How to Learn Through Sesame Street Music

The PBS television series "Sesame Street" has provided educational programming for children since 1969. This critically acclaimed children's show features a unique combination of puppets (called Muppets), animation, live characters and celebrity guests while infusing music into storytelling and teachable moments. Because most of the show's songs are about letters, numbers, people, problem solving and safety issues, there are many ways for children to learn through Sesame Street music.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Television
• Computer with Internet access
• CD player

1. 
   Alphabet letters

   Learn letter and word recognition. Sesame Street features many songs about words and letters. The episodes showcase a Letter of the Day in which most of the shows songs and animated segments are about. Parents can incorporate the letter of the day into everyday activities, such as having children point out objects at home that begin with the letter featured on the show.

2. 

   Learn numbers. Sesame Street episodes also feature a Number of the Day in which many of the show's songs and animated segments feature that day's number. Parents can utilize the number of the day at home by having children count out or group items into the amount of that day's number. One of the most popular Muppets on the show is the Count. This purple-faced vampire loves to count everything in sight, so parents can have their children act like the Count and count various objects throughout the day.

3. Learn about colors. Sesame Street helps preschoolers learn about colors. With songs like Kermit the Frog's "(It's Not Easy) Bein' Green," children will see visual examples of various colors. After watching the show, parents can ask children to point out examples of the colors they have learned about.

4. Learn about people. Sesame Street's neighborhood atmosphere is the perfect place to learn about the people that form a community. One of the show's most popular songs "People in Your Neighborhood" is about a policeman, a fireman, the mailman, a teacher, a baker, a dentist, a bus driver and more. Parents can introduce their children to the people in their own neighborhood and ask their children to find examples of more people who live and work in their community.

5. Learn about safety. Sesame Street features segments and songs about fire safety, street signs and how to safely cross the street. After watching Sesame Street segments about safety issues, parents can practice safe behaviors with their kids, like being aware of street signs, explaining the colors on a traffic signal and looking both ways before crossing the street.

6. 
   Muppets with Laura Bush and Queen Rania Al-Abdullah

   Learn about differences and diversities. Sesame Street is a culturally diverse show and that includes the Muppets. While Kermit laments in song about how it's not easy being green, Grover, Herry and Cookie Monster sing about their own blue color and texture in the song "Fuzzy and Blue." Other Sesame Street songs explain opposites. These songs give parents a chance to explain differences to their children.

7. Listen to the most popular and educational Sesame Street songs. The most popular Sesame Street songs can be found on one of the show's many music compilation CDs. Well-known Sesame Street songs that are deemed as some of the most educational include "C if for Cookie," "People in Your Neighborhood," "I've Got Two," "Five Song," "Pinball Number Count," "ABC-DEF-GHI," "Healthy Food" and "Opposite Song."

8. Utilize the Sesame Street website. Sesamestreet.org features games and activities to accompany the songs and segments seen on the show. With an ever-changing array of games and videos, some of the show's most popular songs are featured on the site. This website, used in collaboration with the Sesame Street show, can be a wonderful learning tool for children.

References

• Songs from the Street
• Sesame Street