Headspace and Sesame Workshop Are Launching a New Kids’ Bedtime Podcast

Any parent knows that bedtime can be a battle. While routines, such as bathtime and storytime can help, sometimes it’s just hard to get little ones to wind down for bed. Luckily, Headspace and Sesame Workshop can help. The two companies are teaming up to launch a new podcast to help kids relax before bedtime.

Goodnight, World!, developed by early childhood and meditation experts at Sesame Workshop in partnership with Headspace, will use meditation and mindfulness techniques to help little ones relax during their bedtime routines. Each episode will include a wind-down story that’s narrated by friends from Sesame Street, as well as “sleep journeys” led by a Headspace sleepcast reader.

The episodes are structured around typical bedtime routines families already share. In the opening stories, Sesame Street characters will express the same reluctant feelings many young children do around bedtime, whereas the “sleep journeys” will teach kids techniques like belly breathing, visualizations, and affirming self-talk. The goal? To help kids independently manage the transition from their waking time to bedtime.

“Maintaining healthy routines helps young children understand their world and feel secure—especially this year, when we’ve all experienced so much upheaval and disruption,” Gabriela Arenas, Sesame Workshop’s vice president of licensing for North America, said in a release. “Even beyond bedtime and naptime, mindfulness is a powerful tool to help kids calm their bodies and regulate their emotions, skills that set them up for success in school and in life.”

The first episode will launch on June 13 and will have 11 subsequent episodes launching every Sunday through August 29.

In addition to the new podcast, the two companies are collaborating with Random House Children’s Books to turn their Sesame Street Monster Meditation series into a six-volume board book series for kids aged 2 to 5. The first book, Sesame Street Monster Meditation: Being Patient with Cookie Monster comes out on June 29, and the second, Sesame Street Monster Meditation: Getting Ready for Bed with Elmo, comes out on September 28. More books in the series will come out in 2022.

“Sesame Workshop and Headspace have created something truly exceptional with their Sesame Street Monster Meditation video series,” Sonali Fry, vp and director of classic brands and preschool publishing for Random House Children’s Books, said in the release. “Through entertaining stories that feature fan-favorite Sesame Street characters, they provide young children with valuable mindfulness techniques. We are excited to continue their mission through our new collection of board book adaptations, which will introduce emergent readers to a variety of helpful meditation exercises for every occasion.”

Sesame Street Monster Meditation: Being Patient with Cookie Monster is available to pre-order now, and Goodnight, World! will be available on all major podcast distribution platforms and in the Headspace app starting June 13. To learn more, visit Headspace.com.

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