Takalani muppets share how to deal with BIG feelings | #daitngscams | #lovescams

Zuzu, Elmo and Sesame Workshop’s Innocent Nkata talk about the 13th season of beloved children’s TV Show Takalani Sesame on Weekend Breakfast.

– Beloved children’s TV show Takalani Sesame is celebrating its 13th season on SABC 2

– Zuzu, Elmo and Sesame Workshop’s Innocent Nkata join Sara-Jayne Makwala King live in studio to talk about the theme, which is dealing with BIG feelings

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It’s 22 years since the South African version of global smash hit TV show Sesame Street was launched.

The beloved children’s TV show Takalani Sesame is celebrating its 13th season on SABC 2.

And there was great excitement at CapeTalk on Saturday when two muppets joined Sara-Jayne Makwala King, live in studio.

They were accompanied by an adult – Innocent Nkata, who is MD of Sesame Workshop International South Africa.

According to the two muppets, they rode in an aeroplane to get to Cape Town: “It was very, very exciting!”

Lots of giggles ensued as Zuzu and Elmo tried to introduce Weekend Breakfast in a “news anchorly” fashion, but the pair also gave some insight into this season’s theme.

Takalani Sesame is exploring those “big feelings” and how to manage them in Season 13.

Over the past two years it’s been very difficult for children and families with the COVID pandemic. It was so confusing, with children spending a lot of time at home, being sad about sick relatives and so on.

Innocent Nkata, MD – Sesame Workshop International South Africa

What this season is all about is to help children to understand and find ways of dealing with those BIG feelings – getting sad, getting scared, or even sometimes getting excited and anxious about something.

Innocent Nkata, MD – Sesame Workshop International South Africa

Why are characters like Zuzu and Elmo such a great way to communicate with children? Sara-Jayne asks.

Nkata points out that children learn best when they are having fun.

Even with serious subjects, it’s best to take a lighthearted approach which children relate to he says.

So what Elmo, and Zuzu and the rest of the Takalani crew are very good at is to make learning a lot of fun.

Innocent Nkata, MD – Sesame Workshop International South Africa

In this season they help to demonstrate what it means to be anxious, what it means to be scared… nervous… and then they demonstrate some techniques for children to deal with those emotions when they are exploding inside you. But they do it in such a fun and exciting way that it becomes easy for children to relate to.

Innocent Nkata, MD – Sesame Workshop International South Africa

The special muppet guests agree that it’s “the best!” to live on Takalani Sesame, because there are so many games they can play.

Relating their experiences, they even demonstrate, for Auntie Sara-Jayne, how Elmo was able to calm himself with deep belly breaths when he wasn’t able to whistle during a game.

Scroll up to listen to the in-studio Takalani Sesame conversation

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