Sesame Workshop Launches New Resources During National Reading Month to Help Foster Children’s Love of Reading

Free bilingual videos, a digital interactive storybook, printables, and articles help parents and caregivers ignite their children’s love for reading and develop their language and literacy skills.

(New York, NY – March 7, 2024) In celebration of National Reading Month, Sesame Workshop, the global impact nonprofit behind Sesame Street, released new resources to help foster children’s love of reading and their connection with the parents and caregivers who read to, and with, them. These resources are made possible with generous support from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF) which works to enhance literacy and education across the country.

Sparking children’s joy for reading from a young age lays the foundation for success in school. When parents and children read together and discuss those stories, it is proven to enhance those moments of engagement, which builds the child’s enthusiasm and develops their lifelong literacy skills. This helps not only boost their vocabulary, oral language, and comprehension, but also their ability to identify words, letter-sound recognition, and print awareness.

These free resources, available in English and Spanish, are designed to support parents and caregivers as they introduce children to exciting new worlds within the pages of a story. Sesame Workshop aims to deepen the relationship between children, language, literacy and the adults who read to them. With the help of trusted Sesame Street characters, children can prepare for success in school and life with books, videos, and more that celebrate both reading and those important, meaningful relationships in their lives.

These new bilingual resources, featuring Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Tamir, Wes, Rudy, and their parents, help nurture and encourage children’s love of reading:

• “One More Time” features Wes and his father, Elijah, finding new, fun ways to read his favorite book.

• In “Buzzing About Books,” Elena uses different strategies to keep Elmo, Wes, and Abby interested and excited about the story they are reading.

• “A Star Reader” features Tamir who is working on sounding out a challenging word with encouragement from his mother, Kayla.

• “Grow, Grow, Grow!” is an interactive digital storybook that comes in three reading levels from beginner to advanced, where Elmo and his father, Louie, discover what it takes for a plant to bloom.

• Other resources include printable activity books (My Favorite Part, Read With Me, The Perfect Book) and articles with tips for parents and caregivers on how to share the love of reading with children at different ages during their most formative years, from birth through five years old.

“Developing a love of reading is critical to becoming a confident reader and such an important part of a child’s development from a young age. Parents and caregivers play an integral role in setting the stage for children to find joy and adventure through the magic of books and storytelling,” said Jeanette Betancourt, Ed.D., Senior Vice President of U.S. Social Impact, Sesame Workshop. “By making reading fun and interactive, parents and caregivers can help children not only make connections to the words on the page, but also with themselves and the world around them.”

The new resources can be found at sesame.org/reading, and social videos from our Fall release are available on the Sesame Workshop YouTube channel.  Additionally, they are being distributed through the Sesame Street in Communities program, an initiative for community providers who serve families and help children face challenges big and small. Teachers, healthcare professionals, social workers, and any providers working with families and children are invited to use and share Sesame Workshop’s large and growing library of bilingual resources and professional development tools, created to support them in their vital work. 

“It is an honor to support increased access to literacy resources that foster critical and creative thinking for young students,“ said Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. “We are thrilled to support Sesame Workshop in encouraging and inspiring bright futures through literacy and education for the next generation of difference makers. We look forward to seeing students across the country motivated and equipped to pursue their dreams and goals through these efforts.”

About Sesame Workshop   
Sesame Workshop is the global impact nonprofit behind Sesame Street and so much more. For over 50 years, we have worked at the intersection of education, media, and research, creating joyful experiences that enrich minds and expand hearts, all in service of empowering each generation to build a better world. Our beloved characters, iconic shows, outreach in communities, and more bring playful early learning to families in more than 150 countries and advance our mission to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. Learn more at www.sesameworkshop.org and follow Sesame Workshop on Instagram, X, Facebook, and TikTok. 

About the Dollar General Literacy Foundation
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded more than $238 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 19.6 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. Each year, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation provides financial support to schools, nonprofit organizations and libraries within a 15-mile radius of Dollar General stores and distribution centers. To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation or apply for a literacy grant, visit www.dgliteracy.org.