Sesame Street enters the mindfulness market with Headspace podcast and Penguin Random House books

Headspace, a global leader in meditation and mindfulness, and Sesame Workshop, have launched a new podcast project that uses meditation and mindfulness techniques to help children relax during their bedtime routines.

The first episode will launch on June 13, 2021 with 11 subsequent episodes launching every Sunday through August 29.

Developed by a team of early childhood and meditation experts at Sesame Workshop and Headspace, Goodnight, World! looks to help children practice transitioning from their active days to naptime or bedtime. Each episode includes: a wind-down story narrated by a rotating cast of Sesame Street friends; a “sleep journey” led by one of Headspace’s sleepcast readers, and a soothing soundscape of music and relaxing sounds that evoke places like Big Bird’s nest and Abby Cadabby’s fairy garden.

“Maintaining healthy routines helps young children understand their world and feel secure – especially this year, when we’ve all experienced so much upheaval and disruption,” said Gabriela Arenas, Sesame Workshop’s vice president of licensing, North America.

“Even beyond bedtime and naptime, mindfulness is a powerful tool to help kids calm their bodies and regulate their emotions, skills that set them up for success in school and in life. We’re thrilled to work with Headspace to make the practice accessible to families everywhere.”

Episodes of Goodnight, World! are structured to follow families through a typical bedtime routine. In the opening stories, Sesame Street characters model the same feelings of reluctance that many kids experience before bedtime – and tap into the same mindfulness strategies described later in the episodes.

Guided “sleep journey” meditations use techniques like belly breathing, visualizations, and affirming self talk to help kids independently manage the transition from waking time to bedtime.

“Teaching kids the fundamentals of mindfulness and meditation that they can use not only at nap and bedtime, but any time of day, is critical in helping them grow and is at the core of our mission to improve the health and happiness of the world. That’s why we’re so excited to expand our resources for families through our partnerships with Sesame Workshop and Random House Books for Young Readers,” said Morgan Selzer, VP Content at Headspace.

Headspace and Sesame Workshop are also working with Random House Children’s Books to adapt their successful Sesame Street Monster Meditation series of animated shorts into a six-volume series of board books for children aged two to five years old.

The books will include the same characters, themes, and plotlines as the popular videos, which have been viewed more than 30 million times to date. The series launches with Sesame Street Monster Meditation: Being Patient with Cookie Monster on June 29, 2021, and continues with Sesame Street Monster Meditation: Getting Ready for Bed with Elmo on September 28, 2021.

More books are planned for 2022.

“Sesame Workshop and Headspace have created something truly exceptional with their Sesame Street Monster Meditation video series,” said Sonali Fry, VP and director of classic brands and preschool publishing, Random House Children’s Books.

“Through entertaining stories that feature fan-favorite Sesame Street characters, they provide young children with valuable mindfulness techniques. We are excited to continue their mission through our new collection of board book adaptations, which will introduce emergent readers to a variety of helpful meditation exercises for every occasion.”

Oddbods focuses on children’s mindfulness in new series Oddbods: Busy Bodies

One Animation is launching a new iteration of its animated series Oddbods, placing a new focus on helping kids relieve stress, move their bodies, and engage in imaginative play.

Called Oddbods: Busy Bodies, the show will place emphasis on mindfulness in children with each episode in the series hosted by the veteran yoga therapist and teacher trainer, Hersha Chellaram, a specialist in children’s and accessible yoga. The series, a mix of live action and animation, is debuting on the AVOD Safe Streaming service, Kidoodle TV this week.

Oddbods: Busy Bodies encourages children to get active and use their imaginations as they participate in adventures with Hersha and the Oddbods characters to locations including space, a winter wonderland, the park, or enjoying a rainy day at home. During each episode, Hersha guides viewers through movement, stretching and breathing exercises while participating with the Oddbods to achieve their goals.

Hersha Chellaram is a certified Integral Yoga instructor with expertise in bringing the complete practice of yoga to adults and children of all ages and abilities, including those with special needs, disabilities and chronic health conditions. Hersha was selected for the list of 20 Yoga Teachers of Colour to Watch in 2020, and the 2014 Women of Hope Award as Children’s Advocate, presented by the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital Foundation.

Michele Schofield, SVP, content distribution at One Animation, said: “During the pandemic, children have experienced an emotionally challenging and turbulent time, during which they’ve shown remarkable resilience and courage. At One Animation, we wanted to show up for kids and deliver tools that would alleviate stress, promote mindfulness, and encourage them to get active physically and with their imaginations, and so we put our efforts into creating Oddbods: Busy Bodies – a series to offer kids a chance to release energy and have a few moments to process their feelings.

“As an existing partner of Kidoodle.TV, we’ve seen the platform’s positive uptake and tremendous growth, especially this past year, and we knew this trusted and kid-focused platform would be the ideal place to premiere this hopeful new series.”

Brenda Bisner, CCO for Kidoodle.TV at A Parent Media Co. Inc, added: “The pandemic has challenged our children in multiple ways and the new Oddbods: Busy Bodies show is a great example of not only addressing individuality, but also celebrating it.

“How we get through this looks different for everybody but we can do it together. The mindful techniques this series delivers are a powerful way to integrate a more meaningful and timely form of kindness and understanding into the lives of kids and families. We couldn’t be happier than to be the first to show this original series to millions of kids and families globally.”

Oddbods is a globally loved, three-time Emmy Award-nominated, non-dialogue comedy featuring seven adorable, highly unique pals. Together, despite their differences, they survive the perils of everyday life, unintentionally turning ordinary situations into unexpected, extraordinary, and always humorous events.