Elmo and Friends Visit The Happiness Lab Podcast
A special episode featuring host Dr. Laurie Santos, Sesame Workshop CEO Steve Youngwood, Kay Wilson Stallings, Sesame Workshop's Executive V.P. and Chief Production and Creative Development Officer – and a furry friend
Sesame Workshop’s Steve Youngwood and Kay Wilson Stallings met up with Happiness Lab creator and host Dr. Laurie Santos at the 2023 ASU + GSV Summit, where their live session was recorded for this special episode of the hit podcast. The three discuss the importance of supporting emotional well-being for kids, the value of “starting early,” to help children lay a foundation for lifelong mental health, and the ways media and technology can help, including the content and resources found in Sesame Workshop’s new Emotional Well-Being initiative.
Dr. Santos, Professor of Psychology at Yale University, envisions adapting her collegiate curriculum for the preschool set and shares strategies that parents and caregivers can use to help children – and themselves – feel happier. Everyone’s favorite furry three-and-a-half year old stops by in a surprise appearance to help demonstrate mindfulness techniques including deep, calming belly breaths.
In fall 2023, a three-episode series on The Happiness Lab will spotlight effective happiness strategies to help parents and their children feel better – with the help of the beloved characters and songs of Sesame Street.
Especially for Providers: Circles of Care
“Recharge your battery” with community, friendship, and self-support.
The Power of Parent-Child Relationships
Loving connections between adults and children form a strong foundation for emotional well-being.
Let’s Play a Game: Feelings Detective
Help children “see” feelings on others’ faces or bodies… and understand that everyone shows their feelings a little differently.
Mindful Moment: Nature Poses
Children can practice mindful movement to learn, help manage big feelings, or just focus or relax!
Stretch, Breathe, Move!
Help children connect with their brains and bodies to relax, refocus, or work through big feelings. After we notice how our bodies are feeling, we can think about what we are feeling and label it!
Tuning in to Children’s Unique Needs
Explore children’s unique ways of thinking, feeling, behaving, and being in the world.
Connecting Mind, Body, and Heart
Children depend on caring grown-ups to learn and thrive in every way.
