what else? — how to properly wash your hands. The website also features an “expanded offering” of free on-demand recent episodes of Sesame Street, free eBooks available for download, and a variety of tool kits for parents, including “Self Care for Parents,” “Creating Routines,” and “Talking With Your Child About COVID-19.” The site will be regularly updated, which is great news for caregivers and even better news for bored, lonely, anxious adults in social isolation who have taken to playing old Polly Pocket flash games.

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