Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Let's Learn Mind and Movement provides free, engaging videos that encourage children to stay active and practice mindfulness through "Let's Move" and "Let's Be Mindful" segments. Perfect for brain breaks or transitions, these short videos--ranging from 1 to 10 minutes--help support physical wellness and emotional regulation. Educators can sort content by themes such as Transformation, Feelings, My Five Senses, Animals, Plants, Colors, and more, making it easy to integrate movement and mindfulness into daily routines.

tag(s): emotions (52), social and emotional learning (109)

Bring meaningful conversations to life with this collection of digital storybooks from Sesame Street in Communities. Designed to help children explore big topics like emotions, family changes, and healthy habits, each story features familiar characters and simple, comforting language. These interactive books support social-emotional learning and are perfect for read-alouds or independent exploration. Available in both English and Spanish, they're a great tool for fostering empathy, resilience, and understanding in diverse early childhood classrooms.

tag(s): audio books (29), ebooks (46), emotions (52), preK (286), social and emotional learning (109)

The Sesame Workshop's Science for Kids page is a vibrant, educational hub filled with videos, games, and hands-on activities that make science exciting and accessible for young learners. Featuring favorite Sesame Street characters, the site introduces key concepts like the five senses, weather, and simple experiments in a playful, engaging way. Best of all, all resources are available in both English and Spanish, making it a valuable tool for bilingual classrooms or English language learners.

tag(s): preK (286), STEM (306)

Sesame Workshop's Math has Count explaining that math is all around us in a short video. Additional resources are also available, including Elmo's Math Adventure, measuring everyday objects, how kids can make sense of numbers, learning about shapes, and bedtime math. Resources are also available in Spanish.

tag(s): counting (61), measurement (123), numbers (121), preK (286), spanish (112)

Unlock the power of words with Sesame Workshop's Vocabulary resources! Designed for educators and caregivers, this vibrant collection offers free, bilingual materials to help young children expand their vocabulary through playful learning. Engaging tools like the Language Activity Cards and Vocabulary Adventure Cards encourage interactive storytelling and word exploration. "The Words Are Everywhere" game turns kids into word detectives alongside Abby Cadabby, while "Word Play" interactive storybooks offer modes to focus on vocabulary development. Additionally, the "Languagizing" with Kathy Hirsh-Pasek webinar introduces six principles to enrich everyday interactions with language. With resources available in both English and Spanish, this platform is an invaluable asset for fostering early language development.

tag(s): preK (286), stories and storytelling (61), vocabulary (242), vocabulary development (95)

The Cool Cat Teacher features three fast, free lesson plans to fight fake news. The lesson ideas include Breaking News Bellringer, Viral Video News Story, and To Share or Not to Share. Each lesson has an example as a reference.

tag(s): character education (81), digital citizenship (90), digital literacy (9)

The Sesame Workshop's Grief page offers thoughtful, child-friendly resources to help young learners understand and process the loss of a loved one. Featuring comforting videos, printable activities, and storybooks with familiar Sesame Street characters, the site provides educators with tools to support children through their emotions in a safe, compassionate way. Available in both English and Spanish, these materials are ideal for fostering empathy, resilience, and open conversations in early childhood and elementary school.

tag(s): emotions (52), preK (286), social and emotional learning (109)

Step into the enchanting world of reading with Sesame Workshop's Language & Literacy: Reading Resources! This dynamic platform offers a treasure of free, bilingual materials designed to ignite a love for reading in young learners. The resources include a rich collection of storybooks, videos, printables, and interactive games featuring beloved Sesame Street characters like Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and Grover. These resources focus on building vocabulary, comprehension, and phonemic awareness, making literacy learning both effective and fun. Highlights include the "Building a Reader" interactive course, which provides strategies and activities tailored for emerging readers, and "Reading Adventures," offering leveled stories to support diverse reading abilities. With content available in both English and Spanish, this site is an invaluable tool for fostering early literacy skills in a joyful and inclusive way.

tag(s): literacy (123), phonics (52), preK (286), reading comprehension (150), vocabulary (242), vocabulary development (95)

Looking for a fun and engaging way to teach young children about money? The Sesame Workshop Financial Education site brings financial literacy to life with the help of beloved Sesame Street characters! Through songs, stories, and hands-on activities, young students can begin building smart money habits--like saving, spending wisely, and sharing--all while having a great time. One highlight is a two-minute video featuring Cookie Monster and his mom learning about choices, sharing, and saving. Additional resources include Elmo's Spend, Share, and Save Jar, a guide to making a spending plan together, lessons on wants and needs with Bert and Ernie, and tips for talking to kids during tough financial times. There's also a family-friendly game called "Lemonade Stand," printable play money, and a helpful webinar titled Bright Financial Futures, which includes a certificate of completion. Many materials are also available in Spanish, making this a comprehensive and inclusive toolkit for building strong financial foundations.

tag(s): financial literacy (95), money (114), preK (286), spanish (112)

This short video featuring Julia, Samuel, and Abby highlights the world of art with young students. In addition to the video, the site contains featured art resources, including Terry Crews is an Artist, a color wheel, art exploration, open-ended art, upcycling crafts, and more. Resources are also available in Spanish.

tag(s): artists (88), colors (63), preK (286), spanish (112)

View this dynamic resource designed to help educators nurture holistic well-being in young learners. The platform offers a wealth of materials covering essential topics such as nutrition, physical activity, emotional well-being, and social-emotional skills. Through engaging videos, printable activities, and interactive games featuring beloved Sesame Street characters, young students are encouraged to develop healthy habits that can last a lifetime. The resources also guide topics like asthma management, autism support, and family bonding, ensuring inclusivity and relevance for diverse classroom needs. Available in both English and Spanish, these tools are tailored to support educators in creating a nurturing and health-conscious learning environment.

tag(s): autism (16), preK (286), social and emotional learning (109), spanish (112)

Sesame Workshop's A Hurricane Comes to Sesame Street is a short, impactful video that helps young children process the emotional aftermath of natural disasters through the familiar lens of Big Bird and his friends. As Big Bird copes with the destruction of his nest, students learn about feelings like sadness, fear, and hope--and how community support can help rebuild both homes and hearts. The site also offers guided discussion questions to encourage emotional expression and understanding, making it a valuable tool for teachers addressing tough topics in a gentle, age-appropriate way.

tag(s): communities (38), hurricanes (33), preK (286)

Looking for a gentle, age-appropriate way to introduce emergency preparedness in your classroom? Sesame Workshop's Emergencies video is a quick 45-second clip that helps young children understand what to do during an emergency. But the learning doesn't stop there--the website also includes a variety of supportive resources such as a Wildfires Family Guide, Emergency Family Kit video, "Let's Pack an Emergency Kit" activity, tips for Rebuilding After a Hurricane, and guidance for Talking About an Unexpected Emergency. There's even a lesson on the importance of knowing your first and last name. Many of these resources are available in Spanish, making them accessible for a wider range of families and classrooms.

tag(s): communities (38), natural disasters (19), preK (286)

Meet the Emergency Helpers with Sesame Workshop! Sesame Workshop's Emergency Helpers offers a short video that teaches young students who helps in an emergency. Firefighters, doctors, teachers, and police officers are sung about in the video. Each of the emergency helpers' jobs is explained in the song. The video is available in Spanish.

tag(s): communities (38), preK (286)

The PBS KIDS Play & Learn Science website is a fantastic resource for teachers looking to spark curiosity and hands-on learning in young scientists. Designed for preK - grade 2 students, this platform offers interactive games, activities, and videos that help build foundational science skills in fun and engaging ways. Topics include weather, forces, simple machines, and the properties of water--all presented through playful exploration with favorite PBS KIDS characters. It also provides tips for families and educators on extending learning into the real world, making it perfect for classroom use or at-home enrichment.

tag(s): density (18), simple machines (20), weather (161)

PBS KIDS offers a dedicated collection of full episodes featuring American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, making beloved children's programming more accessible and inclusive than ever before. This initiative includes popular series such as Arthur, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Alma's Way, Donkey Hodie, Pinkalicious & Peterrific, and Work It Out Wombats!, each enriched with on-screen ASL interpreters to support Deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers.

tag(s): preK (286), sign language (11)

Million Bazillion is a podcast that inspires families to discuss money with children. Episodes include How Do People Pay for Things When They Retire, What's the Difference Between Brand-Name Items and Generic Items, What Does Money Have To Do With Climate Change, Who Sets the Price of Rent, and more. On average, podcasts are twenty minutes to thirty-five minutes in length. Episodes include transcripts and tips for adults to use as discussion points for children. Million Bazillion is available on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, Stitchers, and RSS.

tag(s): financial literacy (95), podcasts (114)

Highlight Kids is a free resource that provides a variety of activities for children. Activities include crafts and recipes, jokes, puzzles, exploring (answers to science questions), sharing sections (Dear Highlights activities, questions, surveys), podcasts, and games. The videos are hosted on YouTube to share jokes and information. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable. When submitting answers to a poll, children are required to add their age.

tag(s): crafts (74), game based learning (207), podcasts (114), preK (286), puzzles (149)

School Library NJ is a free resource that allows access to information resources that enhance the teaching and learning experience to enrich literacy experiences. The website has a wealth of resources, including elementary, middle, and high school parents, educators, administrators, and librarians. Each subcategory has links to websites, including e-books, read-alouds, annotating, college and career searches, internet safety, virtual field trips, and more.

tag(s): audio books (29), ebooks (46), parents (56), test prep (69)

Minecraft Education shares several free videos, teaching resources, and parent guides to help you learn the basics of artificial intelligence (AI). These resources do not require using the paid Minecraft platform and are available to all viewers. Begin with a three-part animated video series that features AI basics, problem-solving with AI, and using AI tools responsibly. Additional materials available to download are classroom-ready teaching materials, a parent guide, and a free poster. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): artificial intelligence (187), digital citizenship (90), STEM (306)