Parents typically subject their children to materials and programs that they believe will help increase their child's development and cognitive function.

One of the more popular children's television shows is Sesame Street, which has been hailed as both educational and fun for its younger audience. However, a new Indonesian study is suggesting that the popular program could improve development in a child.

According to researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, children who had the most exposure to Jalan Sesama, which is the Indonesian version of Sesame Street, over a 14-week period experienced the greatest improvement in literacy, early cognitive skills, math and social awareness development.

Because Jalan Sesama was created specifically geared toward Indonesian children, they were able to relate more than they would with dubbed American shows such as Sponge Bob Squarepants.

"With this study, we present evidence that when a culturally and age-appropriate show is offered, it can change the lives of preschoolers. Our data show that 4, 5, and 6 year olds learned important and healthy messages," said Dina L.G. Borzekowski, the study's lead author.