April is Autism Awareness Month

Celebrate What Makes Your Young One Unique with Carl and Friends

This April, we’re highlighting Autism Awareness Month and sharing some of our favorite resources for kids both on and off the spectrum. It’s important to keep those young minds curious, and we can’t think of a better way than with new episodes and games from our favorite raccoon Carl!

If you don’t already know him, Carl is the star of the PBS Kids show Carl the Collector. It follows the everyday adventures of this warm-hearted autistic raccoon who enjoys collecting things while he explores with his friends and family across Fuzzytown. In each episode, the characters find out what makes each of them unique and special while solving problems and making memories. We want every child to see a little bit of themselves on PBS Kids and between Carl and his friends, there’s a character everyone can relate to! Tune in for brand new episodes this month.

After you’ve watched the new episodes, play Fuzzytown Freestyle! Skate with Carl around the town and work on problem solving and reaction times. Then, work together to create a Mindfulness Jar. This easy activity is a great way to talk to kids about big emotions and lets you create a tool to help self-soothe when things feel a little overwhelming.

Kids feel so many things on so many different levels. As a parent or caregiver, it can be really hard to figure out how to help young ones process emotions that they might not even have the words to describe yet. Head to our article that outlines easy breathing exercises that can help kids calm themselves down. It’s full of tips and tricks that can help you help your child be more in tune with their feelings and learn to take a beat.

Watch new episodes of Carl the Collector: https://hub.pbs.org/events/autism-acceptance-month

Play Fuzzytown Freestyle: https://pbskids.org/games/play/fuzzytown-freestyle/1679827

Make mindfulness jars (English): https://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-and-experiments/make-a-mindfulness-jar-or-calming-timeout-timer

Jarra de mindfulness con brillo: https://www.pbs.org/es/parents/manualidades-y-experimentos/hagan-una-jarra-de-mindfulness-con-brillo

Breathing exercises (English): https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/breathing-exercises-to-help-calm-young-children

Ejercicios de respiración: https://www.pbs.org/es/parents/prospera/ejercicios-de-respiraci%C3%B3n-para-ayudar-a-calmar-a-los-ni%C3%B1os-peque%C3%B1os