Introduction
The early childhood phase, known as “the preschool period,” allows children to experience cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. According to Berger (2018), this phase is where social understanding begins to develop, accompanied by the emergence of a sense of self. However, this discussion will focus on Sesame Street, a program developed to provide an educational experience for preschoolers by teaching them letters, numbers, vocabulary, and preliterate skills.
The chosen episode of Sesame Street is “Elmo Teaches Abby to Pretend”. The paper aims to elucidate how the episode facilitates the development of various skills in children during early and middle childhood. More specifically, this paper aims to demonstrate how the episode fosters a range of skills, including conservation, theory of mind, language, autonomy, emotional regulation, empathy, understanding of gender, and prosocial behavior, through pretend play.
Skills Taught by the Episode
The episode begins with Chris showing Elmo, Rosita, and Rudy a picture of a book about the ocean, which inspires them to create their own pretend submarine. They decide to make the submarine out of cardboard and encounter challenges in choosing the right size of boxes (Berger et al., 2007). In essence, this episode aims to help children develop several essential skills.
Conservation
The first skill for consideration is conservation, which, according to Contreras and Krasny (2022), refers to a child’s ability to understand that specific properties of objects, such as quantity or volume, remain the same. This is evidenced in the episode where Rosita and Rudy encounter difficulties choosing the right size of boxes for their pretend submarine (Berger et al., 2007). However, through conservation, they combine boxes to create a larger submarine while maintaining the original space.
Vocabulary Building
Secondly, language development was demonstrated in the episode through the characters’ use of vocabulary related to underwater exploration. They also engage in dialogue to express their ideas and emotions during pretend play, according to Berger (2018), which is a common practice among children. Language is critical in a child’s ability to communicate and interact.
Theory of Mind
Another skill to consider is the theory of mind, which requires one to be aware that others may hold different thoughts, beliefs, and perspectives. Throughout the episode, the characters engage in pretend play, which requires them to imagine being underwater, where they encounter a sea turtle and a clam.
Autonomy
Autonomy and initiative, as skills, are clearly demonstrated when Elmo leads the team on an initiative to create their pretend submarine and plan their ocean adventure. The three characters demonstrate autonomy in problem-solving and decision-making processes. Whenever challenges arose during the creation of the submarine, the character demonstrated emotional regulation by remaining patient and utilizing problem-solving skills to overcome obstacles.
Empathy
Empathy as a skill is also evident in the “Elmo Teaches Abby to Pretend” episode, where the characters encounter a sea turtle and a clam (Berger et al., 2007). They remain calm and reflect on the feelings and perspectives of the pretend creatures by interacting with them in a caring and understanding manner.
Morality and Socialization
In line with the above, the episode also focuses on developing moral reasoning and social skills. On the one hand, social skills are demonstrated in the episode when the characters opt to work together as a team by taking turns and sharing ideas during pretend play. On the other hand, moral reasoning revolves around a child’s ability to develop a sense of self and social awareness (Berger, 2018). Throughout the episode, the characters, whenever they encounter challenges, opt to discuss different approaches by considering the consequences of their actions and making decisions based on moral considerations.
Benefits of Sesame Street for Preschool and Special Needs Children
Sesame Street was created to provide preschoolers with an educational experience. According to Oades-Sese et al. (2021), Sesame Street was the first children’s television programming exclusively focused on educational content. More specifically, its educational content mirrors the learning experiences of children in formal preschool settings. It provides a framework for ensuring preschoolers understand concepts such as letters, numbers, and vocabulary in an engaging way.
The program also aims to provide inclusive representation for all children, including those with special needs, fostering a sense of belonging and acceptance. Additionally, Sesame Street has proven to be a reliable resource for enhancing the cognitive and emotional development of children living in poverty, particularly those with limited access to formal preschools.
Conclusion
Based on the above discussion, I would encourage parents to show their children the Sesame Street program. This is because the program’s primary goal is to provide them with educational content and support their learning, ultimately leading to an enhanced overall learning experience. Similarly, I would definitely show my child this program because it encourages the development of positive social skills and behavior. In addition, I believe this program’s focus on children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development makes it the right choice for children in disadvantaged communities.
More importantly, this program is essential for the educational experience of children in the U.S. due to its educational content and positive impact on social skills and behavior. Despite its long existence, Sesame Street has consistently proven to foster children’s intellectual, emotional, and cultural development. Therefore, the diverse nature of this program makes it particularly suitable for children, as it helps shape well-rounded and empathetic individuals.
References
Berger, K. S. (2018). The developing person through childhood and adolescence (CA Value Edition. (11th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.
Berger, L., & Freudberg, J. (Head Writers), & Clash, K., Diego, K., DiNapoli, V., Gordon, D., Guadarrama, T., Martin, J., May, T., Mazzarino, J., Simon, L., Squires, E., &Zylstra, N. (Directors). (2007). Elmo shows Abby how to pretend. [Television series episode] In T. Carter (Producer), Sesame Street. Los Angeles: PBS.
Contreras, E. D., &Krasny, M. E. (2022). Young children contribute to nature stewardship. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. Web.
Oades-Sese, G. V., Cahill, A., Allen, J. W., Rubic, W., & Mahmood, N. (2021). Effectiveness of sesame workshop’s little children, big challenges: A digital media SEL intervention for preschool classrooms. Psychology in the Schools, 58(10), 2041–2067. Web.