Sesame Street and Headspace join forces to teach kids about mindfulness

Personally, I've always believed Cookie Monster was capable of becoming a bastion of serenity, even with a jar of freshly-baked goodness right in arm's reach. (Have a little faith, people!)

Now, Sesame Street and Headspace, a leader in online meditation, have announced a partnership that could help our favorite lover and eater of cookies become a little more calm.

The companies have teamed up in creating "Monster Meditations," kid-specific mindfulness content designed to teach the basics of mindfulness, meditation, and juggling emotions.

"Monster Meditations" will consist of six animated shorts, each roughly three minutes in length, which will be released biweekly on YouTube and YouTube Kids, according to a press release announcing the partnership.

In each short, animated Sesame Street Muppets, including Elmo and Grover, will experience common emotions, such as frustration, nervousness, or disappointment. Then, Headspace's co-founder, Andy Puddicombe, will guide them through mindfulness techniques, including breathing and sensory activities, in order to help the Muppets cope with everyday scenarios. Kids watching at home can follow along.

The new partnership, which debuted its first short today, has added resonance for kids during the coronavirus pandemic, according to statements from those involved.

"With today’s unprecedented uncertainty, children may be experiencing a range of big emotions like anger, frustration, disappointment, and nervousness," Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, SVP of Curriculum and Content at Sesame Workshop, said in the press release. "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."

You can watch the first short, in which Cookie Monster learns some techniques for improving his patience (I knew he could!), here.