Learning Resources for Families Affected by Crisis
Support to improve foundational skills, health, safety, and relationships.
Welcome Sesame focuses on four outcome areas for children, families, and educators: improved foundational skills, improved health outcomes, increased safety and protection, and improved capacity to build strong and responsive relationships.
This specific, measurable set of outcomes was determined through a participatory process involving on-the-ground stakeholders. Conflict sensitivity, playful learning, inclusion of marginalized populations, and gender equity are crosscutting themes throughout all that we do.
We carefully tailor our content to meet the unique needs of our target audiences, both in terms of curricular goals and distribution platforms. In crisis settings, we balance the need to support literacy and numeracy (often in settings where access to education is frequently interrupted) with other vital outcomes such as social-emotional learning and executive functioning skills that can help children and families navigate adversity.
Our content is always shaped through our formative research process, which allows children, caregivers, and educators to engage with multimedia materials and provide feedback to inform improvements. Whenever possible, monitoring and evaluation activities allow us to assess our successes and lessons learned and to continue to refine our work. And much of our content is reviewed by global advisors for local relevancy, so resources can be translated and dubbed into local languages as needed.
We tailor delivery and distribution models to reflect the realities of each context. When families have access to broadcast television and the internet, content is distributed through television or other digital learning platforms, including via apps such as WhatsApp. In some contexts where internet access is expensive but smartphone usage is high, free local WiFi devices provide access to content. Where access to media is limited, we make sure our content still reaches children and families directly, including at mothers’ groups, child-friendly spaces, schools, homes, and health centers. In-person games, facilitated tablet use, video screenings, storybooks, posters, phone calls, and more bring these playful early learning opportunities to children around the world.
These resources are focused around improving foundational skills.
Piece of the Past
When Basma learns that Jad is sad because he misses his beloved toy drum, which he left behind when he had to leave his home, she experiences a Big Feeling—and learns that it is “caring.”
Math Squares
While playing a fun new game, Elmo and Zoe learn that squares have four equal sides and four equal angles. They even learn about cubes.
Body and Emotions Flashcards
These print resources help facilitators in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh teach children how to identify emotions through physical cues and facial expressions, an essential element for supporting social-emotional learning.
Letter Flashcards
These large, visual cards can be used as a resource for adults to help children learn their letters in Arabic.
A selection of resources centered around staying healthy.
Nutrition Song
This song from Ahlan Simsim, shows that eating foods from all the different colors is nutritious and fun—yum!
Doctor Saeed
In this video from Ahlan Simsim, Jad is afraid to see the doctor for a check-up. After his friends help him manage his fear, Jad is ready to meet the doctor—and sees that he isn’t scary at all!
Safe Sneezing and Coughing
This guide, which has been translated here into Spanish, helps children learn how to cough and sneeze safely.
Healthy Team
This Spanish-language storybook follows a group of friends as they create a team to stay healthy, identifying actions that promote cleanliness and safety for themselves and in their environment.
Global resources to help kids feel safe and protected.
Road Safety with Elmo
In this video designed for use in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, Elmo’s father helps Elmo learn how to safely walk across muddy roads that could present safety concerns.
Circle of Safety
In this video, which can be used in a variety of contexts globally, Mae takes a minute to encourage caregivers to help their children connect with other safe, trusted adults to talk to about what’s bothering them.
Safe and Together
Caregivers can use this Spanish-language resource to help their child feel protected and cared for. It builds on messaging supporting positive parenting and active parental engagement, including fathers’ involvement in the care of children.
Big Emotions
This Spanish-language poster that implementing partners display in child-friendly spaces helps caregivers identify the reactions that arise from children’s strong emotions and provides tools to help manage these emotions in children.
These resources are centered around increasing adult and child engagement with each other.
Elmo, Basma, and Jad Clean Up with Louie
In this video designed for use in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, Louie shows Basma, Jad, and Elmo how to best clean up the room after a fun drawing game so the next group after them can enjoy a clean space.
The Impact of Parenting and Early Brain Building
In this video created for our Ahlan Simsim audience, two experts explain the impact of a child’s experiences on the formation of the brain.
Having Fun Together
This resource, designed for use in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, aims to enhance parental engagement by building caregivers’ knowledge and confidence in playing with their children to support their development.
Power of Soap
is an Arabic-language germ simulation activity that can be conducted with items typically available in homes to demonstrate the power of washing your hands with soap!
