Programs and Activities External Resources
WEBINAR: The Power of Pretend Play
What if children’s pretend play is the key to building real-world power and regulation? Join author and play advocate Mike Huber for a transformative session that explores how imaginative play helps children practice executive function skills, navigate emotions, and develop a strong sense of agency. You’ll learn why even play that feels chaotic or uncomfortable to adults—like play fighting—can be essential for regulation and connection. Discover practical ways to support rich, empowering pretend play in your classroom every day.
6 Mood-Boosting Yoga Poses to Try With Kids
Kids aren’t immune to stress and anxiety. There are a number of yoga postures (asana) and breathing techniques (pranayama) that can benefit children’s mental health and well-being and are easy to do with kids of all ages.Here are six wonderful poses that can help reduce stress and enhance well-being for children.
Ages & Stages: Caregiver’s Guide to Supporting Children’s Racial Learning
Every child is learning about race, starting in their earliest months of life. What they learn, when, and how they make sense of it, depends on the messages they get from caregivers, communities, and the world around them. The Ages & Stages Guide brings together the latest research on children’s racial development from infancy through early adolescence, when caregivers have the most impact. It outlines: What kids notice at different ages; how racial learning unfolds over time; and practical steps caregivers can take to support healthy, affirming conversations and action.
Stories to Celebrate World Kindness Day!
How will you celebrate World Kindness Day on November 13th? Here are some posters and stories to share with the children and families in your program: resources, Be Kind, and Kindness is My Superpower.
6 Active Games You Can Play with a Pair of Socks
Looking for creative indoor active games for your program? Here are a few simple games that kids can play with sock balls with limited space and equipment—including single-player games for the kids to enjoy!
When All the Kids are White: How Does an Early Education Program Work Toward Anti-Bias, Anti-Racist Classrooms?
Children begin noticing race as early as six months old—and by age twelve, many have already absorbed racial stereotypes. What happens when a preschool with no racial diversity decides to take action? This article explores how an early years program is rethinking its approach to anti-bias, anti-racist programming.
WEBINAR: Creating Social Connections to Address Mental Health
In this Sesame Workshop webinar, participants will explore the benefits of social connections and discuss strategies to foster resilience and kindness to build relationships among young children and families to support their emotional well-being. You'll also find out how kindness can be used as an intervention for loneliness and isolation and get new hands-on tools and resources to support kindness, create connections, and build resilience in your program.
Activities for Anxious Kids: How to Help Children Cope with Anxiety Through Play
We all have a range of feelings. We feel happy, sad, silly, disappointed, excited, amazed, surprised, angry, or brave. But we all, including kids, sometimes feel anxious. Anxiety is the feeling of worry, nervousness, fear, or unease. Even if these feelings in kids seem small to adults, they can be very real and important for a child. But they’re also very normal. Parents and caregivers can help by recognizing what anxiety looks like and providing activities and opportunities for play for anxious kids.
Harvest Festivals Around the World
What is a Harvest Festival? How do people celebrate harvest around the world? In this video, children can hear about and see several different harvest festivals that are celebrated around the world throughout the year, from Pongal to Vendimia, Thanksgiving, The Moon Festival to Olivagando. It’s a great way to learn about some of the many ways people celebrate harvest around the world with the children in your CNC program!
There’s plenty to acknowledge and celebrate in October!
Are you busy collecting ideas and planning for your CNC program this month? If so, there are a few important days this month that you might want to incorporate and honour to raise awareness in your CNC program and community! October is Canada Library and Fire Prevention month, and there are harvest festivals around the world! Thanksgiving is celebrated on October 9th, and International Day of the Girl Child on the 11th. Diwali is October 20th, Make a Difference Day is October 23rd, and Hallowe'en is on October 31st.