For nearly two decades, Sesame Street has stood beside military families, providing tools to help children navigate the unique challenges of service life. Now, the beloved brand is rolling out a brand-new set of resources aimed at keeping kids healthy in body and mind.

At the beginning of last month, Sesame Street for Military Families (SS4MF) debuted “Healthy, Happy, Ready,” a free collection of digital tools available in both English and Spanish. The goal of the new digital site is to make nutrition, physical activity, and emotional wellness fun and accessible for both military kids and caregivers alike.

“‘Healthy, Happy, Ready’ is another addition to Sesame Street for Military Families, which is in its 19th year. Our goal is to listen to the needs of military families and their young children as they engage in the various transitions of military life,” Jeanette Betancourt, Ed.D., Senior Vice President of U.S. Social Impact at Sesame Workshop, told Parents.com, in a recent interview.

Families who log on to the SS4MF website will find a variety of interactive materials designed to fit seamlessly into busy military life. According to SS4MF, here are things that parents will be able to find on their site: 

• Videos: One about preparing nutritious meals as a family, the second is a guide for growing a garden in your kitchen, and a third is about how to make physical activity a regular part of your family’s day.
• Recipes: Three Sesame Street Muppet-inspired, healthy, easy, and kid-pleasing recipes.
• Articles: These articles feature tips and strategies for meal planning and turning regular activities into play and engaging games, especially during a transition or busy military life.
• Printable Pages: These pages are connected to the themes of the videos and help parents with ways to help get that conversation started with their kids through interactive materials.

Sesame Workshop created “Healthy, Happy, Ready” in partnership with the Department of Defense and with direct input from military parents. Roundtable discussions last year helped shape the new resources.

“Top recommendations indicated a desire for Sesame Street for Military Families to bring fun, informational, and joyful activities that families can enjoy in any location to keep themselves healthy and active,” Dr. Betancourt explained. “The key recommendation was to offer resources and activities that blend into their everyday routines and to engage their children easily.”

Over the years, SS4MF has offered resources on topics ranging from relocation and deployment to homecomings, health care transitions, grief, among other important topics. Families often share how meaningful the support has been.

“In fact, we’ve also heard from the children who are now adults and, in the military, who share similar thoughts,” Dr. Betancourt said. “In addition, when we’ve been on the road introducing our resources, the feedback has been amazing, along with the gratitude that military families express about Sesame Street caring about them and supporting their well-being,” she adds.

To visit and learn more about the resources for military families on Sesame Street for Military Families (SS4MF), click here.

Photo Credit: Sesame Street for Military Families Instagram