Abbott, Sesame Workshop help families live healthier

Building a healthier future starts with something simple: healthy habits. Routines such as eating balanced meals, getting enough sleep and staying active lay the foundation for lifelong well-being to help people live better, healthier lives. The earlier they start, the stronger these patterns will stick.

That’s why Abbott is proud to team up with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, to launch a global program designed to help families everywhere create healthy routines that last.

This initiative combines the trusted voices of beloved Sesame Street characters with Abbott’s commitment and leadership in health innovation to deliver tools and resources that make healthy living fun, accessible and achievable for families around the world. The program is providing free, multilingual resources for download, including storybooks and activity sheets, plus an Elmo’s World global family special on YouTube and YouTube Kids highlighting the importance of movement, sleep and nutrition.

We are working to help families build healthy routines at an early age, setting the stage for a lifetime of healthy habits to help reduce and prevent the risk of chronic illness in the future.

Free Resources for Families

Together, Abbott and Sesame Workshop are offering a suite of free, research-based resources to help families make healthy routines part of everyday life. The resources are designed for children ages 3–5 because we know creating new habits can be challenging, while also recognizing that early intervention and family support are key to lasting behavior change. They deliver simple suggestions to make these actions fun and achievable for children, caregivers, educators and healthcare providers.

These activity books, stories and more include print and digital resources for children and caregivers, including:

• Storybook — “Sun’s Up, Sun’s Down,” featuring healthy rhythms from a day in the life of Sesame Street’s furry friends and their families;
• Activity book — “Healthy Together,” with five stand-alone printable activity sheets, focused on building and maintaining positive habits as a family;
• Articles — Exploring what healthy means to different cultures, small steps that make a big difference, and tips for creating routines that last.

These resources are available to download, print and share at Sesame.org/HealthyHabits worldwide.

YouTube Global Family Special

The initiative also includes a 26-minute YouTube special, Elmo’s World: Dance Party! where Elmo, Grover, and friends – joined by special guest Aubrey Plaza as Ms. Noodle – invite kids and caregivers to move, groove and learn why healthy habits matter. Through music, laughter and playful learning, the special encourages families to try new activities together and discover the joy of staying healthy.

The programming is designed to motivate and encourage young viewers and their caregivers to make healthy choices and try new things. Available on YouTube and YouTube Kids, the special brings together favorite characters like Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, Big Bird, Abelardo and Chamki, along with children from around the world.

Why It Matters

Abbott has been at the forefront of preventing, diagnosing and treating chronic diseases for over a century. We are dedicated to building a healthier future for all by reducing the risk of chronic disease and the impact it has on families and communities around the world. Together, Abbott and Sesame Workshop are helping families everywhere build an early foundation for health.

“Healthy habits are the building blocks of lifelong well-being, and they start early in childhood,” said Melissa Brotz, senior vice president, Global Marketing and External Affairs, Abbott and president of Abbott’s philanthropic foundation, Abbott Fund. “Along with Sesame Workshop, we’re reaching families with resources that fit into real life because small steps to stay healthy, taken early in life, can make a difference in the prevention of chronic illness for years to come.”

We’re thrilled to collaborate with Sesame Workshop, leaders in early childhood education, to make sure people of all ages are incorporating healthy practices into their daily lives.