Headspace has partnered with Sesame Street to encourage children to practice meditation and mindfulness as a way to combat stress and anxiety during these challenging times.
The new content from the mindfulness platform includes animated short films featuring favourite characters like Cookie Monster, Elmo and Grover. The characters appear with Headspace co-founder Andy Puddicombe.
Each ‘Monster Meditation’ film is approximately three minutes and the characters experience feelings of frustration, impatience, being overwhelmed, nervousness, disappointment and excitement in everyday scenarios.
Headspace co-founder Andy will help each monster learn various breathing and sensory activities, and other mindfulness techniques to help them and the children watching learn ways to manage their emotions.
These will launch biweekly, beginning today on YouTube and YouTube Kids, with the first video available here.
“We’re so excited to be partnering with Sesame Street on the new animated shorts,” said Andy Puddicombe.
“Learning the fundamentals of mindfulness early in life is an incredibly valuable skill to foster, especially at a time like this, when children and families may be experiencing higher levels of stress and anxiety. It not only provides children with a greater sense of calm and clarity, but also helps 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.”
“With today’s unprecedented uncertainty, children may be experiencing a range of big emotions like anger, frustration, disappointment, and nervousness,” said Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, SVP of Curriculum and Content, Sesame Workshop.
“Through ‘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.”
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