Focus Rhyme, a Monster Meditation with Grover and Headspace

Practice the fundamentals of mindfulness with Sesame Street‘s Monster Meditations, a video series of activities that can help children with everyday moments of frustration, impatience, nervousness, disappointment, and more.

When Grover has too much to do, Andy Puddicombe from Headspace reassures him with some solid advice: “Remember, when you feel overwhelmed, take a step back, and do things one at a time.”

For Grover, focus is key. He repeats this short mantra to help him stay calm, centered, and on task:

When you have so much to do,
Breathe in, breathe out,
Count 1, 2, then do!

Sesame Street and Headspace announced the partnership in April 2020 to provide emotional tools for families within six animated shorts, available on YouTube and YouTube Kids. Puddicombe explains:

“Learning the fundamentals of mindfulness early in life is an incredibly valuable skill to foster, especially at a time like this, when children and families may be experiencing higher levels of stress and anxiety. It not only provides children with a greater sense of calm and clarity, but also helps cultivate the qualities of compassion, creativity, and kindness. In knowing that thoughts and emotions do not have to rule their lives, children can grow up empowered, comfortable with who they are, and free to explore their limitless potential.”

Watch more Sesame Street videos, as well as more videos about mindfulness and calm, including these:
• Mindfulness animations on change, calm, and connection
• “Meditation is all about practice.”
• How to keep calm under pressure: Tips from BBC Ideas
• How to change anxiety into excitement
• Grover Near and Far (1975)
• Loaf of Bread, Container of Milk, Stick of Butter