Sesame Street Releases Resources to Help Children Manage Holiday Anxiety This Year

The animations and materials will address key emotions that families are feeling throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Melissa Wickes December 7, 2020

This year has changed our lives and routines drastically, including everything from the way we celebrate birthdays and spend time with our friends to how we get around our neighborhoods or shop. Luckily, the friendly faces we love from Sesame Street are presenting a solution for families facing holiday-related anxiety all over the globe. Sesame Workshop and Viatris Inc., a global healthcare company, are launching a variety of new resources to help support the social and emotional needs of families around the world throughout the holidays during COVID-19.

The resources will help children discuss feelings like stress and fear, encourage positive caregiving strategies and routines, and help families find ways to celebrate holidays together even if they are far apart. They will be available in Spanish, English, Hindi, and Portuguese. Some examples of video content include:

Additional topics, which will be released on a rolling basis starting this week, include keeping routines, spending special time together, and learning about persistence. Content will be released weekly in U.S., India, South Africa, and Latin America (with select content available in Europe and Australia).

“We know children and families everywhere are struggling as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Together with Viatris, we are offering families strategies to cope with today’s challenges and foster emotional wellbeing long into the future,” said Sherrie Westin, president of social impact and philanthropy at Sesame Workshop. “As we head into the holidays with so many routines upended, we want to help children and their caregivers manage big feelings and spend quality time with each other, even when apart.”

The resources are a part of Sesame Workshop's ongoing Caring for Each Other initiative, which launched at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to help families respond to uncertainty at this time. The page, SesameStreet.org/caring, is updated regularly to help families manage anxiety, create routines, foster playful learning at home, and stay physically and mentally healthy as the pandemic continues to evolve.

Main Image: Grover and his mom make his Grandmother’s special family soup over video chat when they can’t be together for the holidays.
Credit: Sesame Workshop