
9 C’s of Citizenship
An article about the qualities of good citizens.
When thinking about how to help children grow into responsible, caring members of the community—and how to help them make a difference and build a better world—you can remember the 9 Cs of citizenship.
Community: Explain to children that most people belong to a community—a place in which people live together. Communities can enjoy good times together and also get through tough times together. A community is full of neighbors and businesses, and usually has a school and places that help keep its members safe, like a firehouse. A community also has helpers such as energy workers, trash removers, and doctors and nurses.
Connecting is an important part of living within a community. It helps everyone feel that they belong to a group—it can give us the energy to make our communities even better.
Compassion & Caring: Draw six concentric circles for children to explain the idea of “circles of compassion and care.” The individual is at the center, surrounded by concentric circles of family and friends, then neighbors, then state, then country, then the whole world. (This applies to adults, too!) Especially in tough times, we can keep trying to widen our circle of compassion, extending our care and concern beyond our day-to-day life.
Communication: It’s important to help children use words to solve problems. Explain that talking and listening are great ways to be a good neighbor. It’s also important to let others know when we need help.
Change: Of course, we all see problems that need fixing. Help children remember that there is always something we can do to make things better, even in small ways. For instance, on a block that is dirty or doesn’t have much color, you might paint rocks in bright colors and leave them at the base of trees.
Contributing means giving money, time, ideas, or energy. Volunteering is an important way of contributing! Point out when you see children contributing.
Cooperating is a skill that will help children succeed in school and in life! When children are sharing and taking turns, point out that this is called cooperation, and it’s a great way to be a good friend.
…And Celebrating! It’s great to enjoy special times together as a community…and be proud of our successes! For instance, if community members have painted a public mural, they might gather together for a block party so everyone can admire it and take photos. Children might decorate sidewalks with birthday messages, especially when social distancing is necessary. People might make signs to post in their windows celebrating essential workers. Volunteers might play music to celebrate the opening of a community garden. Whatever the gesture, celebrations help us grow stronger together.

Building and Rebuilding Language Skills—and Community!
An article about building children’s language skills by enriching your interactions.

Abby's Broken Wand
A storybook featuring strategies to help children cope with big feelings.

Understanding Bullying
Senior Vice President of Curriculum and Content, Rosemarie Truglio, PhD, examines bullying as it affects young children, and shares ways to handle—and prevent—it.

Building a Connected Community
Take a course on ways to help children and families get ready for school and life--together!

Caring Communities
In our course Caring Communities, you can explore the ways to embed storybooks, printables, videos, and digital games in your work with everyone in your neighborhood.

Roads to Resilience
The course Roads to Resilience highlights some of the best assets from topics across SesameWorkshop.org with customized approaches, tips and tricks on using these resources in your work with caregivers and their children.

Little Neighbors
In this webinar, you’ll learn how you can use our “Little Neighbors” initiative to help children and their families discover their power to make their communities—and the world—a happier, healthier, safer place for everyone.