Counting Heartbeats
Get your heart pumping with The Count!
- Watch the video together, then ask children to show you where their hearts are. Explain that they don’t need a stethoscope to feel their hearts beat! If they stay still and press a hand softly on their chests, they’ll feel it! Tell kids that the heart keeps the whole body healthy.
- Speed up your heartbeats by doing a few jumping jacks together. Echo what the Count said: moving is great for you and gives you a healthy heart.
- Explain that it’s also important for our bodies to get rest and for our hearts to slow down. Encourage children to take deep belly breaths and to notice how their heartbeats change. You might ask them to lie on their backs and focus on their breathing. Count aloud slowly as they inhale (“1, 2, 3”) and exhale (“3, 2, 1”). Ask them to notice how their hearts are slowing down, and explain that breathing deeply is a great way to calm the body and slow the heart down.
To Like or Not to Like
Like most children, Cookie Monster’s niece is a little… choosy. Check out his strategy for helping her try a new food!
Go To Sleep, Elmo!
Handling a middle-of-the-night monster moment.
Cookie Monster’s Beach Day
When children are in the hospital, their imagination can become a valuable tool in soothing themselves.
Listen, Feel, and See with Elmo
When children are in the hospital, this mindfulness game can help them soothe themselves.
Questions, Questions
Wellness visits are important moments to check in about your child’s growth and development, and good conversations are the cornerstones of each visit.
Sleep Struggles... and Successes
Today, Tonight, and Tomorrow
It takes a special kind of patience to handle children’s middle-of-the-night wakeups! Read about how a Monster-Fairy family manages it.
