Sesame Street for Military Families Empowers Kids Who Serve, Too

Navigating the realities of military life can be difficult with little ones. Thanks to our partners at Sesame Street for Military Families, educating and empowering military kids can be fun, accessible, and relational.

We know that military kids serve, too®. With the free tools and resources from Sesame Street for Military Families, parents and children can find information, videos, and games about topics related to their military experience that can make that service easier. Their website is available in English and Spanish and covers a wide range of relevant subjects for military families to explore, including deployments, injuries, grief, and relocations and homecomings.

Check out a few of our favorite resources from our friends at Sesame Street:

Deployments

• Did you know that Elmo is a military kid? Watch as Elmo prepares for and processes his dad’s deployment in the videos Dear Elmo: Getting Ready and Dear Elmo: Connecting.
• Are you preparing for an upcoming deployment? Read more about pre-deployments and what to do during a military deployment here.
• The interactive game Breathe, Think, Do helps children calm down with deep breathing to process big emotions and feelings. (It’s also available as an app!)
• These coloring pages help kids reflect on activities they like to do with the parent they miss.

Military Homecomings

• Elmo’s dad returns from deployment in the videos Dear Elmo: Coming Home and Dear Elmo: Reconnecting.
• Create your very own Welcome Home poster with the online ArtMaker: Draw It Out!
• Find tips on how to reconnect after separation and manage multiple homecomings here.
• Downloadable PDFs like A Pocket Full of Hearts and The Things We Do Together prompt kids to think about their family members and the activities that bring them together.

Relocation

• The Big Moving Adventure is an app for children ages 2-5 that helps make moving fun. In the app, kids can create their own Muppet friend to help them process their own moving adventure.
• Looking for tips on how to talk about moving with your children? Learn how to break the news, prepare for military moves, and settle in with this overview of the moving process.
• Fun drawing activities help kids say goodbye to friends in Frame a Memory and welcome new ones in Fun with New Friends.

Self-Expression

• Engaging videos help kids to sing it out, move it out, talk it out, laugh it out, and hug it out with their favorite Sesame Street friends.
• Discover ways to talk to your children about their feelings and help them express their emotions with these helpful tips.
• The Feeling Faces game can help kids explore different feelings in a fun and safe way.
• This Feeling Flower worksheet is great tool for kids to use to discuss their emotions.

Additional Resources

• Racial Justice Resources for Military Families offers tools for military families to have conversations about racism with their children.
• Videos like Explaining Race, Taking Care of Ourselves, and We Are Upstanders explain how to raise upstanders and highlight the importance of self-care.
• Printables and interactive games empower kids to embrace their identity and celebrate their military roots.

Order free materials and resources for your military children through the Sesame Street for Military Families resource request form.

For a full list of downloadable PDFs, helpful links, mobile apps, and games, click on the links provided or visit the website below.

We’re so grateful for our friends at Sesame Street for Military Families and the resources they provide to equip, empower, and educate military children. To learn more, visit https://sesamestreetformilitaryfamilies.org/ or email MilitaryFamilies@sesame.org.

Like and follow @SesameStreetForMilitaryFamilies on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SesameStreetForMilitaryFamilies for more updates and information.

One more fun thing: They LOVE highlighting military families on their Facebook page! If you want your family to be featured (what little kid wouldn’t love to have Sesame Street highlight them?), visit their Facebook page for more information.