Sesame Street Learning to Share: A Parent’s Guide
“Sesame Street” can help children practise sharing by showing how characters take turns, negotiate and respond to others’ feelings. A parent’s guide can turn those moments into simple conversations and everyday practice.
The numbers
Studies analyzed by the authors
Children in the studies
Countries represented in the studies
Sharing is a skill children learn gradually, not a rule they master at once. Use a story or scene as a starting point: ask what each character wants, how waiting feels and what might help both friends.
Then try the same ideas with toys, games or snacks. Keep turns clear, offer a choice when you can, and praise specific actions such as handing something over or waiting patiently.
| Situation | Parent prompt | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Child wants a toy another child has | “Would you like to wait for a turn?” | Name whose turn it is |
| Child has a toy to offer | “Would you like to offer it?” | Let the child choose |
| Child becomes upset | “You wanted that toy.” | Acknowledge the feeling before continuing |
| After watching a story | “What did the character do?” | Try one short turn-taking game |
- 11.6 percentile difference Average difference reported between viewers and nonviewers
How does Sesame Street present learning to share?
Sesame Street presents sharing through stories, music, dance and language in an urban-neighborhood setting, giving preschoolers scenes to discuss and try out. Its early-learning format also creates room for social and emotional topics, including missing a friend, low self-esteem and adjusting to a new sibling.
Stories and modeling
Those situations can give a child words for feelings that may be hard to explain. To make a sharing conversation concrete, link what happens in a story to one action: waiting, offering a toy or asking for a turn.
The authors analyzed the results of 24 studies, conducted with more than 10,000 children in 15 countries. That broad evidence base provides context for educational media, but it does not replace a child’s own practice sharing with another person.
From screen to play
After watching, use a real toy and let your child try the action. You might take turns with the toy, invite your child to offer it to you, or practise asking before taking it. Keep the focus on one action at a time.
The show can start a conversation; sharing still has to be practised with real objects and another person.
How can parents turn an episode into sharing practice?
Parents can turn a Sesame Street episode into sharing practice by watching with their child, talking through a character’s wishes, and trying a brief turn-taking game with one toy.
After a scene about sharing, ask what one character wanted and how the other character responded. Keep the questions tied to what your child just watched: who wanted the toy, and what happened next? This gives you a simple way to connect the story with a real play situation.
For a short game, choose one toy and take turns using it. Say plainly whose turn it is, then tell your child when the turn changes. Offer a choice: share the toy now or wait for a turn. Avoid taking it from your child without warning.
Carry the same words into everyday play
Use the same turn-taking language during play at home, so the child hears familiar words in both the story and a familiar situation. Sesame Street episodes can also prompt creative play ideas; a scene about sharing can lead directly to practising with a toy.
The study showed an average 11.6 percentile difference between viewers and nonviewers. That finding describes a difference between groups; it does not tell you what any individual child will do. For your own play, keep the steps clear: ask about the characters, offer a choice, and name each turn.
Who is this approach suited to, and what does the evidence say?
Sesame Street is best suited to preschool-age children when an adult watches alongside them and helps connect an episode’s story with play. After a character faces a social situation, you can invite your child to act out a similar moment with toys or talk about what the characters might do next.
Sesame Street also introduces and reinforces early skills, including letter sounds, numbers, colors, and patterns. A shared viewing session can therefore lead naturally from a story about sharing to a conversation about counting toys, sorting colors, or noticing a letter sound.
What the evidence can—and cannot—show
A review analyzed 24 studies involving more than 10,000 children in 15 countries. Its findings concern international Sesame Street productions as a body of work; they are not a direct measure of whether one child learns to share after watching an episode.
One study reported an average 11.6 percentile difference between viewers and nonviewers. That comparison does not establish that watching alone teaches sharing, so treat an episode as a prompt for interaction rather than a substitute for it.
When might screen-based sharing lessons not be enough?
Screen-based sharing lessons may not be enough when your child understands the story but still struggles to hand over a preferred toy; practise with a real turn-taking moment instead.
Choose an everyday toy your child wants to use, and make the turn clear: “You have a turn, then I’ll have a turn.” Stay nearby and help with the handover. A story can give you words to discuss, but passing a toy involves waiting and giving up something the child wants in that moment.
Respond to the moment, not just the lesson
Watching Sesame Street is not a substitute for adult guidance when frustration or conflict appears. If your child becomes distressed, pause the lesson and respond to the feeling before asking for a turn. You might name what you see—“You’re upset because you still want the toy”—then give the child time before returning to the turn-taking request.
Sesame Street addresses social and emotional skills, and its broader educational effects are cited in discussions of the series. That does not establish a sharing-specific outcome: whether watching helps a particular child give up a preferred toy remains unsettled. Use the programme as a starting point for conversation, then see what support your child needs during actual play.
What related guides can extend the conversation?
Three separate guides can extend the conversation: one about learning to fly, one about budgeting for the future, and one about Tom Petty’s song. Each opens a different subject; none is part of Sesame Street’s lesson about sharing.
- Learning to fly: Use a flying guide to explore a different kind of challenge, such as learning a new skill and working through its steps. Keep the discussion focused on flight and learning rather than presenting it as an extension of the show’s sharing theme.
- Budgeting for the future: A budgeting guide can introduce planning and choices. Talk about how deciding what to do with money differs from deciding how to share, and let the guide set the terms of that conversation.
- Tom Petty’s song: A guide to the song offers a music-focused follow-up. Listen together, then discuss the song itself—its sound, words, or the response it brings up—without treating it as Sesame Street content.
Choose one guide according to the next topic your child is curious about, and check that guide’s own content before using it as a starting point.
Frequently asked questions
Does Sesame Street teach children to share?
How should I talk about sharing after an episode?
Is watching Sesame Street enough for a child who struggles to share?
What broader research is available on Sesame Street?
Key takeaways
- Watch Sesame Street with your child and connect its stories to everyday play.
- Practice turns with one toy and simple, consistent language.
- A broader learning finding is not proof of a sharing-specific effect.
- Pause when a child is distressed; address the feeling before prompting a turn.
Sources
- Common Sense Media — “Sesame Street – Parents' Guide & TV Review”
- pbs.org — “On "Sesame Street:" Embracing Mistakes and Not Giving Up”
- play.google.com — “Learn with Sesame Street – Apps on Google Play”
- apps.apple.com — “Learn with Sesame Street – App Store”
- sesameworkshop.org — “Resources – Sesame Workshop”
