2026
WISE Score
A gentle, 30-minute masterclass in helping toddlers handle big weather and bigger feelings without the meltdown.
Storm on Sesame Street is intentional media at its best. It doesn't just entertain; it gives kids a vocabulary for fear and a blueprint for resilience.
If you have a kid who hides under the covers when the clouds turn gray, this is a must-watch. It’s short, sweet, and actually useful. Plus, seeing Post Malone help rebuild a Muppet house is the kind of wholesome 2026 energy we all need.
Perfect for the 2-6 crowd. Older kids will find it too babyish, but for preschoolers, it's the right level of 'scary' with a 100% safe resolution.
It is classic Sesame Street: modeling kindness, community cooperation, and healthy emotional regulation without any snark or mean-spiritedness.
While it follows a standard narrative structure, the Muppets' way of visualizing internal 'scary feelings' and the creative ways they rebuild the neighborhood are engaging for the target age.
Specifically designed for preschoolers to process a stressful topic safely. No hidden 'surprises' or inappropriate content whatsoever.
High marks for teaching practical disaster preparedness and the 'calm your body' techniques that are actually useful for kids in real-world stressful situations.
Sesame Street has a long history of tackling 'big' topics—from the death of Mr. Hooper to the destruction of Big Bird's nest in the 2001 hurricane special. This 2026 special, Storm on Sesame Street, feels like a spiritual successor to those moments but with a modern focus on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL).
Instead of just showing a storm happening, the narrative spends significant time on the 'before' and 'after.' The 'before' focuses on preparedness—not just flashlights and batteries, but mental preparedness. The Muppets model specific breathing and grounding techniques that are directly pulled from modern child psychology. It’s the kind of thing you’ll want to watch with them so you can reference 'Elmo’s belly breaths' the next time a thunderstorm rolls through your zip code.
Michelle Buteau and Post Malone aren't just there for the 'hey, I know them' factor. They are integrated into the neighborhood as helpers. Post Malone, in particular, leans into a very gentle, soft-spoken persona that fits perfectly with Elmo and Abby. It’s a great example of how to use celebrity influence to model small acts of kindness. The second half of the special focuses on the 'rebuild,' which is a vital lesson in community. It moves the needle from 'I am safe' to 'How do we make sure we are all safe?' which is a sophisticated pivot for a show aimed at four-year-olds.
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