The Defense Department’s National Center for Telehealth & Technology (T2) and Sesame Workshop debuted new content on the Sesame Street for Military Families website. With the help of Sesame Street Muppets™ Elmo and Rosita, the website provides strategies for military families to help children express emotions. Parents learn tips for setting up comforting routines and preschool children find fun coping tactics with the characters they love.

Military families face constant challenges such as deployments, moves to new homes and adjustments after homecomings. The new Self-Expression and Routines topics focus on everyday things that families can do to create a caring, safe environment where children can learn and practice their resilience skills.

Dr. Cindy Alexander, a T2 psychologist, expressed excitement about the new resources for military families.

“The new Self-Expression content provides a fun, interactive way for parents to help children develop an emotional vocabulary and learn to express and manage their feelings in positive ways,” said Alexander. “Also, because we know that young children thrive when their environment is structured and predictable, the new Routines section will help parents find ways to maintain at least a measure of consistency – even when everything is in transition.”

The Self-Expression section includes videos of favorite Sesame friends showing their emotions through singing, moving, talking, laughing and hugging to demonstrate ways young children can manage feelings that come up in their day-to-day lives. Feeling Faces, an interactive activity, teaches young children how to recognize facial expressions and learn to name emotions.

Parents can explore the Routines section for tools to help alleviate the anxiety and stress children experience during changes in their lives like moving or transitioning to civilian life. Resources include Muppet videos, downloadable handouts and parenting information. Children benefit when parents learn the importance of establishing fun daily routines such as reading a bedtime story, sharing a family meal and saying a morning goodbye.

“Military families have taught us how to manage difficult situations with strength, and we know that military life is more than its challenges,” said Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, U.S. Social Impact at Sesame Workshop. “We are honored to continue supporting our nation’s military families and hope that these resources will guide families in their learning moments and build resilience among our youngest fans.”

The website design allows military parents with young children to bring their furry friends along wherever they go – including on smartphones and tablets. A free shortcut app to the Sesame Street for Military Families website is available for Android and iOS devices for download from the iTunes Store, Google Play and Amazon for Kindle Fire.

Disclaimer: Re-published content may have been edited for length and clarity. Read original post.