Sesame Street Offers Online Divorce “Tool kit” For Children

 Posted on March 18, 2013 in Family Law

The Sesame Workshop on sesamestreet.org offers online tool kits for topics such as starting school, financial difficulties, and natural disasters. At the beginning of this year, it added another to its repertoire: divorce.

This tool kit, which was developed with the aid of educators, clinical psychologists, and other divorce experts, offers parents advice on how to handle the topic with their 2- to 8-year-old children. The kit includes programs for the children, such as a story about Niko, who splits his time between his mother’s and father’s houses, and songs to help children identify their feelings. It also contains a divorce app, a webinar, and tips for parents on how to get their kids to open up as well as information for caregivers, friends, and extended family.

Sesame Street has been a bit hesitant on the topic of divorce. They only had one episode where divorce was mentioned (Snuffleupagus had to learn how to deal with his parents splitting up) but it was never aired since test audiences didn’t enjoy it. However, since divorce resources that are aimed at children are not widely available, the multimedia tool kit was a way to approach the subject.

During the development, the researchers actually went to families with various options to see how the parents and children reacted. The program then continued to grow as they realized some content was missing in their original ideas.

Sesame Street believes having the online tool kit is the best way to deliver the information. It’s currently distributed through outreach or community programs that are specific to families going through divorce or separation.

Divorce takes its toll on everyone, but becomes even trickier when children are involved. If you’re contemplating filing for divorce, our Hinsdale law firm can help. Contact us today to set up your free initial consultation.

Image courtesy freedigitalphotos.net