セサミストリート日本公式 on YouTube: Number Songs and Short Clips for Counting to Ten (and How to Watch Safely)
FamilyTube channel guide #8
Around three or four, a lot of kids suddenly get hooked on counting. They count the stairs one by one, count the strawberries on their plate, get stuck at seven or eight, and start all over again. At that stage, one short number song often does more than a grown-up explaining it ten times. The problem is that searching YouTube for "number songs" mostly turns up mass-produced animation from who knows where, fast and loud. If you want something with real educational thinking behind it, starring characters kids already know, セサミストリート日本公式 (Sesame Street Japan Official) is well worth getting to know.
This is Sesame Street's official Japan channel, produced by the nonprofit Sesame Workshop. It has Sesame Street segments dubbed into Japanese, plus segments labeled 日本オリジナル (Japan Original). Elmo, Cookie Monster and friends sing number songs, count penguins and count food in a food truck, and most clips run anywhere from under a minute to a few minutes. For parents who want screen time to go toward counting (including me, a dad of twins), it's a great place to start, as long as you're willing to pick videos first instead of putting on the whole channel.
- Official channel: youtube.com/@SesameStreetJapan (about 268,000 subscribers and 618 videos as of October 2026)
- Latest upload (October 8, 2026): "スペシャル✨｜ものがたりのおわりのモンスター📖｜29分アニメ | セサミストリート日本語吹替版" (Special: The Monster at the End of the Story, 29-Minute Animation, Sesame Street Japanese Dub)
What is セサミストリート日本公式?
セサミストリート日本公式 is Sesame Street's official YouTube channel in Japan. The producer, Sesame Workshop, is a nonprofit, and the show has a full educational curriculum behind it. These aren't kids' shorts made to chase views. The channel's content comes from two places: original Sesame Street segments with Japanese voices, and segments marked 日本オリジナル.
Lately the channel has been posting a few easy-to-spot series on a regular basis. きょうのかずのうた (Today's Number Song) is the song for the number of the day, one number at a time. エルモズワールド (Elmo's World) is a little segment hosted by Elmo. And クッキーモンスターのキッチンカー (Cookie Monster's Food Truck) mixes food with counting, so it's a bit of food education and math rolled into one. The video descriptions often show readings in parentheses, too, like 数（かず）をかぞえる歌（うた） (a song for counting numbers), so a quick glance tells you what a video is teaching.
One thing to know: the 618 videos vary a lot in length. There are number songs that last well under a minute, full episodes labeled フルエピソード (Full Episode), like 「健康 💓｜シーズン55｜がっかりメーター🤖」 (Health, Season 55, The Letdown Meter), posted in 2026, program excerpts marked 本編を一部ご紹介 (a look at part of the episode), and long specials like the latest upload. So this channel works best when you pick the short ones, not when you open it up and let it run.
Also, the channel's きょうのもじ (Today's Letter) segment teaches English letters, like "F," not hiragana. The channel is great for numbers, but for kana you'll need to look elsewhere.
Age note: The channel description doesn't list an age range. My own take is that ages 3 to 5 is the sweet spot, and 2- and 6-year-olds can happily watch along.
Why parents love it
1. Familiar characters kids dive right into
Elmo and Cookie Monster are characters plenty of kids already recognize, so there's no warming up to new faces. As soon as a character shows up, kids' attention goes to the song and the numbers, not to "Who's that?"
2. One number per clip, and just the right length
きょうのかずのうた「９」 (Today's Number Song: "9") is only 51 seconds, and the one where Elmo counts penguins is just 34 seconds. Each clip covers one number or one topic and then it's over, which makes it easy to agree with your child that "when this song is done, we turn it off."
3. Numbers, pictures and real life all connect
The number songs come with clear visuals, so kids count along as they watch, and クッキーモンスターのキッチンカー brings counting into food. For those little gaps of five minutes or less, like right before snack time or bath time, one clip fits perfectly.
4. Real educational design, not mass-produced animation
Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit, with a curriculum behind its content. Compared with the endless copycat number-song animations online, both the pacing and the content feel more trustworthy, and parents have a clearer idea of what their kids are learning.
My take as a twin dad
I treat it as time for one number song, not as background TV. Even when kids want to watch again, I'd play just one approved short each time. Number songs make it really easy for kids to shout "Again!", so instead of letting it run on and on, stick to one song, then go count some real things once it's over.
My advice is to follow whatever number your child is working on. If they keep getting stuck on 8, add the 8 song first. Once they can count to 9, switch to 「９」. One number at a time is easier for kids to remember, and it's easier for you to see where they really are.
To be honest, not every video on this channel is right for little ones to watch alone. The long specials and full episodes are fine in themselves, but they can easily turn into half an hour on the couch. So I think of it as "number shorts a parent picked," not "a channel kids browse on their own."
The catch: great show ≠ safe YouTube
Even Sesame Workshop's official channel runs into the same problems once it's on YouTube: suggested videos in the sidebar, autoplay, and the comments section. Your child finishes a 51-second number song, and the next thing YouTube recommends might be a long special, Sesame Street in another language, or a kids' channel you've never even seen.
That's the gap FamilyTube is built for:
Kids only watch parent-approved YouTube videos.
No recommendation feed. No endless scrolling. No surprise next video.
You keep Sesame Street's number songs. You drop the algorithm.
Where to start: your first week
Step 1 — Start with a number song kids can sing along to
For the first one, I'd go with うた♬｜8はいいかずだ8️⃣🎉 (Song: 8 Is a Great Number; posted August 2, 2026, with about 124,000 views). It's 2 minutes 49 seconds, and the whole song is about the number 8. After hearing it a couple of times, most kids can hum along. Afterward, count eight things together: blocks, spoons, socks, anything works.
Step 2 — Add "number of the day" and a short Elmo segment
Once the first one goes well, add うた♬｜きょうのかずのうた「９」 (posted September 20, 2026; 51 seconds). Each song covers just one number, which makes it a nice little daily ritual. After that, try セサミストリ－ト：エルモズ・ワールド：ペンギンを数える (Sesame Street: Elmo's World: Counting Penguins; posted March 12, 2016, with about 6.91 million views). It's 34 seconds of Elmo counting penguins, and it's the most-viewed of these three. Add just one at a time, and wait a few days before adding the next.
Step 3 — Hold off on long videos and the letter segment
I'd skip the full episodes and long specials for the first week. Wait until you've watched them yourself, and you know you have a good block of time that day, before deciding whether to add them. Also, きょうのもじ teaches English letters, not hiragana, so if kana is what you're after, there's no need to add that segment. If you'd like to branch out into food, wait until your child is comfortable with the number songs, then preview 食育｜かぞえること｜クッキーモンスターのキッチンカー (Food Education: Counting, Cookie Monster's Food Truck; posted May 7, 2026; 5 minutes 1 second).
Step 4 — Two minutes of counting after the song
One number song plus two minutes of real counting is just right. Ask "How many penguins did Elmo count?" or count the cookies on the plate together at snack time. You don't need to quiz them every time. The point is bringing the numbers from the song back into everyday life.
How to watch セサミストリート日本公式 safely in FamilyTube
- Open FamilyTube on your iPhone or iPad and go to the Parent Area.
- First, check Recommend to see if セサミストリート日本公式 is there. If it isn't, tap Search at the bottom, switch to the Search channels tab, and type the channel name, セサミストリート日本公式.
- Once you open the channel, you can see every video on the Videos tab, or switch to Playlists to browse by topic, with playlists like 食育｜クッキーモンスターのキッチンカー. That's much easier than scrolling through 618 videos one by one.
- Tap ＋ next to a video to add it, or open a playlist and check the videos you want. Start with one starter video, like 8はいいかずだ, and add more over time.
- Turn on Child Mode and hand over the device: your child can only tap videos you approved.
Result: your child gets to count along with Elmo and Cookie Monster, and every video they see is one you picked.
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Quick FAQ
Is セサミストリート日本公式 free on YouTube?
Videos on the official channel are generally free to watch, though availability may vary by region.
Can my child learn hiragana from this channel?
Not really. きょうのもじ teaches English letters, not hiragana. This channel's strength is numbers and counting.
Is every video a full episode?
No. The channel has short songs under a minute, program excerpts marked 本編を一部ご紹介, full episodes labeled フルエピソード, and long specials. A quick look at the video length before you add it tells you which kind it is.
Can I add the whole channel at once?
I wouldn't. The channel has 618 videos, and their lengths vary a lot. Starting with three short number songs and keeping your approved list short is much easier to manage than adding everything at once.
Does FamilyTube replace YouTube?
No. FamilyTube plays the YouTube videos you choose. It just keeps YouTube's recommendations and that never-ending "next video" off your child's side of the screen.
Bottom line
セサミストリート日本公式 is a really handy channel for learning numbers: made by the nonprofit Sesame Workshop, starring characters kids already know, with one number or one topic per song. You'll need to weed out the long videos first, but pick well and it makes a wonderful daily counting time.
Start with these three: 8はいいかずだ, きょうのかずのうた「９」 and ペンギンを数える. Keep your approved list short, and watch in FamilyTube so a 51-second number song doesn't get carried off into a half-hour video by YouTube's recommendations.
To get kids moving, check out our ケロポンズ&プッピーズ (Keropons & Puppies) guide. For gentle kids' songs, see the Super Simple 日本語 (Super Simple Japanese) guide and the ボンボンアカデミー (Bom Bom Academy) guide. For three-minute science, there's the でんじろう先生のはぴエネ! (Denjiro-sensei's Happy Energy!) guide, and for everyday habits, the しまじろうチャンネル (Shimajiro Channel) guide. You can also browse all channel guides for more picks parents can trust.